CN117939454A

CN117939454A - Information transmission method, device and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN117939454A
Application number: CN202410136056.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李志军; 朱进国; 梁爽
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2024-01-30
Filing date: 2024-01-30
Publication date: 2024-04-26

Abstract

The application provides an information transmission method, information transmission equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a network function NF discovery request message carrying query parameters sent by a second mobile network, wherein the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover a target NF; determining that the target NF is located in a third mobile network according to the query parameters; and returning an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network so that the second mobile network discovers the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

Description

Information transmission method, device and storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to an information transmission method, an information transmission device, and a storage medium.

Background

In a 5G Network, discovery of Network Functions (NF) may be performed by a Network warehouse Function (Network Repository Function, NRF). On the NRF, NF parameter configuration (NF Profile) of each specific network function is registered, and this registration process may be performed through OAM, or each specific NF registers itself with the NRF.

In the case of a User Equipment (UE), or User terminal, roaming to a visited public land mobile network (Visited Public Land Mobile Network, VPLMN), a series of NFs serving the UE need to be discovered according to the current roaming situation of the UE, where some NFs are typically in the home public land mobile network (Home Public Land Mobile Network, HPLMN); while some NFs must be within the VPLMN.

In roaming scenarios, the access and mobility management function (ACCESS AND Mobility Function, AMF) needs to be in the visited network; whereas the authentication service function (Authentication Service Function, AUSF) and the Unified data management function (UDM) must be within the home network.

However, in some special traffic scenarios, some special NFs (such as AUSF and UDM) are not in either the HPLMN or the VPLMN, but in another cooperative network (PARTNER PLMN), how to select network functions in roaming scenarios is a challenge to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide an information transmission method, apparatus, and storage medium, which implement selection of network functions in roaming scenarios.

The embodiment of the application provides an information transmission method, which is applied to a first mobile network and comprises the following steps:

receiving a network function NF discovery request message carrying query parameters sent by a second mobile network, wherein the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover a target NF;

determining that the target NF is located in a third mobile network according to the query parameters;

and returning an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network so that the second mobile network discovers the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

The embodiment of the application provides an information transmission method, which is applied to a second mobile network and comprises the following steps:

A network function NF discovery request message carrying a query parameter is sent to a first mobile network, so that the first mobile network determines that a target NF is positioned in a third mobile network according to the query parameter; the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover the target NF;

Receiving an NF discovery response message returned by the first mobile network;

And discovering the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus including: a memory, and one or more processors;

the memory is configured to store one or more programs;

The one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the methods of any of the embodiments described above.

An embodiment of the present application provides a storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in any of the above embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a system architecture diagram of a 5G network provided in the prior art;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a discovery flow of a target NF in a roaming scenario provided in the prior art;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of another information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a discovery flow of a target NF in a roaming scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another discovery procedure of a target NF in a roaming scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a block diagram of an information transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 8 is a block diagram of another information transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The application is described below in connection with the accompanying drawings of embodiments, which are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation.

In some special service scenarios, for example, one service scenario is that a certain operator issues a large number of directional roaming data cards, and AUSF/UDM serving this card is deployed in PARTNER PLMN in case this card is accessed from a certain specific roaming network; another traffic scenario is where an operator publishes a large number of IoT terminal cards for use on IoT terminals by IoT servers, and AUSF and UDM of these IoT terminal cards are provided by IoT server's networks. In the above service scenario, special requirements are put forward for network function selection in roaming scenarios, which cannot be achieved in the prior art.

In view of this, the embodiment of the present application proposes a scheme for selecting NFs in a UE roaming scenario, which can select NFs in a specific cooperative network for a UE.

In the embodiment of the present application, the process of executing the home network NF to discover the target NF by the visited network NF in the roaming scenario is described by taking the visited network as a VPLMN, the home network as an HPLMN, and the cooperative network as PARTNER PLMN as an example.

Fig. 1 is a system architecture diagram of a 5G network provided in the prior art. As shown in fig. 1, the system of the 5G network in the prior art includes the following network functions: UE, radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN), NRF, AMF, session management function (Session Management Function, SMF), user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF), AUSF, UDM, policy control function (Policy Control Function, PCF), and network opening function (Network Exposure Function, NEF).

RAN: in a 5G network, the RAN may be an NR base station.

NRF: the NRF allows any NF in the network to register its NF profile in the NRF and provide discovery services to any NF to find other NFs in the network.

AMF: the method comprises the following functions: registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management. This function also performs access authentication and access authorization. The AMF is a NAS security terminal, relays SM NAS between the UE and the SMF, and the like.

SMF: the method comprises the following functions: session establishment, modification and release, UE IP address assignment and management (including optional authorization functions), selection and control of UP functions, downlink data notification, etc. The SMF controls the UPF through the N4 association.

UPF: the method comprises the following functions: acting as anchor points for intra/inter radio access technology (Radio Access Technology, RAT) mobility, packet routing and forwarding, traffic usage reporting, qoS treatment for user plane, downlink packet buffering, and downlink data notification triggering, etc.

AUSF: AUSF provide authentication functions for the UE.

UDM: UDM provides various subscription data for UEs, such as to AMFs for access and mobility management, or to SMFs for PDU session management, etc. The UDM also processes AMF registration from the AMF to record the serving AMF of the UE, or SMF registration from the SMF to record PDU session information, etc.

PCF: the PCF provides QoS policy rules to the control plane functions to enforce those rules. The PCF converts the AF request into a policy that applies to the PDU session. The PCF provides the AF-affected traffic guidance enforcement control to the SMF in PCC rules so that the SMF may establish a data path to offload traffic to the local data network.

NEF: the NEF collects network events or network statistics related to the UE and provides these information to the AF/AS, i.e. discloses network information to the outside.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a discovery flow of a target NF in a roaming scenario provided in the prior art. As shown in fig. 2, the process of performing the home network NF discovery by the visited network NF through the home network NRF in the roaming scenario includes the steps of:

s210, NF#1 sends an NF discovery request message.

Nf#1 (e.g., AMF) in the VPLMN sends an NF discovery request (NF Discovery request) message to NRF (e.g., H-NRF) in the HPLMN, in which the NF discovery request message carries a query parameter for NRF discovery candidate NF.

For example, the query parameters may be used to indicate NF type (e.g., AUSF /) of the target NF, NF status of the target NF, and the like.

In a roaming scenario, nf#1 also needs to indicate a requesting end network identification (e.g., VPLMN ID) and a target end network identification (e.g., HPLMN ID) of the target NF to be discovered. In the case where the requesting NF (i.e., nf#1) is in the VPLMN, the requesting network identification is set to the VPLMN ID. In the case where the request is to discover NF in the HPLMN (e.g., AUSF/UDM), the target network identification is set to the HPLMN ID.

S220, H-NRF executes NF profile filtering operation.

The candidate NF is filtered using the input query parameters by executing internal logic through the H-NRF in the home network. In this process, the H-NRF filters the target NF (e.g., AUSF/UDM) using the target-side network identification.

S230, H-NRF sends NF discovery response to NF#1.

The H-NRF sends an NF discovery response (NF Discovery Response) message to NF#1, wherein the NF discovery response message comprises an NF profile list of candidate NF. For example, if nf#2 and nf#x are found, the returned NF profile list includes NF configurations for nf#2 and nf#x.

S240, selecting NF profile.

In the case of receiving the candidate NF profile list, nf#1 may select one NF from the returned NF profile list for future use and may cache the results in its local memory.

However, in the existing special service scenario, the AUSF and the UDM are not in the home network HPLMN and the visited network VPLMN, but in another cooperative network (PARTNER PLMN), which has a cooperative relationship with the home network operator. In this roaming scenario, the implementation process shown in fig. 2 cannot implement NF discovery. In view of this, the embodiment of the application provides an information transmission method, which can select NFs in a specific cooperative network for UEs in a roaming scenario.

In an embodiment, fig. 3 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment is applied to the situation that the network function is selected in the terminal roaming scene. The present embodiment may be performed by a first mobile network. Illustratively, the first mobile network may be a home network corresponding to the UE, i.e. one network function in the HPLMN; the second mobile network may be a visited network corresponding to the UE, i.e. a network function in the VPLMN; the third mobile network may be one of the network functions PARTNER PLMN corresponding to the UE. Wherein the third mobile network has a cooperative relationship with the second mobile network.

As shown in fig. 3, the present embodiment includes: S310-S330.

S310, receiving an NF discovery request message carrying the query parameter sent by the second mobile network, wherein the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover the target NF.

S320, determining that the target NF is located in the third mobile network according to the query parameters.

And S330, returning an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network so that the second mobile network discovers the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

In an embodiment, a first mobile network receives an NF discovery request message sent by a second mobile network, and carries a query parameter for requesting to discover a target NF in the NF discovery request message, then the first mobile network determines whether the target NF is located in a third mobile network according to the query parameter, and if the target NF is located in the third mobile network, returns an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network, so that the second mobile network discovers the target NF based on the NF discovery response message, thereby realizing that under a roaming scenario, the target NF located in a cooperative network can be queried through the home network and the visited network even if the target NF is not located in the home network and the visited network.

In one embodiment, the NF discovery response message includes one of: forwarding information of the third mobile network; target NF information for the third mobile network. In an example, the forwarding information of the third mobile network may be understood as forwarding information of a network having a cooperative relationship with the second mobile network; the forwarding information of the third mobile network is used to indicate relevant information of the third mobile network. The target NF information of the third mobile network is used to indicate the target NF that is in the third mobile network.

In one embodiment, the query parameters include at least one of: NF type; a request end network identification; a target end network identifier; and (5) route identification. The NF type is used to indicate the NF type corresponding to the target NF, for example, the NF type may include, but is not limited to, one of the following: AUSF and UDM; the network identifier of the request end is used for indicating the identifier corresponding to the network where the UE currently roams, and can also be understood as the identifier corresponding to the network where the NF discovery request is initiated; the target end network identifier refers to the identifier corresponding to the network where the target NF to be found is located; the route identification is used to indicate the discovery path of the target NF. Illustratively, assuming that the target NF may be AUSF or UDM, the route identification is used to indicate the discovered path of AUSF or UDM.

In an embodiment, determining that the target NF is located in the third mobile network according to the query parameter includes one of the following:

Determining that the target NF is positioned in the third mobile network according to the request end network identification and the target end network identification;

And determining that the target NF is positioned in the third mobile network according to the request end network identification, the target end network identification and the route identification. In an example, the first mobile network may discover a discovery request of a certain NF type within the home network (corresponding to the target network identity) according to the network identity (corresponding to the requesting network identity) that the UE is currently roaming, and forward the discovery request to the NRF of the third mobile network. In an example, the first mobile network may discover a discovery request of a NF type in the home network (corresponding to the target network identifier) according to the network identifier (corresponding to the request end network identifier) where the UE is currently roaming, and the route identifier, and forward the discovery request to the NRF of the third mobile network, that is, if the UE is currently roaming in a certain visited network and has a specific route identifier, NF of a specific NF type is allocated to the UE in the third mobile network.

In one embodiment, the forwarding information of the third mobile network includes at least one of: network identification of the third mobile network; the domain name is completely limited by the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network; identification of the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network; and the API root resource identifier of the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network.

In an embodiment, in case that the NF discovery response message includes target NF information of the third mobile network, the method further includes:

Sending an NF discovery request message to a third mobile network;

Receiving an NF discovery response message sent by a third mobile network; wherein the NF discovery response message includes: target NF information for the third mobile network. In an example, in a case that the first mobile network obtains a target NF that needs to be queried from NRF (P-NRF) of the third mobile network, the first mobile network needs to forward an NF discovery request message sent by the second mobile network to the third mobile network, and query parameters carried in the NF discovery request message remain unchanged. After the P-NRF in the third mobile network receives the NF discovery request message forwarded by the first mobile network, inquiring target NF meeting the conditions, returning an NF discovery response message to the first mobile network, carrying a candidate NF list in the third mobile network in the NF discovery response message, and including an NF profile of one target NF in each NF list.

In an embodiment, fig. 4 is a flowchart of another information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment is applied to the situation that the network function is selected in the terminal roaming scene. The present embodiment may be performed by a second mobile network. As shown in fig. 4, the present embodiment includes: S410-S430.

S410, a network function NF discovery request message carrying the query parameters is sent to the first mobile network, so that the first mobile network determines that the target NF is positioned in the third mobile network according to the query parameters; the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover the target NF.

S420, receiving an NF discovery response message returned by the first mobile network.

S430, discovering the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

In an embodiment, the second mobile network sends an NF discovery request message carrying a query parameter to the first mobile network, so that the first mobile network determines whether the target NF is located in the third mobile network according to the query parameter, and if so, the first mobile network returns an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network, so that the second mobile network can discover the target NF in the third mobile network based on the NF discovery response message, and the target NF in the cooperative network can be queried through the home network and the visited network even if the target NF is not located in the home network and the visited network in a roaming scenario.

In one embodiment, the NF discovery response message includes one of: forwarding information of the third mobile network; target NF information for the third mobile network.

In one embodiment, the query parameters include at least one of: NF type; a request end network identification; a target end network identifier; and (5) route identification.

In an embodiment, in a case that the NF discovery response message includes forwarding information of the third mobile network, the method further includes:

and sending an NF discovery request message to the third mobile network.

In an embodiment, sending the NF discovery request message to the third mobile network includes:

constructing an API service address of the third mobile network according to forwarding information of the third mobile network;

And initiating a discovery request of the target NF to the third mobile network by adopting the API service address. Illustratively, the third mobile network may be a cooperative network (PARTNER PLMN), and correspondingly, the forwarding information of the third mobile network may be PARTNER PLM redirect. In an example, in a case where the forwarding information of the third mobile network includes a network identifier of the third mobile network, the second mobile network may acquire third mobile network NRF information (i.e., P-NRF information) from the third mobile network, construct an API service address of the third mobile network based on the P-NRF information, and initiate a discovery request of the target NF to the third mobile network. In an example, when the forwarding information of the third mobile network includes the FQDN of the third mobile network NRF, the second mobile network needs to obtain the address of the third mobile network NRF (i.e., P-NRF) from the DNS server of the third mobile network, and construct the API service address of the third mobile network NRF accordingly, and initiate a discovery request of the target NF to the third mobile network NRF. In an example, when the forwarding information of the third mobile network includes an identifier of the third mobile network NRF, for example, NF instance ID, the second mobile network needs to obtain information of the third mobile network NRF (i.e., P-NRF) from the local indication or the local network NRF query, and construct an API service address of the third mobile network NRF according to the information, so as to initiate a discovery request of the target NF to the third mobile network NRF. In an example, where the forwarding information of the third mobile network includes an API Root resource identifier (API Root URI) of the third mobile network NRF, the second mobile network needs to construct an API service address of the third mobile network NRF accordingly, so as to initiate a discovery request of the target NF to the third mobile network NRF.

It should be noted that, explanation of parameters such as forwarding information, target NF information, query parameters and the like applied to the third mobile network in the second mobile network can be referred to the description of the corresponding parameters applied to the first mobile network, and will not be repeated here.

In the following embodiment, the discovery process of the target NF is described by taking the first mobile network as the NRF (i.e., H-NRF) in the home network HPLMN, the second mobile network as the requesting end NF (e.g., AMF) in the visited network VPLMN, and the third mobile network as the P-NRF in the cooperative network PARTNER PLMN as an example.

In an embodiment, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a discovery flow of a target NF in a roaming scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. The present embodiment describes that in a roaming scenario, the visited network NF is forwarded by the home network NRF (H-NRF) to the NRF (i.e. P-NRF) of the partner network (PARTNER PLMN) to perform NF discovery. As shown in fig. 5, the method comprises the following steps:

s510, the request end NF sends an NF discovery request message.

The request end NF (requester NF) located in the visited network sends NF discovery request (NF Discovery Request) message to the home network NRF (H-NRF), and carries several query parameters (query parameters) in the NF discovery request message.

In this step requester NF may be the AMF of the VPLMN, or the NRF of the VPLMN (V-NRF). The AMF in the VPLMN may initiate the NF discovery request to the home network H-NRF via the V-NRF, or may initiate the NF discovery request directly to the home network H-NRF.

In this step, the query parameters may include the following combinations:

a) NF type (noted NF type). If requester NF wishes to discover NF of a certain type, the NF type needs to be carried in the query parameter, which is used to indicate the NF type of the target NF to be discovered. For example, NF types may include, but are not limited to, at least one of: ASUF, UDM, SMF and UPF;

b) The requesting network identification (requester PLMN ID). In case the UE is roaming, requester PLMN ID is typically required to be carried in the query parameters. At this point requester PLMN ID may be set to the VPLMN ID for indicating that the UE is currently in the roaming network VPLMN.

C) The destination network identification (TARGET PLMN ID). In case the UE is roaming, TARGET PLMN ID is typically required to be carried in the query parameters. At this point TARGET PLMN ID may be set to the HPLMN ID to indicate that the target NF to be discovered is located within the home network HPLMN.

D) Carrying a routing indication (noted routing indicator). If requester NF is AMF, the target NF to be found can be AUSF or UDM. In the query parameters, routing instructions may also be carried in general. Routing indicator carried in this step may be retrieved by the AMF from the subscription encryption identification (Subscription Concealed Identifier, SUCI) provided at the time of UE registration. In the case of a network deployment of multiple AUSF and UDMs, this routing indicator may point to one of several AUSF, UDM, depending on the operator planning.

S520, H-NRF judges that the target NF is at PARTNER PLMN.

The H-NRF, upon receiving NF Discovery Request of requester NF, determines that a target NF of the cooperative network (PARTNER PLMN) needs to be discovered.

In this embodiment, the H-NRF is based on the operator policy on the H-NRF, and the combination of the following information in NF Discovery Request: NF type (NF type), requesting network identification (requester PLMN ID), target network identification (TARGET PLMN ID), routing identification (Routing Indicator), deciding that the target NF needs to be found in the partner network (PARTNER PLMN).

In a specific embodiment, the operator may configure a local policy in the H-NRF and forward a request to find a certain type NF (corresponding to NF type) in the home network HPLMN (corresponding to TARGET PLMN ID) to the NRF of the partner network (PARTNER PLMN) according to the VPLMN ID (corresponding to requester PLMN ID) of the network where the UE is currently roaming. That is, if the UE is currently roaming in a visited network VPLMN, the UE is allocated a particular type of NF (e.g., AUSF, UDM) within the cooperating network PARTNER PLMN.

In another specific embodiment, the operator may configure a local policy in the H-NRF and forward a request to find a certain type NF (corresponding to NF type) in the home network HPLMN (corresponding to TARGET PLMN ID) to the NRF of the partner network (PARTNER PLMN) according to the VPLMN ID (corresponding to requester PLMN ID) of the network where the UE is currently roaming, and the route identification Routing Indicator. That is, if the UE is currently roaming in a visited network VPLMN, having a particular routing identity Routing Indicator, the UE is assigned a particular type of NF (e.g., AUSF, UDM) within the cooperating network PARTNER PLMN.

S530, H-NRF sends NF discovery response message.

The H-NRF returns a NF discovery response (NF Discovery Response) message to requester NF and carries forward information (RedirectResponse) in the NF discovery response message, which is used to carry cooperative network forward information (PARTNER PLMN Redirection).

The cooperative network forwarding information (PARTNER PLMN Redirection) may include a combination of the following ways: a partner network identity (which may also be referred to as partner network PLMN ID (PARTNER PLMN ID)); FQDN (noted PARTNER NRF FQDN) of the cooperative network NRF; the ID of the partner network NRF (noted PARTNER NRFID); the API Root resource identifier (noted PARTNER NRF API Root URI) of the partner network NRF.

If only the partner network PLMN ID is provided, requester NF needs to obtain NRF (i.e., P-NRF) information from the partner network PARTNER PLMN and construct the API service address of the P-NRF accordingly, thereby initiating NF discovery requests to this P-NRF.

If only the FQDN of the partner network NRF is provided, requester NF needs to obtain the address of the partner network NRF (i.e., P-NRF) from the DNS server of the partner network and construct the API service address of the P-NRF accordingly, thereby initiating an NF discovery request to this P-NRF.

If only the ID of the partner network NRF is provided, such as NF instance ID (NF Instance ID), requester NF needs to obtain the information of the partner network NRF (i.e., P-NRF) from the local knowledge or the local network NRF query, and construct the API service address of the P-NRF accordingly, thereby initiating NF discovery request to the P-NRF.

If an API Root URI of the partner network NRF is provided, requester NF constructs an API service address of the P-NRF accordingly, thereby initiating an NF discovery request to the P-NRF.

S540, the request end NF sends an NF discovery request message to the P-NRF.

In an embodiment requester NF sends NF Discovery Request message to the partner network NRF (P-NRF).

In this step, the query parameter carried in the NF Discovery Request message by the request NF may refer to the query parameter in S510.

S550, the P-NRF inquires a target NF meeting the condition.

After the P-NRF receives the NF Discovery Request message requester NF, a target NF (such as AUSF/UDM) meeting the condition is queried.

S560, the P-NRF sends NF discovery response information to the request end NF.

The P-NRF returns NF Discovery Response message to requester NF carrying a list of candidate NFs (CANDIDATE NF LIST), each list entry including the NF profile of one target NF.

In an embodiment, fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another discovery procedure of a target NF in a roaming scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. The present embodiment describes that in a roaming scenario, the home network NRF (H-NRF) obtains the NF to be queried from the P-NRF of the partner network (PARTNER PLMN) and returns to the visited network NF. As shown in fig. 6, the method comprises the following steps:

s610, the request end NF sends an NF discovery request message.

The requesting end NF (requester NF) at the visited network sends an NF discovery request (NF Discovery Request) message to the home network NRF (H-NRF).

In this step, the query parameters carried by requester NF may be referred to S510 in the above embodiment, which is not described herein.

S620, H-NRF judges that the target NF is located at PARTNER PLMN.

In the step, the H-NRF determines that the target NF of the cooperative network needs to be found, and the determining process is referred to S520 in the above embodiment, which is not described herein.

S630, H-NRF forwards NF discovery request message to P-NRF.

The H-NRF forwards requester NF the NF discovery request (ND Discovery Request) message sent by requester NF to the NRF (P-NRF) of the cooperative network, wherein the query parameters carried therein remain unchanged.

S640, the P-NRF inquires a target NF meeting the condition.

After the P-NRF receives NF Discovery Request messages forwarded by the N-NRF, querying target NF (such as AUSF/UDM) meeting the conditions.

S650, the P-NRF returns an NF discovery response message to the H-NRF.

The P-NRF returns NF Discovery Response a message to the H-NRF carrying a list of NF candidates for the partner network (i.e., PARTNER NF LIST), each list entry including NF profile of one target NF.

S660, the H-NRF returns an NF discovery response message to the request end NF.

The H-NRF returns NF Discovery Response message to requester NF, carries the NF list of candidates returned by the P-NRF (i.e., PARTNER NF LIST), and optionally carries the PLMN ID of the partner network (PARTNER PLMN ID).

In an embodiment, fig. 5 and 6 describe a flow of discovering a specific NF of a cooperative network in a roaming scenario, mainly applied to MO service flows, but the flows described in fig. 5 and 6 are equally applicable to MT service flows.

A typical real-time example is that if a third party application server AS wishes to obtain status information of a UE from the network, such AS roaming status, the AS may subscribe to the status information of the UE with the NEF, which needs to subscribe to the status information of the UE from the UDM. The NEF may use the flow of fig. 5, or the flow of fig. 6, to obtain the UDM within the cooperating network currently serving the UE. Specifically, to the flow shown in fig. 5 and 6, the NEF is requester NF and is located in the home network, and the UDM of the cooperative network is P-NF.

In one embodiment, fig. 7 is a block diagram of an information transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment is applied to a first mobile network. As shown in fig. 7, the information transmission apparatus in the present embodiment includes: receiver 710, determination module 720, and discovery module 730.

The receiver 710 is configured to receive a network function NF discovery request message carrying a query parameter sent by the second mobile network, where the NF discovery request message is used to request to discover the target NF.

A determining module 720 configured to determine that the target NF is located in the third mobile network according to the query parameter.

The discovery module 730 is configured to return an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network, so that the second mobile network discovers the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

In one embodiment, the determining module 720 is configured to one of:

and determining that the target NF is positioned in the third mobile network according to the request end network identification, the target end network identification and the route identification.

In an embodiment, in a case that the NF discovery response message includes the target NF information of the third mobile network, the information transmission apparatus applied to the first mobile network further includes:

A transmitter configured to transmit an NF discovery request message to a third mobile network;

the receiver is further configured to receive an NF discovery response message sent by the third mobile network; wherein the NF discovery response message includes: target NF information for the third mobile network.

The information transmission device provided in this embodiment is configured to implement the information transmission method applied to the first mobile network in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, and the implementation principle and the technical effect of the information transmission device provided in this embodiment are similar, and are not repeated here.

In one embodiment, fig. 8 is a block diagram of another information transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment is applied to a second mobile network. As shown in fig. 8, the information transmission apparatus in the present embodiment includes: a transmitter 810, a receiver 820, and a discovery module 830.

A transmitter 810 configured to transmit a network function NF discovery request message carrying a query parameter to the first mobile network, so that the first mobile network determines that the target NF is located in the third mobile network according to the query parameter; the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover the target NF.

And a receiver 820 configured to receive the NF discovery response message returned by the first mobile network.

A discovery module 830 is configured to discover a target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

In an embodiment, in a case that the NF discovery response message includes forwarding information of the third mobile network, the information transfer apparatus applied to the second mobile network further includes:

and a transmitter configured to transmit the NF discovery request message to the third mobile network.

and initiating a discovery request of the target NF to the third mobile network by adopting the API service address.

The information transmission device provided in this embodiment is configured to implement the information transmission method applied to the second mobile network in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, and the implementation principle and the technical effect of the information transmission device provided in this embodiment are similar, and are not repeated here.

In an embodiment, fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, the apparatus provided by the present application includes: a processor 910, a memory 920, and a communication module 930. The number of processors 910 in the device may be one or more, one processor 910 being illustrated in fig. 9. The amount of memory 920 in the device may be one or more, one memory 920 being illustrated in fig. 9. The processor 910, memory 920, and communication module 930 of the device may be connected by a bus or other means, with bus connections being shown in fig. 9 as an example. In this embodiment, the device is either a first mobile network or a second mobile network.

The memory 920, as a computer-readable storage medium, may be configured to store a software program, a computer-executable program, and modules, such as program instructions/modules corresponding to the apparatus of any embodiment of the present application (e.g., the receiver 710, the determining module 720, and the discovery module 730 in the information transmission device). Memory 920 may include a storage program area that may store an operating system, at least one application required for functionality, and a storage data area; the storage data area may store data created according to the use of the device, etc. In addition, memory 920 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device. In some examples, memory 920 may further include memory located remotely from processor 910, which may be connected to the device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof. The communication module 930 is configured to implement a communication interaction procedure between the first mobile network, the second mobile network, and the third mobile network.

In the case that the communication device is the first mobile network, the above-provided device may be configured to execute the information transmission method applied to the first mobile network provided in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, and have corresponding functions and effects.

In the case that the communication device is the second mobile network, the above-provided device may be configured to execute the information transmission method applied to the second mobile network provided in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, and have corresponding functions and effects.

The embodiment of the application also provides a storage medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform a method of information transmission applied to a first mobile network, the method comprising: receiving a network function NF discovery request message carrying query parameters sent by a second mobile network, wherein the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover a target NF; determining that the target NF is positioned in the third mobile network according to the query parameters; and returning an NF discovery response message to the second mobile network so that the second mobile network discovers the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform a method of information transmission applied to a second mobile network, the method comprising: sending a network function NF discovery request message carrying the query parameters to the first mobile network so that the first mobile network determines that the target NF is positioned in the third mobile network according to the query parameters; the NF discovery request message is used for requesting to discover the target NF; receiving an NF discovery response message returned by the first mobile network; the target NF is discovered based on the NF discovery response message.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the term user equipment encompasses any suitable type of wireless user equipment, such as mobile telephones, portable data processing devices, portable web browsers, or car-mounted mobile stations.

In general, the various embodiments of the application may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the application is not limited thereto.

Embodiments of the application may be implemented by a data processor of a mobile device executing computer program instructions, e.g. in a processor entity, either in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware. The computer program instructions may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (Instruction Set Architecture, ISA) instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

The block diagrams of any of the logic flows in the figures of this application may represent program steps, or may represent interconnected logic circuits, modules, and functions, or may represent a combination of program steps and logic circuits, modules, and functions. The computer program may be stored on a memory. The Memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, but not limited to, read-Only Memory (ROM), random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), optical storage devices and systems (digital versatile Disk (Digital Video Disc, DVD) or Compact Disk (CD)), and the like. The computer readable medium may include a non-transitory storage medium. The data processor may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, such as, but not limited to, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DIGITAL SIGNAL Processing, DSP), application SPECIFIC INTEGRATED Circuits (ASIC), programmable logic devices (Field-Programmable GATE ARRAY, FGPA), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture.

The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application, but various modifications and variations can be made to the present application by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An information transmission method, applied to a first mobile network, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the NF discovery response message comprises one of: forwarding information of the third mobile network; target NF information for the third mobile network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the query parameters include at least one of: NF type; a request end network identification; a target end network identifier; and (5) route identification.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said determining that the target NF is located in a third mobile network based on the query parameters comprises one of:

Determining that the target NF is positioned in a third mobile network according to the request end network identification and the target end network identification;

And determining that the target NF is positioned in a third mobile network according to the request end network identification, the target end network identification and the route identification.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the forwarding information for the third mobile network includes at least one of: network identification of the third mobile network; the domain name is completely limited by the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network; identification of the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network; and the API root resource identifier of the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein in case the NF discovery response message comprises target NF information of the third mobile network, further comprising:

sending an NF discovery request message to the third mobile network;

Receiving an NF discovery response message sent by the third mobile network; wherein the NF discovery response message includes: target NF information for the third mobile network.

7. An information transmission method, applied to a second mobile network, comprising:

And discovering the target NF based on the NF discovery response message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the NF discovery response message comprises one of: forwarding information of the third mobile network; target NF information for the third mobile network.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the query parameters include at least one of: NF type; a request end network identification; a target end network identifier; and (5) route identification.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the forwarding information for the third mobile network comprises at least one of: network identification of the third mobile network; the domain name is completely limited by the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network; identification of the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network; and the API root resource identifier of the network warehouse function corresponding to the third mobile network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein in the case that the NF discovery response message includes forwarding information of a third mobile network, the method further comprises:

and sending an NF discovery request message to the third mobile network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending the NF discovery request message to the third mobile network comprises:

Constructing an API service address of the third mobile network according to the forwarding information of the third mobile network;

13. A communication device, comprising: a memory, and one or more processors;

the memory is configured to store one or more programs;

The one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the method of any of claims 1-6 or 7-12.

14. A storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of the preceding claims 1-6 or 7-12.