COMMUNICATION METHOD, NETWORK DEVICE AND TERMINAL DEVICE

Description

1 / 67 COMMUNICATION METHOD, NETWORK DEVICE AND DEVICE TERMINAL FIELD OF TECHNIQUE

[001] This application refers to the field of communication and, more specifically, to a method of communication, device, computer-readable storage medium, computer program product and computer program. BACKGROUND

[002] In the related technique, the registration process of a user device (UE) is as follows: the central network device allocates a registration area for the UE; when the UE leaves the registration area, the UE initiates a registration update process; if the UE is constantly moving, this will trigger a large number of registration update processes.

[003] In zero-power communication systems, zero-power terminals also need to perform register update processes. However, the way UE performs register update processes, as described above, will result in frequent triggers of mobility register update processes, which requires a significant amount of battery power. This is clearly contrary to the performance requirements of zero-power terminals. Therefore, how to allow zero-power terminals to perform register update processes while reducing the frequency of these processes and thus reducing the power consumption of zero-power terminal devices has become a problem to be solved. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 16 / 113 2 / 67 SUMMARY

[004] The disclosure provides a method of communication, device, computer-readable storage medium, computer program product and computer program.

[005] The disclosure provides a method of communication, including: a network device sends a first message to a terminal device, where the first message is used for the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers the register update process, the first register update area is one of the terminal device's multiple register areas, and each register area in the multiple register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[006] The disclosure provides a method of communication, including: a terminal device receives a first message sent by a network device, where the first message is used for the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers the register update process, the first register update area is one of several register areas of the terminal device, and each register area in the various register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[007] The revelation provides a device of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 17 / 113 3 / 67 network, including: a first communication unit, configured to send a first message to a terminal device, where the first message is used for the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers the register update process, the first register update area is one of the terminal device's multiple register areas, and each register area in the multiple register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[008] The disclosure provides a terminal device, including: a second communication unit, configured to receive a first message sent by a network device, where the first message is used for the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers the register update process, the first register update area is one among several register areas of the terminal device, and each register area in the various register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device may trigger the register update process.

[009] The disclosure provides a network device, including a transceiver, a processor, and memory. Memory is configured to store computer programs, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer programs stored in memory. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 18 / 113 4 / 67 mode that the network device executes the above method.

[0010] The disclosure provides a terminal device, including a transceiver, processor, and memory. The memory is configured to store computer programs, the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer programs stored in memory, so that the terminal device performs the above method.

[0011] The revelation provides a chip, configured to implement the above method.

[0012] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and execute computer programs from memory, so that the device installed with the chip executes the above method.

[0013] The disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, configured to store computer programs, and, when the computer program is run by a device, causes the device to execute the above method.

[0014] The disclosure provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the above method.

[0015] The disclosure provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the above method.

[0016] By adopting the solution provided in this mode, the network device sends an initial message to the terminal device, which can be used by the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in the first record update area that Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 19 / 113 5 / 67 triggers the registration update process. The first registration update area is one of several registration areas on the terminal device, and these various registration areas are candidate areas where the terminal device can trigger the registration update process. Thus, the terminal device only needs to perform the registration update process in certain candidate areas, avoiding the problem of consuming a large amount of energy as in the related technique, where the terminal device executes the registration update process as soon as it leaves a registration area. This can ensure that the terminal device executes the registration update process while reducing the frequency of execution of the registration update process, thus reducing the terminal device's energy consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to a disclosure modality.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network system architecture according to a disclosure embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a zero-power system architecture.

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a recording process.

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to a disclosure modality.

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another modality of disclosure. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 20 / 113 6 / 67

[0023] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a scenario with multiple recording areas according to a mode of disclosure.

[0024] Figures 8A to 8B are schematic diagrams of various exemplary processes of a communication method according to a modality of disclosure.

[0025] Figures 9A to 9B are schematic diagrams of various examples of processes of a communication method according to another modality of disclosure.

[0026] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to a revelation embodiment.

[0027] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

[0028] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0029] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

[0030] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to a manifestation of the disclosure.

[0031] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0032] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system according to a modality of disclosure. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 21 / 113 7 / 67 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Technical solutions for the development methods will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034] The technical solutions of the disclosure modalities can be applied to various communication systems, such as a global mobile communication system (GSM), a code-division multiple access system (CDMA), a wideband code-division multiple access system (WCDMA), a general packet radio service (GPRS), a long-term evolution system (LTE), an enhanced long-term evolution system (LTE-A), a new radio system (NR), an evolved NR system, an LTE-based unlicensed spectrum access system (LTE-U), an NR-based unlicensed spectrum access system (NR-U), a non-terrestrial network system (NTN), a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (WiFi), a fifth-generation communication system (5G), or other communication systems.

[0035] In general, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technologies, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communication, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-to-machine (MTC) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The modalities of revelation can also be applied to these communication systems. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 22 / 113 8 / 67

[0036] In a possible implementation, the communication system in the disclosure modes can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, or a standalone deployment (SA) scenario.

[0037] In another possible implementation, the communication system in the disclosure modalities can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered a shared spectrum. Alternatively, the communication system can also be applied to a licensed spectrum, where the licensed spectrum can be considered a non-shared spectrum.

[0038] Figure 1 illustrates by way of example a communication system 100. The communication system includes a network device 110 and two terminal devices 120. In a possible implementation, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices 110, and each network device 110 may cover other quantities of terminal devices 120 within its coverage range, which is not limited in the embodiments of the disclosure.

[0039] In another possible implementation, the 100 communication system may additionally include other network entities, such as a mobility management entity (MME) or an access and mobility management function (AMF), which is not limited in the disclosure modalities.

[0040] The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, station Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 23 / 113 9 / 67 mobile, mobile terminal, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user appliance. The terminal device can be a station (STA) on a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop station (WLL), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device, another processing device connected to a wireless modem, a device in a vehicle, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public terrestrial mobile network (PLMN).

[0041] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal device may be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor environments, portable, wearable on the body or in a vehicle; it may also be deployed in water (e.g., on a ship); or it may be deployed in the air (e.g., on an aircraft, balloon, or satellite). In the embodiments of the disclosure, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a cushion, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in autonomous driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medicine, a wireless terminal device in smart networking, a wireless terminal device in transport security, a wireless terminal device in smart cities, or a wireless terminal device without Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 24 / 113 10 / 67 wire in smart home.

[0042] As an example, but not as a limitation, in the modalities of disclosure, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. A wearable device, also known as a smart wearable device, is a general term for devices designed with wearable technology to intelligently integrate into everyday attire, such as eyeglasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction.Wearable smart devices, broadly defined, include large, fully functional devices that can operate independently of smartphones, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as devices focused on specific applications that need to work in conjunction with other devices, such as smartphones, like various smart bracelets or smart jewelry for monitoring physiological signals.

[0043] The network device may additionally include an access network device and a core network device. That is, the wireless communication system may additionally include several core networks for communication with the access network device. The access network device may be an evolutionary B Node (eNB or e-NodeB), a macro base station, a micro base station (also called a small base station), a pico base station, an access point (AP), a transmission point (TP), or a B Node of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 25 / 113 11 / 67 next generation (gNodeB) in an LTE system, a next-generation system (mobile communication system) (new radio, NR) or a long-term evolution authorized auxiliary access (LAA-LTE) system.

[0044] In the disclosure modalities, the network device may be a device for communicating with mobile devices. The network device may be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, a base transceiver station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a Node B (NB) in WCDMA, an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device (gNB) in an NR network, a network device in a future evolved PLMN, or a network device in an NTN.

[0045] By way of example, without limitation, in the disclosure embodiments, the network device may have mobility characteristics, such as being a mobile device. Optionally, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite, or a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station deployed on land or water.

[0046] In the disclosure modalities, the network device can provide services to a cell. The terminal device communicates with the network device through transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources or spectrum resources) used by the cell. The cell can be a corresponding cell to Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 26 / 113 12 / 67 network device (e.g., a base station), and the cell may belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. Here, the small cell may include a metrocell, a microcell, a picocell, or a femtocell. These small cells have short coverage ranges and low transmission power, making them suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0047] It should be understood that devices with communication functions in the network / system in the embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to as communication devices. Taking the communication system illustrated in Figure 1 as an example, communication devices may include network devices and terminal devices with communication functions. Network devices and terminal devices may be specific devices in the embodiments of the disclosure, and the details are not repeated here. Communication devices may also include other devices in the communication system, such as a network controller or a mobility management entity, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] To facilitate understanding of the modalities of revelation, the basic processes and concepts involved in the modalities are briefly described below. It should be understood that the basic processes and concepts described below do not limit the modalities of revelation.

[0049] In the 5G network system architecture illustrated in Figure 2, the system includes: a network slice selection function (NSSF), which is mainly used to manage information related to the network slice, such as the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 27 / 113 13 / 67 selection of network slices for endpoint devices; an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), which is used to complete identity authentication for user access; a Unified Data Management (UDM), which is used to manage and store signature data and authentication data; an Access and Mobility Management (AMF) function, which is used to complete mobility management, security anchoring, and security context management.In addition to mobility management for UEs, the AMF is also responsible for forwarding session management-related messages between the UE and a Session Management Function (SMF); the SMF is used to complete session management, allocation, and management of UE IP addresses; a Policy Control Function (PCF) is responsible for formulating policies related to mobility management, session management, and UE billing; an Application Function (AF) is used for external application servers; a User Plane Function (UPF) is used for complex user plane processing, such as traffic routing between a radio access network and the internet, reporting traffic usage, and implementing Quality of Service (QoS) policies; and a Data Network (DN) is an external data network to the 5G core network (5GC), such as the internet.

[0050] Furthermore, data transmission between nodes in the 5GC, between the UE and nodes in the 5GC, between the UE and a radio access network (RAN), and between the RAN and nodes in the 5GC is performed via corresponding interfaces. For example, as illustrated in Figure 2, the AMF in the 5GC and the NSSF perform data transmission via an N22 interface; the AMF and the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 28 / 113 14 / 67 SMFs transmit data via an N11 interface; AMFs and AUSFs transmit data via an N12 interface; and AMFs and UDMs transmit data via an N8 interface. SMFs and UPFs transmit data via an N4 interface. UPFs and an external data network transmit data via an N6 interface, and UPFs and ANs transmit data via an N3 interface. UEs establish an access layer connection with ANs via a Uu interface to exchange access layer messages and perform wireless data transmission. UEs establish a non-access layer (NAS) connection with AMFs via an N1 interface to exchange NAS messages. RANs and AMFs transmit data via an N2 interface, and RANs and UPFs transmit data via an N3 interface.It should be understood that the above describes only some interfaces between nodes, and other interfaces between nodes in 5GC are not described in detail here.

[0051] A zero-power communication network is a wireless communication technology suitable for short-range, low-data-rate communication. Zero-power devices primarily combine radio frequency energy harvesting technology, backscatter communication technology, and low-power computing technology to gain the advantage of not requiring a power source for the device nodes. The basic architecture of a zero-power system is illustrated in Figure 3, which includes a tag reader and a tag. The tag can perform energy harvesting, backscatter communication, and low-power computing. Energy harvesting, Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 29 / 113 15 / 67, also known as radio frequency energy harvesting, converts radio frequency energy into direct current. The energy can be stored in a battery or capacitor, or it can be used directly to power logic circuits, digital chips, or sensor devices after harvesting, completing functions such as modulation and transmission of backscatter signals, collection and processing of detection information, and applications. A tag is a type of zero-power terminal. It should be understood that, in real-world scenarios, zero-power terminals can be tags or common devices, which are not limited to those mentioned here.

[0052] With the development of 5G systems, the 3GPP standard has a requirement for 5G systems to support zero-power terminal access to the network. The main scenarios involved have the following characteristics: extreme environments unsuitable for conventional terminals, terminals with very low power consumption and cost, and battery-free terminals. Zero-power communication systems can be used in scenarios such as wireless industrial sensor networks, smart agriculture, smart storage and logistics, and smart homes.

[0053] Based on the power source and use of zero-power terminals, zero-power terminals can be classified into the following types. (1) Passive zero-power terminals: Passive zero-power terminals do not require built-in batteries. When a passive zero-power terminal approaches a network device (e.g., a reader in an RFID system), the terminal is within the near-field range formed by the radiation from the network device's antenna. Therefore, the antenna of the passive terminal Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 30 / 113 (1) Zero-power terminals: 16 / 67 zero-power terminals generate an electromagnetic induction-induced current, which drives the terminal's low-power chip circuit. This allows for the demodulation of forward link signals and the modulation of reverse link signals. For backscatter linking, passive zero-power terminals use backscattering for signal transmission. (2) Semi-passive zero-power terminals: Semi-passive zero-power terminals also lack conventional batteries, but they can use an RF energy harvesting module to collect energy from radio waves and store the collected energy in an energy storage unit (e.g., a capacitor). After the energy storage unit obtains energy, it can drive the semi-passive zero-power terminal's low-power chip circuit to demodulate forward link signals and modulate reverse link signals.For backscatter linking, zero-power semipassive terminals use backscattering for signal transmission. (3) Active zero-power terminals: In some scenarios, zero-power terminals may also be active zero-power terminals, which may have built-in batteries. The battery is used to power the low-power chip circuitry of the active zero-power terminal to demodulate forward link signals and modulate reverse link signals. However, for backscatter linking, active zero-power terminals use backscattering for signal transmission. Therefore, the zero-power characteristic of such terminals is mainly reflected in the fact that reverse link signal transmission does not require the terminal's own power but utilizes backscattering. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 31 / 113 17 / 67 Zero-power active terminals have built-in batteries that power RFID chips to increase the tag read and write distance and improve communication reliability. Therefore, they are applied in scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and read latency.

[0054] The specific registration process in the 5G architecture is illustrated in Figure 4, where the UE is represented as a device. The process includes: the device sends a registration request to the AMF, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the device, and then the device sends a complete registration message to the AMF. Figure 4 omits the RRC connection establishment process between the UE and the radio access network (RAN), the N2 message interaction process between the RAN and the AMF, and the signature data acquisition process between the AMF and the UDM. These registration processes are managed for each UE, including temporary allocation for each UE and maintenance of the connection state or mobility management state for each UE. State transitions between these mobility management states are performed via NAS messages.To send or receive data (even if only a small amount of data is sent or received), the UE also needs to establish a PDU session.

[0055] In the existing EU registration process, the AMF allocates a registration area for the EU. When the EU leaves the registration area, the EU initiates a mobility registration update process. If the EU is in continuous motion, this will trigger a large number of update processes. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 32 / 113 18 / 67 mobility record.

[0056] In some possible scenarios, zero-power terminals may move. For example, in logistics scenarios, when a zero-power terminal is attached to an item, the terminal will move with the item. In these scenarios, if the same method as UEs is used for register updates, the frequent triggering of mobility register update processes will require significant battery power consumption, which clearly contradicts the performance requirements of zero-power terminals.

[0057] It should be understood that the terms system and network in this document are often used interchangeably. The term and / or in this document describes only an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can indicate: A alone, both A and B, or B alone. Additionally, the character / in this document generally indicates an or relationship between associated objects.

[0058] It should be understood that the term indication mentioned in the disclosure modalities may be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an associative relationship. For example, A indicating B may mean that A directly indicates B (e.g., B can be obtained through A), that A indirectly indicates B (e.g., A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C), or that there is an associative relationship between A and B.

[0059] In the modalities of revelation, the corresponding term may mean that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or that there is a relationship of association between the two, or that there is a relationship Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 33 / 113 19 / 67 of indicating and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0060] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the disclosure modalities, the related technologies of the modalities are described below. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the modalities in any way, and all such combinations are within the scope of protection of the disclosure modalities.

[0061] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to a disclosure modality. The method includes at least part of the following content.

[0062] S510: A network device sends a first message to a terminal device, where the first message is used by the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area. The first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers a register update process, and the first register update area is one of several register areas of the terminal device. Each of the several register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[0063] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another method of communication according to a modality of disclosure. The method includes at least part of the following content.

[0064] S610: a terminal device receives a first message sent by a network device, where the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 34 / 113 The 20 / 67 first message is used by the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area. The first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers a register update process, and the first register update area is one of several register areas of the terminal device. Each of the several register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[0065] Here, the network device is a core network device, which may also be called a core network element. In a preferred example, the core network device might be an AMF. In some other examples, the core network device might be any of the following: an SMF, a Network Exposure Function (NEF), or a new network function (NF) established for the Internet of Things (IoT). This new NF for IoT might be called an IoT NF. Furthermore, IoT might include Ambient Energy Enabled IoT (AIoT), Passive IoT, or at least one of the above options.

[0066] The terminal device is a zero-power device. For example, the zero-power device can be set or fixed to a target object. For example, in a logistics scenario, the target object could be an item to be transported, and the zero-power device could be attached to the item. It should be understood that this is just an example and does not limit the possibilities.

[0067] The number of multiple registration areas can be two or more, such as 4, 5, 10 or more or less, and the possible numbers are not exhaustively listed. Different areas of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 35 / 113 21 / 67 registration between the various registration areas cannot overlap. Here, non-overlapping between different registration areas means that the geographical locations of different registration areas do not overlap. Furthermore, among all registration areas, there may be adjacent registration areas whose geographical locations are adjacent but do not overlap, and / or there may be adjacent registration areas whose geographical locations are completely non-adjacent. All possible scenarios are not exhaustively listed here. Additionally, among multiple registration areas, the sizes of the different registration areas may be equal or different, all within the scope of protection of the modalities.

[0068] Referring to Figure 7 for an example, Figure 7 illustrates several register areas of a terminal device within a given range (i.e., the area covered by the dashed box in Figure 7). The number of register areas is four, namely, register area 1, register area 2, register area 3, and register area 4. As can be seen in Figure 7, any two register areas between register areas 1 to 4 do not overlap.

[0069] Before the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device, the method also includes: the terminal device sends a second message to the network device, where the second message is used to trigger a registration process, and the second message carries terminal device identification information and / or terminal device area parameters. Similarly, before the network device sends the first message to the terminal device, the method also includes: Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 36 / 113 22 / 67 The network device receives the second message sent by the terminal device, where the second message is used to trigger the registration process, and the second message carries the terminal device's identification information and / or the terminal device's area parameters.

[0070] The terminal device that sends the second message to the network device may be the terminal device that sends the second message to the main network device via an access network device. The terminal device that receives the first message sent by the network device may be the terminal device that receives the first message sent by the main network device via the access network device. Here, the access network device may refer to the access network device of the current cell where the terminal device is located.

[0071] The second message may be a second NAS message (non-access stratum), and the first message may be a first NAS message. In a preferred example, the second message may be a registration request message; similarly, the first message may be a registration acceptance message. It should also be noted that if the first message is a registration acceptance message, after receiving the registration acceptance message, the terminal device may still send a full registration message to the network device. This mode does not limit the authentication and information interaction processes performed by the central network device within the central network.

[0072] In some possible implementations, the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 37 / 113 23 / 67 The first message loads the various log areas of the terminal device.

[0073] Before the network device sends the first message to the terminal device, the method also includes: the network device determines the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information, and the network device determines the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters; or, the network device determines the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters.It should be noted that the network device processing that determines the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information, and the network device processing that determines the various terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters, can be performed after the network device receives the second message sent by the terminal device and before the network device sends the first message to the terminal device.

[0074] Specifically, if the second message contains only the terminal device identification information, the network device determines the terminal device area parameters based on the terminal device identification information and determines the various terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters.

[0075] If the second message contains only the terminal device area parameters, the device of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 38 / 113 The 24 / 67 network determines the various terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters.

[0076] If the second message contains both terminal device identification information and terminal device area parameters, the network device can determine, based on actual conditions, whether to perform processing to determine the terminal device area parameters based on the terminal device identification information and then determine the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the area parameters, or to perform processing to directly determine the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the area parameters. This mode does not limit how the network device determines which processing to perform.

[0077] Optionally, the network device that determines the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information includes: the network device obtains the terminal device's area parameters from subscription data based on the terminal device's identification information.

[0078] Here, the signature data can be stored in the UDM; the signature data can include area parameters from each or more devices. It should be understood that the signature data can also include other types of parameters from each device, and this modality does not exhaustively list all possible parameters included in the signature data. The network device that obtains the terminal device's area parameters from the data Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 39 / 113 25 / 67 signing based on terminal device identification information can specifically be: the network device obtains the terminal device area parameters from the signing data stored in the UDM based on the terminal device identification information. Furthermore, the terminal device area parameters stored in the signing data in the UDM can be pre-configured in the UDM or sent to the UDM by an application server.

[0079] Optionally, before the network device determines the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information, the method also includes: the network device receives the area parameters from each or more devices sent by the application server. The network device that determines the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information includes: the network device determines the terminal device's area parameters from the area parameters of each of the one or more devices based on the terminal device's identification information. Here, one or more devices may include the terminal device.

[0080] The application server can be an AF and, in addition, the AF can be the AF corresponding to the terminal device.

[0081] The application server's time sending area parameters from each or more devices to the network device is not limited in this mode. For example, the application server can send area parameters from one device to the device of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 40 / 113 26 / 67 network when device area parameters are newly added on the application server side; or the application server can send the area parameters of each newly added device in the current period to the network device after obtaining or storing the area parameters of several newly added devices in the current period.

[0082] In this scenario, the network device can receive and store the area parameters of each device sent by the application server. Then, after receiving the second message sent by the terminal device and before sending the first message to the terminal device, the network device selects the terminal device's area parameters from the stored area parameters of each device based on the terminal device's identification.

[0083] The terminal device area parameters include: identifier of each of the multiple subareas where the terminal device can trigger register updates. Each of the terminal device's various register areas includes one or more multiple subareas, and different register areas include different subareas. Here, any of the multiple subareas can be a cell.

[0084] The identifier for each subarea includes one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

[0085] Optionally, the network device that determines the multiple terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters may specifically include: the network device Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 41 / 113 27 / 67 treats (determines) each of the multiple subareas included in the terminal device area parameters as a register area, thus obtaining the multiple register areas of the terminal device. This case is particularly applicable to scenarios where different subareas among the various subareas do not overlap. The definition of non-overlapping between different subareas is the same as the definition of non-overlapping between different register areas mentioned earlier and will not be repeated here.

[0086] With reference to Figure 7 as an example, suppose that the terminal device area parameters include identifiers for four subareas, labeled as subarea 1, subarea 2, subarea 3, and subarea 4. The network device can treat a single subarea as a register area. For example, subarea 1 corresponds to register area 1 in Figure 7, subarea 2 corresponds to register area 2 in Figure 7, and so on.

[0087] Optionally, the network device that determines the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters may specifically include: the network device divides the multiple subareas included in the terminal device's area parameters to obtain the terminal device's multiple registration areas, where each of the multiple registration areas includes one or more subareas, and different registration areas include different subareas.

[0088] In this case, the network device processing that splits the multiple sub-areas included in the terminal device area parameters to obtain the multiple terminal device registration areas can be: Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 42 / 113 28 / 67 The network device divides the multiple sub-areas included in the terminal device's area parameters based on geographic locations to obtain the terminal device's multiple registration areas. For example, if two or more sub-areas among the various sub-areas are geographically close to each other, these two sub-areas can be grouped into the same registration area. Here, two or more geographically close sub-areas may mean that the distance between the nearest edges of the two or more sub-areas is less than a predefined distance limit. The predefined limit can be set based on actual conditions, such as 10 meters, 100 meters, or larger or smaller values. Alternatively, if two or more sub-zones among the multiple sub-zones geographically overlap, these two sub-zones can be grouped into the same registration area.Furthermore, there may be a subarea whose distance to any other subarea is greater than the distance limit and does not overlap with any other subarea. In this case, the subzone can be treated as a separate registration zone. It should be understood that the above items are only examples, and other processing methods can also be used to divide multiple subareas into multiple registration areas, provided that the resulting multiple registration areas do not overlap each other, which falls within the scope of protection of this modality.

[0089] Assume that the terminal device's area parameters include identifiers for eight subareas, labeled subarea 1, subarea 2, up to subarea 8. The network device can treat a single subarea as a registration area or group two or more subareas into one area. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 43 / 113 29 / 67 of registration. Still referring to Figure 7 as an example, subarea 1 can be treated as registration area 1 in Figure 7, subareas 2, 4 and 6 can be grouped into registration area 2 in Figure 7, subareas 3 and 5 can be grouped into registration area 3 in Figure 7, and subareas 7 and 8 can be grouped into registration area 4 in Figure 7.

[0090] The first message containing the various terminal device registration areas may specifically mean that the first message contains information relating to each of the various terminal device registration areas. The information relating to each registration area may include the identifier of each or more sub-areas included in the registration area. The identifiers of one or more sub-areas included in the registration area may be in the form of a list. In addition, the information relating to each registration area may also include one or more of the following: a registration area identifier, the registration area ID, etc. It should be understood that, in some possible examples, each registration area may also be called a sub-registration area. In some possible examples, the first message may contain registration area list information, where the list information includes several sub-registration areas.The definition of each sub-record area is the same as that of each record area mentioned previously and will not be repeated here.

[0091] After the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device, the method also includes: when the terminal device moves from a first area to a second area and the second area is located in one of several registration areas, the device Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 44 / 113 30 / 67 terminal determines that the terminal device is located in the first registry update area, where the first area is different from the second area; the terminal device sends a third message to the network device, where the third message is used to trigger the registry update process.

[0092] The second area located in one of the multiple registration areas may mean that the second area is located in any of the multiple registration areas, or that the second area is any of the multiple registration areas.

[0093] The terminal device that determines that it is located in the first register update area when moving from the first area to the second area and the second area being located in one of several register areas may include: the terminal device determines that it has moved from the first area to the second area; if the terminal device determines that it has moved from the first area to the second area, the terminal device determines whether the second area is located in any of several register areas; if the terminal device determines that the second area is located in any of several register areas, the terminal device determines that it is located in the first register update area.

[0094] The terminal device that determines whether it has moved from the first area to the second area may include: the terminal device continuously detects whether it has received a transmission message from the current cell during the movement; if the transmission message from the current cell is received, the terminal device obtains the identifier of the current cell. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 45 / 113 31 / 67 from the transmission message; the terminal device determines if the identifier of the current cell is the same as the identifier of the cell corresponding to the first area; if they are different, the terminal device treats the current cell as the second area and determines that it has moved from the first area to the second area. Furthermore, if the identifier of the current cell is the same as the identifier of the cell corresponding to the first area, the terminal device determines that it is still located in the first area. Here, the first area can be an area of ​​the last cell the terminal device passed through or remained in before entering the second area. The identifier of the current cell can also be the TAI and / or TAC of the cell.

[0095] After the terminal device determines whether it has moved from the first area to the second area, the method may further include: if the terminal device determines that it is still located in the first area, the terminal device continues to determine whether it has moved from the first area to the second area.

[0096] The terminal device that determines whether the second area is located in any of the multiple registration areas may include: the terminal device compares the identifier of the cell corresponding to the second area with the identifier of each of the subareas included in each of the multiple registration areas; if the identifier of any subarea in any registration area among the multiple registration areas is equal to the identifier of the cell corresponding to the second area, the terminal device determines that the second area is located in any of the multiple registration areas. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 46 / 113 32 / 67

[0097] After determining whether the second area is located in any of the multi-register areas, the method may further include: if the terminal device determines that the second area is not located in any of the multi-register areas, the terminal device treats the second area as a new first area and continues to determine whether it has moved from the new first area to a new second area.

[0098] Optionally, if any registration area can include multiple subareas, the terminal device that determines that it is located in the first registration update area after determining that the second area is located in any of the various registration areas can further include: if the terminal device determines that the second area is located in any of the various registration areas, the terminal device determines whether the second area and the first area are located in the same registration area; if they are not, the terminal device determines that it is located in the first registration update area. Furthermore, if the second area and the first area are located in the same registration area, no processing is performed, and the terminal device treats the second area as a new first area and continues to determine whether it has been moved from the new first area to a new second area.

[0099] The terminal device that sends the third message to the network device may include: the terminal device sends the third message to the main network device via the access network device.

[00100] The third message could be a third Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 47 / 113 33 / 67 NAS message. Specifically, the third message may be a service request message; or, the third message may be a request message for a mobility management update process, which may also be called a mobility registration update process or mobility update procedure. Possible names are not exhaustively listed here. The third message may contain the terminal device identification information. In some possible examples, in addition to the terminal device identification information, the third message may also contain the identifier of the current cell where the terminal device is located and / or information related to the first registration update area. In other examples, the third message may only carry the terminal device identification information and / or information related to the first registration update area.When the access network device forwards the third message, it may add the identifier of the current cell where the terminal device is located to the third message. It should be understood that the third message may also contain other information, provided it contains at least some of the information necessary to trigger the registration update process. This method does not limit the information carried in the third message.

[00101] In addition, after the terminal device sends the third message to the network device, the method may further include: the terminal device treats the first record update area as a new first area and continues to determine whether the terminal device has moved from the new first area to a new second area. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 48 / 113 34 / 67

[00102] The registration update process may also be called the mobility update process, mobility registration update process, or mobility management update process in some possible examples. Possible names are not exhaustively listed here. The function of the registration update process may be to allow the network device to know the location of the terminal device. In this embodiment, the terminal device location may specifically be the first registration update area where the terminal device is located.

[00103] Below, with reference to Figure 8A, with the terminal device as the first device, the network device as a primary network device, the application server as an AF, the second message is a registration request message and the first message is a registration acceptance message, an example of the communication method provided in the implementation above is described, including:

[00104] Step 801: The AF sends the area parameters of the first device to the main network device. The area parameters may include the identifier of each of the various sub-areas where the first device can trigger the registration update. In this step, the AF may send the area parameters of each or more devices to the main network device, and the first device may be any one of the one or more devices.

[00105] Step 802: The first device sends a registration request message to the central network device. The registration request message carries the identification information of the first device and is used Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 49 / 113 35 / 67 to trigger the registration process.

[00106] Step 803: The central network device sends a registration acceptance message to the first device. The registration acceptance message loads the various registration areas of the first device.

[00107] Here, the method for the main network device to determine the various registration areas of the first device can be: determine the area parameters of the first device from the area parameters of each of the one or more devices based on the identification information of the first device, and then determine the various registration areas of the first device based on the area parameters of the first device. The specific processing is the same as the previously mentioned method and will not be repeated here.

[00108] In another possible example, the method for the main network device to determine the various registration areas of the first device could be: obtain the area parameters of the first device from subscription data based on the identification information of the first device, and then determine the various registration areas of the first device based on the area parameters of the first device. If this example is adopted, step 801 may not be performed. The specific processing is the same as the previously mentioned modality and will not be repeated here.

[00109] Step 804: The first device sends a registration completion message to the central network device.

[00110] Step 805: when the first device Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 50 / 113 36 / 67 moves from a first area to a second area, and the second area is located in one of several registration areas. The first device determines that the terminal device is located in the first registration update area and sends a third message to the main network device. This third message is used to trigger the registration update process. Here, the first area is different from the second area.

[00111] The specific processing of step 805 is the same as the previously mentioned mode and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, each time the first device moves to any of the various registration areas from another area, it performs the processing of step 805. That is, when the first device is located in any registration area, the first device determines that it is located in the first registration update area or determines that it is located in the current first registration update area. This will not be repeated here.

[00112] It should also be understood that messages exchanged between the first device and the main network device, such as the registration request message, the registration acceptance message, and the registration completion message, can be forwarded through the RAN. For simplicity, this is not illustrated in Figure 8, but Figure 8 does not mean that the first device and the main network device do not forward messages through the RAN in actual processing.

[00113] By adopting the example above, the first device only needs to trigger the registration update process when it enters any of the various registration areas. When it is located in areas other than the areas Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 51 / 113 37 / 67 registration, it is not necessary to start the registration update process, thus saving signaling on the first side of the device.

[00114] Below, with reference to Figure 8B, with the terminal device as the first device, the network device represented as a 5GC, the application server as an AF, the second message is a registration request, the first message is a registration acceptance, and the registration areas referred to as sub-registration areas, an example of the communication method provided in the implementation above is described, including:

[00115] Step 811: The AF sends possible areas of the first device to the 5GC (which may be a core network element such as AMF, SMF, NEF, or a new NF-AIoT-NF established specifically for AIoT). The possible areas of the first device are the area parameters of the first device (including possible registration areas of the first device, where registration areas include multiple TAI lists). It should be understood that, at this step, the AF may send the area parameters of each or more devices to the 5GC, and the first device may be any one of one or more devices.

[00116] Step 812: The first device initiates a registration process in the 5GC (e.g., the main network element AMF). The message (i.e., the registration request illustrated in Figure 8B) carries the identification information of the first device.

[00117] Step 813: 5GC returns a registration acceptance message for the first device. The message loads registration areas, which can be generated based on the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 52 / 113 38 / 67 area parameters in step 811 or obtained by AMF from subscription data. Registration areas may refer specifically to registration area information or registration area list information, where list information may include registration subarea 1, registration subarea 2, registration subarea 3, etc.

[00118] Step 814: The first device returns a registration completion message to the central network element.

[00119] The first device needs to initiate a mobility registration update process only when the first device enters sub-registration areas 1, 2, 3, or 4. However, during movement from sub-registration area 1 to sub-registration area 2, the first device does not need to initiate a registration update process, thus saving signaling.

[00120] This example omits processes unrelated to disclosure, such as the process between the AMF and the UDM and the authentication process.

[00121] When the first device moves into sub-register area 2, the first device can also send a service request, letting the network side know that the first device has entered sub-register area 2. Similarly, when the first device enters sub-register areas 3 or 4, the same process occurs.

[00122] In some possible implementations, the first message carries the first log update area. The first log update area refers specifically to the first log update area of ​​the terminal device. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 53 / 113 39 / 67

[00123] Before the network device sends the first message to the terminal device, the method further includes: the network device determines the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information, and the network device determines the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters; or, the network device determines the terminal device's multiple registration areas based on the terminal device's area parameters. The network device processing that determines the terminal device's multiple registration areas is the same as in the previous embodiment and will not be repeated here. The descriptions of the terminal device's area parameters, the terminal device's multiple registration areas, and the subareas are also the same as in the previous embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[00124] Unlike the previous implementation, after the network device determines the multiple registration areas of the terminal device based on the terminal device's area parameters, the method further includes: the network device determines a target registration area of ​​the terminal device from the multiple registration areas of the terminal device based on the area where the terminal device is located; the network device determines the first registration update area of ​​the terminal device based on the target registration area.

[00125] If the second message is a registration request message and the first message is a registration acceptance message, the network device processing that determines the device's area parameters Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 54 / 113 40 / 67 terminal based on terminal device identification information until the network device determines the first registration update area corresponding to the target registration area can be performed after the network device receives the second message sent by the terminal device and before the network device sends the first message to the terminal device.

[00126] The network device that determines the target registration area of ​​the terminal device from multiple terminal device registration areas based on the area where the terminal device is located may include one of the following: if the area where the terminal device is located is within a first registration area of ​​multiple terminal device registration areas, the network device treats the first registration area as the target registration area of ​​the terminal device; if the area where the terminal device is located is not within any of the multiple terminal device registration areas, the network device selects the registration area closest to the area where the terminal device is located among the multiple registration areas as the target registration area of ​​the terminal device.

[00127] Here, the area where the terminal device is located may refer to the current cell where the terminal device is located, and the current cell may be represented by the cell identifier. The method for the network device to obtain the area where the terminal device is located may be that the network device obtains the area where the terminal device is located through an access network device, where the network device Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 55 / 113 41 / 67 access is the access network device of the cell where the terminal device is located. For example, if the network device is a primary network device, the network device that obtains the area where the terminal device is located may receive the area where the terminal device is located from the access network device when receiving the second message sent by the terminal device through the access network device. The area where the terminal device is located may be carried in the second message, i.e., the access network device may add the area where the terminal device is located to the second message, or the access network device may send the area where the terminal device is located to the primary network device via another signaling while forwarding the second message. This arrangement does not limit the method.

[00128] The network device that treats the first registration area as the target registration area of ​​the terminal device, if the area where the terminal device is located is within the first registration area of ​​the terminal device's various registration areas, may include: the network device determines whether the area where the terminal device is located is within any of the terminal device's various registration areas; if the area where the terminal device is located is within the first registration area of ​​the various registration areas, the network device directly treats the first registration area as the target registration area of ​​the terminal device.

[00129] If there is only one registration area more Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 56 / 113 42 / 67 near the area where the terminal device is located, the network device can directly treat that registration area as the target registration area of ​​the terminal device; if there are multiple registration areas closer to the area where the terminal device is located, the network device can select the registration area closest to the area where the terminal device is located in the direction of movement of the terminal device as the target registration area of ​​the terminal device based on the route of movement of the terminal device.

[00130] The network device that determines the first record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the target record area may include one of the following: the network device determines the record area corresponding to the target record area based on the route of movement of the terminal device and treats the record area corresponding to the target record area as the first record update area of ​​the terminal device; the network device determines the first record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the distance between each of several record areas and the target record area.

[00131] The network device that determines the registration area corresponding to the target registration area based on the terminal device's movement path and treats the registration area corresponding to the target registration area as the terminal device's first registration update area may refer to: the network device determines the order in which the terminal device passes through various registration areas based on the terminal device's movement path; based on the order in which the terminal device passes through the various areas Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 57 / 113 43 / 67 of registration, the network device determines a registration area that is after the target registration area and adjacent to the target registration area in terms of order as the registration area corresponding to the target registration area, and treats the registration area corresponding to the target registration area as the first registration update area of ​​the terminal device.

[00132] The mobile route of the terminal device can be pre-obtained or pre-stored by the network device. This mode does not limit the method for the network device to obtain the mobile route of the terminal device. The mobile route of the terminal device may include each area through which the terminal device must pass and the order in which the terminal device must pass through each area. The network device that determines the order in which the terminal device passes through the various registration areas based on the mobile route of the terminal device may include: determining the order in which the terminal device passes through each of the various registration areas based on the order in which the terminal device is expected to pass through each area on the mobile route.

[00133] The network device that determines the first record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the distance between each of several record areas and the target record area may include: the terminal device calculates the distance between each of several record areas and the target record area and selects the record area closest to the target record area with a non-zero distance as the first record update area of ​​the terminal device. It should be understood that there may be one or more record areas closest to the target record area with a different distance Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 58 / 113 44 / 67 of zero. If there is only one registration area, the network device will directly treat that registration area as the first registration update area; if there are multiple such registration areas, the network device may treat all of them as the first registration update area.

[00134] The first message containing the first registration update area may specifically mean that the first message contains information related to the first registration update area of ​​the terminal device. The information related to the first registration update area may include the identifier of each or more subareas included in the first registration update area. In addition, the information related to the first registration update area may also include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first registration update area, an ID of the first registration update area, etc.

[00135] After the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device, the method further includes: when the terminal device moves from a third area to a fourth area and the fourth area is located within the first register update area, the terminal device sends a third message to the network device, where the third message is used to trigger the register update process. Here, the third area is different from the fourth area.

[00136] The terminal device that sends the third message to the network device when moving from the third area to the fourth area, and the fourth area is located within the first register update area. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 59 / 113 45 / 67 may include: the terminal device determines whether it has moved from the third area to the fourth area; if the terminal device determines that it has moved from the third area to the fourth area, it determines whether the fourth area is located within the first register update area; if the terminal device determines that the fourth area is located within the first register update area, it sends the third message to the network device. Here, the terminal device determining whether it has moved from the third area to the fourth area is similar to the terminal device determining whether it has moved from the first area to the second area described earlier and will not be repeated here.

[00137] Furthermore, after the terminal device determines whether it has moved from the third area to the fourth area, the method may further include: if the terminal device determines that it is still located in the third area, it continues to determine whether it should move from the third area to the fourth area.

[00138] The terminal device that determines whether the fourth area is located within the first record update area may include: the terminal device compares the identifier of the cell corresponding to the fourth area with the identifier of each of the subareas included in the first record update area; if the identifier of any subarea in the first record update area is equal to the identifier of the cell corresponding to the fourth area, the terminal device determines that the fourth area is located within the first record update area.

[00139] After determining whether the fourth area is located within the first record update area, Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 60 / 113 46 / 67 The method may also include: if the terminal device determines that the fourth area is not located within the first register update area, the terminal device treats the fourth area as a new third area and continues to determine whether it has moved from the new third area to a new fourth area.

[00140] It is also important to note that if the first record update area includes multiple subareas, the terminal device that sends the third message to the network device after determining that the fourth area is located within the first record update area may further include: if the terminal device determines that the fourth area is located within the first record update area, it determines whether the third and fourth areas are both located within the first record update area; if they are not, the terminal device sends the third message to the network device. Furthermore, if the third and fourth areas are located within the first record update area, no processing is performed, and the terminal device treats the fourth area as a new third area and continues to determine whether the terminal device has moved from the new third area to a new fourth area.

[00141] The terminal device that sends the third message to the network device may include: the terminal device sends the third message to the main network device via the access network device. The specific description of the third message is the same as in the previous embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[00142] After the network device sends the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 61 / 113 47 / 67 first message to the terminal device, the method also includes: the network device receives the third message sent by the terminal device in the first record update area, where the third message is used to trigger the record update process; the network device determines a second record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the first record update area, where the second record update area is different from the first record update area; the network device sends a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message carries the second record update area of ​​the terminal device.Similarly, after the terminal device sends the third message to the network device, the method further includes: the terminal device receives the fourth message sent by the network device, where the fourth message carries the second registry update area of ​​the terminal device, and the second registry update area is different from the first registry update area. The fourth message may be a fourth NAS message.

[00143] The network device that determines the second record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the first record update area may include one of the following options: the network device determines the record area corresponding to the first record update area based on the terminal device's movement path and treats the record area corresponding to the first record update area as the terminal device's second record update area; the network device determines the second record update area of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 62 / 113 48 / 67 terminal device registration based on the distance between each of the various registration areas and the first registration update area.

[00144] The network device that determines the registration area corresponding to the first registration update area based on the terminal device's movement route and treats the registration area corresponding to the first registration update area as the terminal device's second registration update area may refer to: the network device determines the order in which the terminal device passes through various registration areas based on the terminal device's movement route;Based on the order in which the terminal device passes through various registration areas, the network device determines a registration area that is after the first registration update area and adjacent to the first registration update area in terms of order as the registration area corresponding to the first registration update area, and treats the registration area corresponding to the first registration update area as the second registration update area of ​​the terminal device.

[00145] The network device that determines the second record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the distance between each of the various record areas and the first record update area may include: the terminal device calculates the distance between each of the various record areas and the first record update area and selects the record area closest to the first record update area with a non-zero distance as the second update area. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 63 / 113 49 / 67 terminal device registration.

[00146] It should also be noted that after sending the third message, the terminal device may treat the first log update area as a new third area and may also save the first log update area as the previous log update area or a historical log update area. After receiving the fourth message, the terminal device treats the second log update area carried in the fourth message as the new first log update area and continues to determine whether the terminal device has moved from the new third area to a new fourth area and whether the new fourth area is located within the new first log update area. The terminal device repeats the above processing of sending a new third message and receiving a new fourth message, which will not be repeated here.

[00147] In this implementation, the first message may also contain the target register area, which is different from the first register update area. The method for the network device to determine the target register area of ​​the terminal device was described in detail in the previous embodiment and will not be repeated here. The network device may page the terminal device when the terminal device is located in the target register area.

[00148] When the terminal device detects that it is located in the target registry area for the first time after receiving the first message, it may not initiate the registry update process, but the terminal device may save the target registry area. As the terminal device enters the first registry update area and Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 64 / 113 50 / 67 executes the registry update process; if the terminal device moves back to the target registry area from another area, this may trigger the registry update process.

[00149] Below, with reference to Figure 9A, with the terminal device as the first device, the network device as a primary network device, the application server as an AF, the second message is a registration request message and the first message is a registration acceptance message, an example of the communication method provided in the implementation above is described, which includes the following.

[00150] Step 901: AF sends the area parameters from the first device to the main network device.

[00151] Step 902: The first device sends a registration request message to the central network device. The registration request message carries the identification information of the first device and is used to trigger the registration process.

[00152] The detailed descriptions of steps 901 and 902 are the same as those of steps 801 and 802 in Figure 8A and will not be repeated here.

[00153] Step 903: The central network device sends a registration acceptance message to the first device. The registration acceptance message loads the first registration update area and the target registration area of ​​the first device.

[00154] Here, the method for the primary network device to determine the first record update area and the target record area of ​​the first device is the same as Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 65 / 113 51 / 67 previous example and will not be repeated here.

[00155] Step 904: The first device sends a registration completion message to the central network device.

[00156] Step 905: When the first device moves from a third area to a fourth area, and the fourth area is located within the first registration update area, the first device sends a third message to the main network device. The third message is used to trigger the registration update process. Here, the first area is different from the second area.

[00157] The specific processing of step 905 is the same as the aforementioned modality and will not be repeated here.

[00158] Step 906: The central network device sends a fourth message to the first device. The fourth message carries the second terminal device log update area.

[00159] The central network device can determine the second registration update area of ​​the first device based on the first registration update area, where the second registration update area is different from the first registration update area. The method for the main network device to determine the second registration update area is the same as in the previous method and will not be repeated here.

[00160] After completing step 906, the first device can save the first registry update area as the previous registry update area and save the second registry update area as the new one. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 66 / 113 52 / 67 first registration update area. Additionally, the first device can treat the fourth area as a new third area and then determine if the first device has moved from the new third area to a new fourth area and if the new fourth area is located within the new first registration update area. The first device repeats the processing of steps 905 and 906, which will not be repeated here.

[00161] It should also be understood that messages exchanged between the first device and the main network device, such as the registration request message, the registration acceptance message, the registration completion message, the third message, and the fourth message, can be forwarded through the RAN. For simplicity, this is not illustrated in Figure 9, but Figure 9 does not indicate that the first device and the main network device do not forward messages through the RAN in actual processing.

[00162] By adopting the example above, the first device only needs to trigger the registration update process when it enters the first registration update area. When the first device is located in other areas, it does not need to initiate the registration update process, thus saving signaling on the first device's side.

[00163] Below, with reference to Figure 9B, with the terminal device as the first device, the network device represented as a 5GC, the application server as an AF, the second message is a registration request and the first message specifically is a registration acceptance, an example of the communication method provided in Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 67 / 113 53 / 67 implementation above is described, which includes the following.

[00164] Step 911: The AF sends possible areas of the first device to the 5GC (which may be a central network element such as AMF, SMF, NEF, or a new NF-AIoT-NF established specifically for AIoT). The possible areas of the first device are the area parameters of the first device (including possible registration areas of the first device, where registration areas include multiple TAI lists). It should be understood that, at this step, the AF may send the area parameters of each or more devices to the 5GC, and the first device may be any one of one or more devices.

[00165] Step 912: The first device initiates a registration process in the 5GC (e.g., the main network element AMF). The message carries the identification information of the first device.

[00166] Step 913: 5GC returns a registration acceptance message for the first device. The message carries registration area information (i.e., the target registration area in the previous mode), which can be generated based on the area parameters in step 911 or obtained by AMF from subscription data. The registration area includes several TACs, such as TAC1. The message also contains the next registration area (i.e., the first registration update area in the previous mode), which includes TAC2.

[00167] Step 914: The first device returns a registration completion message to the central network element.

[00168] For example, if the registration area is registration area 1 and the next registration area is registration area Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 68 / 113 54 / 67 registration 2, the first device only needs to initiate a mobility registration update process when entering registration area 2. During movement from registration area 1 to registration area 2, the first device does not need to initiate a registration update process, saving signaling.

[00169] It can be seen that, by adopting the above solution, the network device sends a first message to the terminal device, and the first message can be used by the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area that triggers the register update process. The first register update area is one of several register areas of the terminal device, and the various register areas are candidate areas where the terminal device can trigger the register update process. In this way, the terminal device only needs to perform the register update process in certain candidate areas, avoiding the problem of excessive power consumption caused by running the register update process whenever the terminal device leaves any register area in the related technique.This ensures that the terminal device performs the registry update process while reducing the frequency of such processes, thereby decreasing the terminal device's power consumption.

[00170] In addition, the above solution is applicable to scenarios where the terminal device is a zero-power terminal, especially scenarios where the zero-power terminal can move. In these scenarios, the zero-power terminal only needs to perform the update process of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 69 / 113 55 / 67 Mobility management (i.e., the registration update process) in specific areas allows the network side to know the approximate location of the zero-power terminal. For example, in a logistics scenario, if the zero-power terminal is attached to or placed on a transported item, the zero-power terminal only needs to trigger the registration update process at certain major logistics transfer stations and does not need to trigger any registration update process in other areas. This ensures that the terminal device performs the registration update process while reducing the frequency of such processes, thus decreasing the terminal device's power consumption.

[00171] Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to a disclosure embodiment. The network device includes a first communication unit 1001, which is configured to send a first message to a terminal device, where the first message is used by the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area. The first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers a register update process, and the first register update area is one of several register areas of the terminal device. Each of the several register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[00172] The first communication unit is configured to receive a second message sent by the terminal device before sending the first message to Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 70 / 113 56 / 67 the terminal device. The second message is used to trigger a registration process and carries terminal device identification information and / or terminal device area parameters.

[00173] Based on Figure 10, as illustrated in Figure 11, the network device further includes a first processing unit 1002, which is configured to determine the terminal device area parameters based on the terminal device identification information and determine the terminal device multiple registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters; or, determine the terminal device multiple registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters.

[00174] The first message loads the various log areas of the terminal device.

[00175] After determining the multiple terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters, the first processing unit is configured to determine a target terminal device registration area from the multiple terminal device registration areas based on the area where the terminal device is located; determine the first terminal device registration update area based on the target registration area.

[00176] The first processing unit is configured to perform one of the following procedures: determine the registration area corresponding to the target registration area based on a mobile route of the terminal device and process the registration area corresponding to the registration area. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 71 / 113 57 / 67 target as the first terminal device registration update area; determine the first terminal device registration update area based on the distance between each of the various registration areas and the target registration area.

[00177] The first message loads the first record update area.

[00178] The first message also carries a target registry area of ​​the terminal device.

[00179] After sending the first message to the terminal device, the first communication unit is configured to receive a third message sent by the terminal device in the first register update area, where the third message is used to trigger the register update process; send a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message loads the second register update area of ​​the terminal device.

[00180] The first processing unit is configured to determine the second terminal device record update area based on the first record update area, where the second record update area is different from the first record update area.

[00181] The terminal device area parameters include: identifier of each of the multiple subareas where the terminal device can trigger register updates. Each of the terminal device's various register areas includes one or more of the various subareas, and different register areas include different subareas. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 72 / 113 58 / 67

[00182] The identifier for each subarea includes one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

[00183] The first processing unit is configured to obtain the terminal device area parameters from signature data based on the terminal device identification information.

[00184] Before determining the terminal device area parameters based on the terminal device identification information, the first processing unit is configured to receive the area parameters of each or more devices sent by the application server through the first communication unit; determine the terminal device area parameters from the area parameters of each or more devices based on the terminal device identification information.

[00185] The network device is a primary network device; the terminal device is a zero-power device.

[00186] The network device in the disclosure modalities may implement the corresponding functions of the network device in the communication method modalities mentioned above. The processes, functions, implementations, and beneficial effects corresponding to each module (submodule, unit, or component) in the network device may be referenced in the corresponding descriptions in the method modalities above and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described for each module (submodule, unit, or component) in the network device in the modalities of Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 73 / 113 59 / 67 disclosure can be implemented by different modules (submodules, units or components) or by the same module (submodule, unit or component).

[00187] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The terminal device includes a second communication unit 1201, which is configured to receive a first message sent by a network device, where the first message is used by the terminal device to determine if the terminal device is located in a first register update area. The first register update area is an area where the terminal device triggers a register update process, and the first register update area is one of several register areas of the terminal device. Each of the several register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the register update process.

[00188] The second communication unit is configured to send a second message to the network device before receiving the first message sent by the network device. The second message is used to trigger a registration process and carries terminal device identification information and / or terminal device area parameters.

[00189] The first message loads the various log areas of the terminal device.

[00190] Based on Figure 12, as illustrated in Figure 13, the network device also includes a second processing unit 1202, which is configured to Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 74 / 113 60 / 67 determines that the terminal device is located in the first registration update area when the terminal device moves from a first area to a second area, and the second area is located in one of several registration areas, where the first area is different from the second area. The second communication unit is configured to send a third message to the network device after receiving the first message sent by the network device. The third message is used to trigger the registration update process.

[00191] The first message loads the first record update area.

[00192] The first message also carries a target registry area of ​​the terminal device, where the target registry area is different from the first registry update area.

[00193] After receiving the first message sent by the network device, the second communication unit is configured to send a third message to the network device when the terminal device moves from a third area to a fourth area, and the fourth area is located within the first register update area. The third message is used to trigger the register update process. Here, the third area is different from the fourth area.

[00194] After sending the third message to the network device, the second communication unit is configured to receive a fourth message sent by the network device. The fourth message loads the second terminal device's log update area, where the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 75 / 113 61 / 67 The second record update area is different from the first record update area.

[00195] Each of the various terminal device registration areas includes one or more subareas, and different registration areas include different subareas.

[00196] The identifier for each subarea includes one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

[00197] The network device is a primary network device; the terminal device is a zero-power device.

[00198] The terminal device in the disclosure embodiments may implement the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the aforementioned communication method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementations, and beneficial effects corresponding to each module (submodule, unit, or component) in the terminal device may be consulted in the corresponding descriptions in the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described for each module (submodule, unit, or component) in the terminal device in the disclosure embodiments may be implemented by different modules (submodules, units, or components) or by the same module (submodule, unit, or component).

[00199] Figure 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a 1400 communication device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The 1400 communication device includes a 1410 processor, which can invoke and execute a computer program from a memory to enable the 1400 communication device to implement the method in Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 76 / 113 62 / 67 modalities of the present disclosure.

[00200] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1400 may additionally include a memory 1420. The processor 1410 may invoke and execute a computer program from memory 1420 to enable the communication device 1400 to implement the method in the disclosure modes.

[00201] The 1420 memory can be a separate device independent of the 1410 processor or it can be integrated into the 1410 processor.

[00202] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1400 may additionally include a transceiver 1430. The processor 1410 may control the transceiver 1430 to communicate with other devices, specifically to send information or data to other devices or to receive information or data from other devices.

[00203] The 1430 transceiver may include a transmitter and a receiver. The 1430 transceiver may additionally include one or more antennas.

[00204] In one possible implementation, the 1400 communication device could be the network device in the disclosure modes, and the 1400 communication device could implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the disclosure modes. For brevity, the details are not repeated here. In another possible implementation, the 1400 communication device could be the terminal device in the disclosure modes, and the 1400 communication device could implement the corresponding processes implemented Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 77 / 113 63 / 67 by the terminal device in the various methods of the disclosure modalities. For brevity, the details are not repeated here.

[00205] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a 1500 chip according to an embodiment of the revelation. The 1500 chip includes a 1510 processor, which can invoke and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiments of the revelation.

[00206] In one possible implementation, the 1500 chip may additionally include a 1520 memory. The 1510 processor may invoke and execute a computer program from the 1520 memory to implement the method performed by the access network device or the first central network device in the development modes. The 1520 memory may be a separate device independent of the 1510 processor or may be integrated into the 1510 processor.

[00207] In one possible implementation, the 1500 chip may additionally include an input interface 1530. The 1510 processor may control the input interface 1530 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically to obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips. In another possible implementation, the 1500 chip may additionally include an output interface 1540. The 1510 processor may control the output interface 1540 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically to send information or data to other devices or chips.

[00208] In one possible implementation, the chip can be applied to the network device in the disclosure modes, and the chip can implement the processes Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 78 / 113 64 / 67 corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the disclosure modes. For brevity, the details are not repeated here. In another possible implementation, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the disclosure modes, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the disclosure modes. For brevity, the details are not repeated here.

[00209] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the disclosure embodiments may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, a system chip, a chip system, or a system-in-a-chip.

[00210] The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[00211] The aforementioned memory may be volatile or non-volatile memory, or it may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM).

[00212] It should be understood that the memory mentioned is illustrative, but not exhaustive. For example, the memory in the disclosure modalities can also be static RAM. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 79 / 113 65 / 67 (SRAM), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchronization Link DRAM (SLDRAM), or Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). That is, memory in the disclosure modalities is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable memory types.

[00213] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of a 1600 communication system according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The 1600 communication system includes a 1610 network device and a 1620 terminal device. The 1610 network device can be used to implement the corresponding functions of the network device in the previous method. The 1620 terminal device can be used to implement the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the previous method.

[00214] In the preceding embodiments, the methods may be implemented wholly or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the methods may be implemented wholly or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the disclosure are generated wholly or partially. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. By Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pages 80 / 113 66 / 67 For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one site, computer, server, or data center to another site, computer, server, or data center via wired means (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optics, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless means (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). Computer-readable storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server or data center, that integrates one or more available media. Available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (e.g., DVD), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)).

[00215] It should be understood that, in the various disclosure modalities, the sequence numbers of the processes do not imply the order of execution, which must be determined by their functions and internal logic, and should not limit the implementation of the disclosure modalities.

[00216] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific work processes of the systems, devices, and units described above may refer to the corresponding processes in the previous method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[00217] The descriptions above are only specific implementations of the disclosure, but the scope of protection of the disclosure is not limited to this. Anyone skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the disclosure, which should be covered by the scope of protection of the Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 81 / 113 67 / 67 disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection for disclosure will be subject to the scope of protection for the claims. Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 82 / 113

Claims

1 / 16 CLAIMS 1. COMMUNICATION METHOD characterized by comprising: sending, by a network device, a first message to a terminal device, wherein the first message is used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area being an area where the terminal device triggers a register update process and the first register update area being one of a plurality of register areas of the terminal device, wherein each of the pluralities of register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device may trigger the register update process.

2. METHOD, according to claim 1, characterized in that, before sending the first message to the terminal device by the network device, the method further comprises: receiving, by the network device, a second message sent by the terminal device, wherein the second message is used to trigger a registration process and the second message contains identification information of the terminal device and / or area parameters of the terminal device.

3. METHOD, according to claim 2, characterized in that, before sending the first message to the terminal device by the network device, the method further comprises: determining, by the network device, the area parameters of the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device and determining, by the network device, the plurality of registration areas of the terminal device based on the area parameters of the terminal device; or determining, by the network device, the plurality of registration areas of the terminal device based on the area parameters of the terminal device.

4. METHOD, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first message carries the plurality of register areas of the terminal device.

5. METHOD, according to claim 3, characterized in that, after the network device determines the plurality of registration areas of the terminal device based on the terminal device's area parameters, the method further comprises: determining, by the network device, a target registration area of ​​the terminal device from the plurality of registration areas of the terminal device based on an area where the terminal device is located; and determining, by the network device, the first registration update area of ​​the terminal device based on the target registration area.

6. METHOD, according to claim 5, characterized by determining, by the network device, the first record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the target record area, comprising one of the following: determining, by the network device, a record area corresponding to the target record area based on a movement path of the terminal device and determining the record area corresponding to the target record area as the first record update area of ​​the terminal device; and determining, by the network device, the first record update area of ​​the terminal device based on a distance between each of the pluralities of record areas and the target record area.

7. METHOD, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5 or 6, characterized in that the first message carries the first area of ​​record update.

8. METHOD, according to claim 7, characterized in that the first message still carries the target registration area of ​​the terminal device.

9. METHOD, according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, after the network device sends the first message to the terminal device, the method further comprises: receiving, by the network device, a third message sent by the terminal device in the first record update area, wherein the third message is used to trigger the record update process; and determining, by the network device, a second record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the first record update area, wherein the second record update area is different from the first record update area; sending, by the network device, a fourth message to the terminal device, wherein the fourth message carries the second record update area of ​​the terminal device.

10. METHOD, according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the terminal device area parameters comprise: an identifier for each of a plurality of subareas where the terminal device can trigger the update of the register; wherein each of the pluralities of register areas of the terminal device comprises one or more of the plurality of subareas, and different register areas comprise different subareas.

11. METHOD, according to claim 10, characterized in that an identifier for each subarea comprises one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

12. METHOD, according to any one of claims 3 to 11, characterized by determining, by the network device, the area parameters of the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, comprising: obtaining, by the network device, the area parameters of the terminal device from signature data based on the identification information of the terminal device.

13. METHOD, according to any one of claims 3 to 11, characterized by: before determining, by the network device, the area parameters of the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, the method further comprises: receiving, by the network device, area parameters of each or more devices sent by an application server; determining, by the network device, the area parameters of the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device; comprising: determining, by the network device, the area parameters of the terminal device from the area parameters of each of the devices based on the identification information of the terminal device.

14. METHOD, according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the network device is a core network device, and the terminal device is a zero-power device.

15. COMMUNICATION METHOD characterized by comprising: receiving, by a terminal device, a first message sent by a network device, wherein the first message is used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is located in a first record update area, the first record update area being an area where the terminal device triggers a record update process, and the first record update area being one of a plurality of record areas of the terminal device, wherein each of the pluralities of record areas is a candidate area where the terminal device may trigger the record update process. Petition 870250090410, dated 10 / 03 / 2025, p. 87 / 113 6 / 16 16. METHOD, according to claim 15, characterized in that, before receiving, by the terminal device, the first message sent by the network device, the method further comprises: sending, by the terminal device, a second message to the network device, wherein the second message is used to trigger a registration process and the second message contains identification information of the terminal device and / or area parameters of the terminal device.

17. METHOD, according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the first message carries the plurality of register areas of the terminal device.

18. METHOD, according to claim 17, characterized in that, after the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device, the method further comprises: determining, by the terminal device, that the terminal device is located in the first register update area, when the terminal device moves from a first area to a second area and the second area is located in one of the pluralities of register areas, wherein the first area is different from the second area; and sending, by the terminal device, a third message to the network device, wherein the third message is used to trigger the register update process.

19. METHOD, according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the first message carries the first record update area.

20. METHOD, according to claim 19, characterized in that the first message also carries a target registry area of ​​the terminal device, wherein the target registry area is different from the first registry update area.

21. METHOD, according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that after the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device, the method further comprises: sending, by the terminal device, a third message to the network device when the terminal device moves from a third area to a fourth area and the fourth area is located within the first record update area, wherein the third message is used to trigger the record update process and the third area is different from the fourth area.

22. METHOD, according to claim 21, characterized in that, after the terminal device sends the third message to the network device, the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, a fourth message sent by the network device, wherein the fourth message carries a second record update area of ​​the terminal device, and the second record update area is different from the first record update area.

23. METHOD, according to any one of claims 15 to 22, characterized in that each of the pluralities of registration areas of the terminal device comprises one or more subareas, and different registration areas comprise different subareas.

24. METHOD, according to claim 23, Petition 870250090410, dated 10 / 03 / 2025, p. 89 / 113 8 / 16 characterized by an identifier for each subarea comprising one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

25. METHOD, according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that the network device is a network core device, and the terminal device is a zero-power device.

26. NETWORK DEVICE characterized by comprising: a first communication unit, configured to send a first message to a terminal device, wherein the first message is used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area being an area where the terminal device triggers a register update process, and the first register update area being one of a plurality of register areas of the terminal device, wherein each of the pluralities of register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device may trigger the register update process.

27. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 26, characterized in that the first communication unit is configured to receive a second message sent by the terminal device before sending the first message to the terminal device; the second message is used to trigger a registration process and carries terminal device identification information and / or terminal device area parameters. Petition 870250090410, dated 10 / 03 / 2025, pp. 90 / 113 9 / 16 28. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 27, further characterized by comprising: a first processing unit, configured to determine the terminal device area parameters based on the terminal device identification information and to determine the plurality of terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters; or configured to determine the plurality of terminal device registration areas based on the terminal device area parameters.

29. NETWORK DEVICE, according to any one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that the first message carries the plurality of register areas of the terminal device.

30. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 28, characterized in that the first processing unit is configured to determine a target register area of ​​the terminal device from the plurality of register areas of the terminal device based on an area where the terminal device is located, after determining the plurality of register areas of the terminal device based on the area parameters of the terminal device, and determining the first register update area of ​​the terminal device based on the target register area.

31. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 30, characterized in that the first processing unit is configured to: determine a registration area corresponding to the target registration area based on a mobile route of the terminal device and determine the registration area corresponding to the target registration area as the first registration update area of ​​the terminal device; or determine the first registration update area of ​​the terminal device based on a distance between each of several registration areas and the target registration area.

32. NETWORK DEVICE, according to any one of claims 26 to 28, 30 or 31, characterized in that the first message carries the first area of ​​record update.

33. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 32, characterized in that the first message still carries the target register area of ​​the terminal device.

34. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 32 or 33, characterized in that the first communication unit is configured to receive a third message sent by the terminal device in the first record update area, after sending the first message to the terminal device, wherein the third message is used to trigger the record update process, and sends a fourth message to the terminal device, wherein the fourth message carries a second record update area of ​​the terminal device; the first processing unit is configured to determine the second record update area of ​​the terminal device based on the first record update area, wherein the second record update area is different from the first record update area.

35. NETWORK DEVICE, according to any one of claims 28 to 34, characterized in that the terminal device area parameters comprise: an identifier for each of a plurality of subareas where the terminal device can trigger a register update; wherein each of the pluralities of register areas of the terminal device comprises one or more of the plurality of subareas, and different register areas comprise different subareas.

36. NETWORK DEVICE, according to claim 35, characterized in that an identifier for each subarea comprises one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

37. NETWORK DEVICE, according to any one of claims 28 to 36, characterized in that the first processing unit is configured to obtain the terminal device area parameters from signature data based on the terminal device identification information.

38. NETWORK DEVICE, according to any one of claims 28 to 36, characterized in that the first processing unit is configured to receive area parameters from each or more devices sent by an application server through the first communication unit, before determining the terminal device's area parameters based on the terminal device's identification information; and determining the terminal device's area parameters from the area parameters of each one or more devices based on the terminal device's identification information.

39. NETWORK DEVICE, according to any one of claims 26 to 38, characterized in that the network device is a core network device and the terminal device is a zero-power device.

40. TERMINAL DEVICE characterized by comprising: a second communication unit, configured to receive a first message sent by a network device, wherein the first message is used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is located in a first register update area, the first register update area being an area in which the terminal device triggers a register update process, and the first register update area being one among a plurality of register areas of the terminal device, wherein each of the various register areas is a candidate area where the terminal device may trigger the register update process.

41. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 40, characterized in that the second communication unit is configured to send a second message to the network device before receiving the first message sent by the network device, the second message being used to trigger a registration process and carrying terminal device identification information and / or terminal device area parameters.

42. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 40 or 41, characterized by the first message Petition 870250090410, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 94 / 113 13 / 16 carrying the plurality of registration areas of the terminal device.

43. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 42, characterized by further comprising: a second processing unit, configured to determine that the terminal device is located in the first register update area when the terminal device moves from a first area to a second area and the second area is located in one of several register areas, wherein the first area is different from the second area; the second communication unit is configured to send a third message to the network device after receiving the first message sent by the network device, wherein the third message is used to trigger the register update process.

44. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 40 or 41, characterized in that the first message carries the first register update area.

45. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 44, characterized in that the first message also carries a target register area of ​​the terminal device, wherein the target register area is different from the first register update area.

46. ​​TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 44 or 45, characterized in that the second communication unit is configured to send a third message to the network device when the terminal device moves from a third area to a fourth area and the fourth area is located within the first record update area, Petition 870250090410, 10 / 03 / 2025, pp. 95 / 113 14 / 16 after receiving the first message sent by the network device, wherein the third message is used to trigger the record update process and the third area is different from the fourth area.

47. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 46, characterized in that the second communication unit is configured to receive a fourth message sent by the network device, after the third message has been sent to the network device, wherein the fourth message carries a second register update area of ​​the terminal device, and the second register update area is different from the first register update area.

48. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to any one of claims 40 to 47, characterized in that each of the pluralities of recording areas of the terminal device comprises one or more subareas, and different recording areas comprise different subareas.

49. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to claim 48, characterized in that an identifier for each subarea comprises one of the following: a subarea tracking area identity (TAI) or a subarea tracking area code (TAC).

50. TERMINAL DEVICE, according to any one of claims 40 to 49, characterized in that the network device is a core network device, and the terminal device is a zero-power device.

51. NETWORK DEVICE characterized by comprising: a transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in memory to cause the network device to execute the method, as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14.

52. TERMINAL DEVICE characterized by comprising: a transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in memory, to cause the terminal device to execute the method as defined in any one of claims 15 to 25.

53. CHIP characterized by comprising: a processor, configured to invoke and execute a computer program from a memory to cause a device equipped with the chip to execute the method, as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 25.

54. COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIA characterized in that it is configured to store a computer program, wherein, when the computer program is executed by a device, the device is caused to execute the method as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 25.

55. COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT characterized by comprising computer program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions cause a computer to execute the method as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 25.

56. COMPUTER PROGRAM characterized in that, when executed on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to perform the method, as defined in Petition 870250090410, dated 10 / 03 / 2025, pages 97 / 113 16 / 16, in any of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 25. Petition 870250090410, dated 10 / 03 / 2025, pages 98 / 113

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