A communication method, apparatus, and device

Abstract

The application discloses a communication method, device and equipment, and is used for simplifying a positioning method. The method is as follows: a control plane network element can obtain position information of a terminal device, wherein the position information can be used for representing the position and / or moving speed of the terminal device. When the position information satisfies a first condition, the control plane network element can send first positioning period configuration information to the terminal device or an AN device accessed by the terminal device, and the first positioning period configuration information can indicate a first positioning period corresponding to the first condition. Through the scheme, when the position information of the terminal device satisfies the first condition, the control plane network element can send information used for indicating the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition. In this way, the control plane network element can update the positioning period according to the position information of the terminal device, and does not need to re-initiate a positioning process, thereby reducing the interaction between a communication device initiating a request positioning and the control plane network element, and simplifying the positioning process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and device. Background Technology

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are autonomous, unmanned aircraft that can perform various tasks through manual or automatic control. With the maturation of UAV development technology and significant reductions in manufacturing costs, UAVs have found widespread application in various fields, such as agricultural plant protection, power line inspection, law enforcement, geological exploration, environmental monitoring, forest fire prevention, and aerial filming.

[0003] The UAV and its controller (UAV-C) together constitute an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The UAS service provider (USS) is responsible for the flight management of the UAV. The USS can manage the UAV's flight via mobile communication systems (e.g., 5G communication systems).

[0004] During UAV flight, the USS or UAV can initiate a positioning process for the UAV. Currently, if the positioning cycle needs to be updated, the positioning process needs to be re-initiated; this results in a large amount of signaling exchange between devices, making the process rather cumbersome.

[0005] Therefore, a simplified positioning method is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and device to simplify positioning methods.

[0007] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to the following... Figure 1 or Figure 2 In the communication system shown, the method includes:

[0008] The control plane network element can acquire the location information of the terminal device, wherein the location information can be used to indicate the location and / or moving speed of the terminal device. When the location information meets a first condition, the control plane network element can send first positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device, wherein the first positioning cycle configuration information can be used to indicate the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition.

[0009] With this method, when the location information of the terminal device meets the first condition, the control plane network element can send information indicating the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition. In this way, the control plane network element can update the positioning period according to the location information of the terminal device without re-initiating the positioning process, thereby reducing the interaction between the communication device that initiates the positioning request (e.g., the terminal device or USS) and the control plane network element, and simplifying the positioning process.

[0010] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can also receive first information from the first communication device. This first information may include a correspondence between a first condition and a first positioning period. Through this design, the control plane network element can obtain the correspondence between the first condition and the first positioning period, thereby preparing to determine positioning information based on the conditions.

[0011] In some possible designs, when the location information meets the first condition, the control plane network element can determine the first positioning cycle configuration information based on the first information and the location information. With this design, when the location information of the terminal device meets the first condition, the control plane network element can determine the first positioning cycle based on the correspondence between the first condition and the first positioning cycle, thereby initiating an update to the positioning information without re-initiating the positioning process. This reduces the interaction between the communication device initiating the positioning request (e.g., the terminal device or USS) and the control plane network element, simplifying the positioning process.

[0012] In some possible designs, before acquiring the location information of the terminal device, the control plane network element can send second positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device. This second positioning cycle configuration information can be used to indicate the second positioning cycle. Through this design, the control plane network element can provide the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device with a second positioning cycle for positioning, so that the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device can perform positioning accordingly.

[0013] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can send information indicating the second positioning period, as well as location information, to the second communication device. With this design, when the control plane network element is available to update the positioning period, it will also send back the second positioning period corresponding to the location information when feeding back the location information to the second communication device. In this way, the second communication device can know the positioning period corresponding to the location information, thereby enabling more accurate management of the terminal device's movement.

[0014] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can receive information from the first communication device indicating the second positioning period. This design allows the control plane network element to easily obtain the second positioning period.

[0015] In some possible designs, the first condition may include at least one of the following:

[0016] The terminal device is located within the first location range;

[0017] The terminal device is located outside the second location range;

[0018] The terminal device's moving speed is within the first speed range;

[0019] The terminal device's moving speed is outside the second speed range.

[0020] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to the following... Figure 1 or Figure 2 In the communication system shown, the method includes:

[0021] After acquiring the set movement information and location information of the terminal device, the control plane network element can send notification information to the second communication device based on the set movement information and location information. The location information can be used to indicate the position and / or movement speed of the terminal device; the notification information can be used to indicate that the location information has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0022] In practical applications, the communication device initiating a location request does not necessarily need to continuously acquire the location information of the terminal device. As described in Scenario 1 below, when the UAV flies along a predetermined flight path, the USS does not need to frequently acquire the UAV's location information. Using this method, the control plane network element only sends a notification message to the second communication device when the terminal device's location information deviates from the set motion information, thus informing the terminal device that its location information has deviated from the set motion information. This eliminates the need to send location information to the second communication device every time the terminal device's location information is acquired, thereby reducing signaling interactions.

[0023] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can send notification information to the second communication device based on the set movement information and location information in the following way: when the offset between the location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the notification information is sent to the second communication device.

[0024] During the movement of the terminal device, if the offset between the location information and the set movement information is small, it may quickly correct back to the original route without affecting the terminal device's movement according to the set movement information. Through this design, the control plane network element only sends a notification message to the second communication device when the offset between the location information and the set movement information reaches a certain threshold. This makes the reported information more effective, and the second communication device can also manage it more efficiently. Furthermore, by only sending a notification message to the second communication device when the offset between the location information and the set movement information reaches a certain threshold, signaling interaction can be further reduced.

[0025] In some possible designs, the control plane network element may also acquire a first threshold before sending notification information to the second communication device. For example, the control plane network element may receive a first threshold from the first communication device. Alternatively, the control plane network element may acquire a pre-set first threshold. This design allows the control plane network element to conveniently acquire the first threshold.

[0026] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can obtain the configuration movement information of the terminal device by receiving configuration movement information from the first communication device. This design allows the control plane network element to conveniently obtain the configuration movement information.

[0027] In some possible designs, setting movement information may include at least one of the following:

[0028] Setting the movement path for the terminal device;

[0029] The set location of the terminal device at at least one point in time;

[0030] The set movement speed of the terminal device;

[0031] The set speed range of the terminal device.

[0032] In some possible designs, the control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0033] Optionally, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device in the following manner:

[0034] Implementation Method 1: When the offset between the location information of the terminal device and the set movement information is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0035] In this first implementation, when the offset between the terminal device's location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the control plane network element not only sends a notification message to the second communication device indicating the offset of the location information relative to the set movement information, but also sends the terminal device's location information. In this way, the second communication device can effectively manage the movement of the terminal device based on the location information.

[0036] Implementation Method 2: After obtaining the information used to indicate the first cycle, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device according to the first cycle.

[0037] In this second implementation, the control plane network element sends location information to the second communication device according to the first cycle. In this way, regardless of whether the terminal device's location information deviates from the set movement information, the second communication device can obtain the terminal device's location information. This avoids the situation where, in the first implementation, the second communication device might not receive the terminal device's location information for an extended period, thus enabling the second communication device to effectively manage the terminal device's movement based on the location information.

[0038] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to the following... Figure 1 or Figure 2 In the communication system shown, the method includes:

[0039] After acquiring the information used to indicate the first cycle, the control plane network element can send the terminal device's location information to the second communication device according to the first cycle. The first cycle is longer than the terminal device's positioning cycle.

[0040] Using this method, the control plane network element sends location information to the second communication device according to a first period longer than the positioning period of the terminal device. Thus, regardless of whether the terminal device's location information deviates from the set movement information, the second communication device can obtain the terminal device's location information, enabling it to effectively manage the terminal device's movement based on this location information.

[0041] Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the communication device initiating the location request does not necessarily need to continuously acquire the location information of the terminal device. This method extends the reporting cycle of location information by the control plane network elements, thereby reducing signaling interactions between communication devices.

[0042] In some possible designs, after acquiring the set movement information and location information of the terminal device, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device based on the set movement information and location information. The location information can be used to indicate the position and / or movement speed of the terminal device; the notification message can be used to indicate that the location information has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0043] In practical applications, the communication device initiating a location request does not necessarily need to continuously acquire the location information of the terminal device. As described in Scenario 1 below, when the UAV flies along a predetermined flight path, the USS does not need to frequently acquire the UAV's location information. With this design, the control plane network element only sends a notification message to the second communication device when the terminal device's location information deviates from the set motion information, thus informing the terminal device that its location information has deviated from the set motion information. This eliminates the need to send location information to the second communication device every time the terminal device's location information is acquired, thereby reducing signaling interactions.

[0044] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can send notification information to the second communication device based on the set movement information and location information in the following way: when the offset between the location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the notification information is sent to the second communication device.

[0045] During the movement of the terminal device, if the offset between the location information and the set movement information is small, it can quickly correct back to the original route without affecting the terminal device's movement according to the set movement information. Through this design, the control plane network element only sends a notification message to the second communication device when the offset between the location information and the set movement information reaches a certain threshold. This makes the reported information more effective, and the second communication device can also manage it more efficiently. Furthermore, by only sending a notification message to the second communication device when the offset between the location information and the set movement information reaches a certain threshold, signaling interaction can be further reduced.

[0046] In some possible designs, the control plane network element may also acquire a first threshold before sending notification information to the second communication device. For example, the control plane network element may receive a first threshold from the first communication device. Alternatively, the control plane network element may acquire a pre-set first threshold. This design allows the control plane network element to conveniently acquire the first threshold.

[0047] In some possible designs, the control plane network element can obtain the configuration movement information of the terminal device by receiving configuration movement information from the first communication device. This design allows the control plane network element to conveniently obtain the configuration movement information.

[0048] In some possible designs, setting movement information may include at least one of the following:

[0049] Setting the movement path for the terminal device;

[0050] The set location of the terminal device at at least one point in time;

[0051] The set movement speed of the terminal device;

[0052] The set speed range of the terminal device.

[0053] In some possible designs, when the offset between the location information of the terminal device and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0054] In this design, when the offset between the terminal device's location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the control plane network element not only sends a notification message to the second communication device indicating the offset of the location information relative to the set movement information, but also sends the terminal device's location information. In this way, the second communication device can effectively manage the movement of the terminal device based on the location information.

[0055] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a unit for performing the steps in any of the above aspects.

[0056] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including at least one processing element and at least one storage element, wherein the at least one storage element is used to store programs and data, and the at least one processing element is used to read and execute the programs and data stored in the storage element, so that the methods provided in any of the above aspects of this application are implemented.

[0057] Sixthly, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods provided in any of the above aspects.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0059] Eighthly, embodiments of this application also provide a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory and executing the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0060] Ninthly, embodiments of this application also provide a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the methods provided in any of the above aspects. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0061] The technical effects that can be achieved by any of the fourth to ninth aspects mentioned above can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by any possible design in any of the first to fourth aspects mentioned above. Where there is overlap, no further discussion will be given. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1 An architecture diagram of a communication system provided in this application embodiment;

[0063] Figure 2 An architecture diagram of another communication system provided in this application embodiment;

[0064] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for obtaining location information of a terminal device;

[0065] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the first communication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0066] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the second communication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0067] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating the third communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0068] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the fourth communication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0069] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating the fifth communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0070] Figure 9 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and device to simplify positioning methods. The method, apparatus, and device are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles for solving the problem are similar, the implementations of the apparatus, device, and method can be mutually referenced, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0073] The solution provided in this application allows the control plane network element to obtain the location information of a terminal device, which can be used to represent the location and / or movement speed of the terminal device. When the location information meets a first condition, the control plane network element can send first positioning period configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device, where the first positioning period configuration information can be used to indicate the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition. With this solution, when the location information of the terminal device meets the first condition, the control plane network element can send information indicating the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition; thus, the control plane network element can update the positioning period according to the location information of the terminal device without re-initiating the positioning process, thereby reducing the interaction between the communication device initiating the positioning request (e.g., the terminal device or USS) and the control plane network element, simplifying the positioning process.

[0074] The following explanations of some terms used in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0075] 1) Communication equipment, generally referring to equipment with communication functions. For example, the communication equipment may be, but is not limited to, terminal equipment, AN equipment, access point, core network (CN) equipment, etc.

[0076] 2) Terminal equipment is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. Terminal equipment can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0077] For example, terminal devices can be handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, roadside units (RSUs) in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, UAVs, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes.

[0078] 3) AN device is a device in a mobile communication system that connects terminal devices to the wireless network. As a node in the radio access network, the AN device can also be called a base station, radio access network (RAN) node (or device), or access point (AP).

[0079] Currently, some examples of AN devices include: generation Node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home-evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), or base band unit (BBU), etc.

[0080] In another network architecture, the AN device may include centralized unit (CU) nodes and distributed unit (DU) nodes. This architecture separates the protocol layers of the AN device, with some protocol layer functions centrally controlled by the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions distributed in the DU, which are centrally controlled by the CU.

[0081] 4) CN equipment is a network element included in the CN portion of a mobile communication system. CN equipment enables terminal devices to access different data networks and performs services such as billing, mobility management, session management, and user plane forwarding. In different mobile communication systems, the names of CN equipment with the same functions may differ. However, this application does not limit the specific name of the CN equipment having each function.

[0082] For example, in the 4th generation (4 thIn LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile communication systems, the network element responsible for access control, security control, and signaling coordination is the Mobility Management Entity (MME); the network element that serves as the local mobility management anchor is the Serving Gateway (S-GW); the network element that serves as the anchor for handover to external data networks and is responsible for Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation is the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW); the network element that stores user-related data and subscription data is the Home Subscriber Server (HSS); and the network element responsible for policy and charging functions is called the Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) network element.

[0083] For example, in the 5th generation (5 th In 5G mobile communication systems, the core network can be divided into the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP) according to specific logical functions. Network elements responsible for control plane functions within the core network (CN) are collectively referred to as control plane network elements, while those responsible for user plane functions are collectively referred to as user plane network elements. Specifically, in the user plane, network elements that serve as interfaces to the data network and are responsible for user plane data forwarding are called user plane function (UPF) network elements. In the control plane, network elements responsible for access control and mobility management functions are called access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements; network elements responsible for session management and control policy execution are called session management function (SMF) network elements; network elements responsible for managing subscription data and user access authorization are called unified data management (UDM) network elements; network elements responsible for billing and policy control functions are called policy and charging function (PCF) network elements; and application function (AF) network elements are responsible for handling the network side's requirements from the transmission application side.

[0084] 5) A data network (DN) is a network located outside the mobile communication system. For example, the DN can be a packet data network (PDN), such as the Internet, IP Multimedia Service (IMS) networks, dedicated data networks for certain applications, Ethernet, IP local area networks, etc., and this application does not limit this to any particular type. Various services can be deployed on the DN, providing data and / or voice services to terminal devices.

[0085] The service flow transmitted in DN can be called a data flow.

[0086] In this application embodiment, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items.

[0087] In addition, it should be understood that in the description of this application, the words "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0088] In addition, "greater than" in the embodiments of this application can be replaced with "greater than or equal to", and "less than or equal to" can be replaced with "less than".

[0089] The communication system used in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] Figure 1 This illustration shows a possible communication system architecture to which the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the communication system comprises three parts: a terminal device (using a UE as an example in the figure), a mobile communication system, and a DN. The mobile communication system provides access and connection services to the terminal device.

[0091] A terminal device is an entity on the user side capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals. Terminal devices can communicate with AN devices via air interface technologies (e.g., NR or LTE), requiring access to the DN through the mobile communication system to which the AN device resides. Terminal devices can also communicate with each other via air interface technologies (e.g., NR or LTE). Optionally, a terminal device can act as a relay device for other data collectors or other terminal devices, enabling these devices to communicate with the DN via the mobile communication system.

[0092] A mobile communication system can access at least one DN, and the same DN can also be accessed by at least one mobile communication system. The mobile communication system may include two parts: AN and CN.

[0093] Network devices deployed in the AN are called AN devices, which are specifically responsible for functions such as wireless access, air interface-side wireless resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption, and user plane data forwarding.

[0094] Network elements deployed in a CN (Network Array) can be collectively referred to as CN equipment. The following section uses the CN in a 5G mobile communication system as an example to introduce the functions of the main network elements in the CN. As described above, the network elements in the CN of a 5G mobile communication system can be divided into two categories: control plane network elements and user plane network elements.

[0095] User plane network elements include UPFs, which are mainly responsible for packet forwarding, QoS control, and billing information statistics. For example, a UPF can receive packet data from a DN and send packet data to terminal devices through an AN device; a UPF can also receive packet data from terminal devices through an AN device and forward them to a DN.

[0096] Control plane network elements are primarily responsible for service process interaction, issuing packet forwarding policies to the user plane, and QoS control policies. Control plane network elements mainly include: AMF, SMF, PCF, AF, network exposure function (NEF), UDM, authentication server function (AUSF), network slice selection function (NSSF), network function repository function (NRF), unified data repository (UDR), and network data analytics function (NWDAF).

[0097] The AMF (Access Frame Function) is primarily responsible for UE access management and mobility management, such as UE state maintenance, UE reachability management, forwarding, attaching and detaching non-access-stratum (NAS) messages (mobility management, MM), and gateway selection. Additionally, when the AMF provides services to a session within the UE, it can provide control plane storage resources for that session to store the session identifier and the associated SMF identifier.

[0098] SMF is primarily responsible for UE session management, such as managing the establishment and deletion of PDU sessions, maintaining PDU session context, selecting user plane network elements, redirecting user plane network elements, allocating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, establishing, modifying and releasing bearers, and QoS control.

[0099] PCF is primarily responsible for policy control, such as providing policy rules for the control plane and billing based on traffic.

[0100] The AF (Airframe) is primarily responsible for providing various service operations. Specifically, the AF provides these services by interacting with the core network. These services include assisting with data routing decisions and assisting policy control functions with policy management.

[0101] NEF is primarily responsible for providing frameworks, authentication, and interfaces related to network capability openness, and for transmitting information between network functions of mobile communication systems and other network functions (e.g., third-party applications).

[0102] AUSF is primarily responsible for the access authentication of communication equipment in both the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) and non-3GPP networks.

[0103] The NSSF is primarily responsible for selecting network slices for the UE. For example, the NSSF can determine the network slices that the UE is allowed to access based on the UE's slice selection auxiliary information, subscription information, etc.

[0104] NRF is primarily responsible for the registration and discovery of other network elements, and can provide other network elements with storage and selection functions for network function entity information.

[0105] UDM is primarily responsible for managing user subscription data, such as storing and managing UE identifiers and UE access authorization information.

[0106] UDR is primarily responsible for providing storage and retrieval of contract data, such as storing and retrieving policy data for PCF and storing and retrieving contract data for UDM.

[0107] The Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) is primarily responsible for analyzing network data. For example, the MWDAF can obtain network data from other network elements (e.g., AFs) or collect data from operation administration and maintenance (OAM); it can also provide analysis results to other network elements (e.g., AFs).

[0108] When implementing location services (LCS), in Figure 1 Based on the architecture shown, the communication system can also include communication devices for LCS. The following section will combine... Figure 2 This section provides a detailed explanation of the communication equipment involved in LCS.

[0109] The communication system may further include: a positioning server, a location management function (LMF), a gateway mobile location center (GMLC), and a location retrieval function (LRF).

[0110] The location server can be an LCS client or an AF. In this application, the USS can act as an LCS client or AF, sending a location request for the terminal device to the mobile communication system to obtain the location information of the terminal device. In this application, the USS can also be replaced by UAV traffic management (UTM).

[0111] The LMF (Local Positioning Controller) is primarily responsible for managing and controlling the UE's positioning requests. Specifically, the LMF can send positioning-related auxiliary information to the UE via the LTE positioning protocol (LPP); the LMF can control positioning measurements via the NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) with the AN (Application Controller), for example, controlling uplink measurements performed by the AN or downlink measurements performed by the UE. Additionally, the LMF can select the network's positioning scheme, for example, based on at least one of the following: the positioning server, the required accuracy and latency for QoS, and the positioning capabilities of the UE and the AN. When using multiple positioning schemes for hybrid positioning, the LMF can combine the received results and perform location estimation accordingly.

[0112] GMLC is primarily responsible for transmitting location-related information, such as location requests and location information, between the location server and control plane network elements.

[0113] The LRF obtains location information related to the UE for external LCS clients. The LRF can interact with a standalone GMLC or be integrated with a GMLC to obtain location information.

[0114] in addition, Figure 1 Some of the communication devices in the architecture shown can also perform functions for LCS, which will be explained below.

[0115] The NEF can be used to transmit location-related information between the GMLC and AF, such as requests for location information (also known as location requests), and location information itself. Additionally, in this application, the NEF can also be a UAS NF. The UAS NF is a network element in a 5G mobile communication system that provides services to drones, and its function is the same as that of the NEF.

[0116] AMF can be used to transmit location-related information between LMF and other communication devices (e.g., AN devices, UEs, or GMLCs), such as requests for location information, location information, location data, etc.

[0117] AN devices and UEs can be used to provide location data for LMF.

[0118] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The document also demonstrates the interfaces between multiple network elements in the communication system. For example, N1 is the interface between the UE and the core network control plane; the UE and AMF can interact through the N1 interface. N2 is the interface between the access network equipment and the core network control plane; the access network equipment and AMF can interact through the N2 interface. N3 is the communication interface between the access network equipment and the UPF, used for transmitting user data. N4 is the interface between the SMF and the UPF, used for policy configuration of the UPF, etc. N6 is the interface between the UPF and the DN. N8 is the interface between the AMF and the UDM. NL1 is the interface between the AMF and the LMF. NL2 is the interface between the AMF and the GMLC. NL5 is the interface between the NEF and the LRF. NL6 is the interface between the UDM and the GMLC. N33 is the interface between the NEF and the AF. The interfaces between the various control plane network elements in the CN can be implemented using corresponding service-oriented interfaces, such as... Figure 1 As shown.

[0119] It should be noted that, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The communication system shown is not intended to limit the communication systems applicable to the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to various communication systems, such as: LTE communication systems, 5G communication systems, the 6th Generation (6G) communication system and future communication systems, vehicle to everything (V2X), LTE-vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communications (MTC), internet of things (IoT), LTE-machine to machine (LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), and the Internet of Things. Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the names of the network elements in the communication system. For example, in different communication systems, each network element may have other names; and for example, when multiple network elements are integrated into the same physical device, that physical device may also have other names.

[0120] For ease of understanding of the present invention, please refer to the following references. Figure 3Taking the USS as the LCS client and the UE as the terminal device as an example, this paper introduces a current method for obtaining the location information of the terminal device. This method can be the mobile-terminated location request (MT-LR) method.

[0121] S301: The LCS client sends an LCS Service Request to the GMLC to request the UE's location information.

[0122] The LCS service request includes: the UE's identifier (e.g., generic public subscription identity (GPSI) or subscription permanent identifier (SUPI)) and the required QoS.

[0123] Optionally, the service request may also include information that indicates the LCS client (e.g., the identifier of the LCS client).

[0124] S302: The GMLC sends a get request (Nudm_UECM_Get Request) to the UDM to request the address of the AMF currently serving the UE.

[0125] The retrieval request includes the UE's identifier.

[0126] Optionally, the request can also be used to obtain the LCS privacy profile for the LCS client. In this case, the request may also include information indicating the LCS client.

[0127] S303: GMLC receives a get response (Nudm_UECM_Get Response) from UDM.

[0128] The response contains the address of the AMF currently serving the UE.

[0129] Optionally, when the request includes information to instruct the LCS client, the response may also include an LCS privacy profile. When the LCS privacy profile instructs the LCS client to obtain the UE's location information, the GMLC may execute S304.

[0130] S304: The GMLC sends a Location Information Request (Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request) to the AMF to request the location information of the UE.

[0131] The request to provide location information may include the UE's identifier and the required QoS.

[0132] S305: If the UE is in an idle state, the AMF can initiate a network-triggered service request procedure to establish a signaling connection between the AMF and the UE.

[0133] Step S305 is optional. For example, if the UE is in connected mode, step S305 may not be executed.

[0134] S306: AMF should be selected as LMF.

[0135] S307: The AMF sends a location determination request (Nlmf_location_DetermineLocationRequest) to the LMF to request the UE's location information.

[0136] The location determination request may also include the serving cell identity of the UE.

[0137] When the LCS client requests to periodically obtain the UE's location information (in other words, the LCS client requests to periodically locate the UE), the messages in steps S301, S304, and S307 may also include the location period.

[0138] S308: LMF initiates the UE location process.

[0139] Optionally, the LMF can obtain the UE's location data by interacting with the UE and / or the AN device serving the UE, and calculate the UE's location based on the location data.

[0140] Additionally, when an LCS client requests periodic access to the UE's location information, the LMF can send a location cycle to the UE and / or the AN device serving the UE via the AMF. The UE and / or the AN device serving the UE can then measure location data according to this location cycle and send the data to the LMF. The LMF can then calculate the UE's location based on this data.

[0141] S309: The LMF sends a location determination response (Nlmf_location_DetermineLocationResponse) to the AMF.

[0142] The location determination response may include: location result. The location result may include: the UE's location information and the accuracy of that location information.

[0143] S310: AMF sends a Location Information Response (Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Response) to GMLC.

[0144] The location information response may include the location result.

[0145] S311: GMLC sends an LCS Service Response to the LCS client.

[0146] The LCS service response may include location results.

[0147] Optionally, when USS is AF, Figure 3 In the method shown, the LCS client can be replaced by the AF, and the interaction between the LCS client and the GMLC can be replaced by the AF interacting with the GMLC through the NEF. For example, in S301, the AF can send an LCS service request to the GMLC through the NEF to request the UE's location information. In S311, the GMLC can send an LCS service response to the AF through the NEF.

[0148] Optionally, the UE can also request its location information. In this case, the UE can send a location request to the LMF through the AMF, and this location request includes the UE's identifier. When the UE requests to periodically obtain its location information, the location period can also be included in the location request. Figure 3 In steps S308 and S309 of the method shown, the AMF can obtain the UE's positioning result; then, the AMF can send the positioning result to the UE.

[0149] Figure 3 The method shown has at least one of the following problems:

[0150] Question 1: Updating the positioning cycle involves a lot of signaling between devices, making the process quite cumbersome.

[0151] Specifically, when periodic positioning is required, the communication device initiating the positioning request (e.g., UE, as an LCS client of the USS, or AF) includes the positioning period in the request for obtaining the location information of the terminal device. Thus, when the positioning period needs to be updated, the communication device initiating the positioning request must re-initiate the positioning request process (i.e.,...). Figure 3 The process shown in the diagram results in a large amount of signaling between devices, making the process quite cumbersome.

[0152] The following scenario illustrates the occurrence of this problem:

[0153] Scenario 1: When the UE is a UAV, the USS can obtain the UAV's predetermined flight path before the UAV takes off. The USS can periodically locate the UAV through the mobile communication system to obtain the UAV's actual flight path. By comparing the predetermined flight path and the actual flight path, the USS can determine whether the UAV is flying according to the predetermined flight path.

[0154] In Scenario 1, the UAV's speed during flight may not be constant. When the UAV's movement speed is low or the UAV is stationary, the position offset obtained by the USS each time is very small. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the same positioning cycle as when moving at high speed. In this case, if the USS initiates a positioning cycle update, the positioning request process needs to be re-initiated, resulting in more signaling communication between devices.

[0155] Question 2: The LMF sends the UE's location information to the communication device that initiated the location request according to the positioning cycle, resulting in a large number of signaling exchanges between devices.

[0156] Taking scenario 1 above as an example, when the UAV flies along the predetermined flight path, the USS does not need to frequently obtain the UAV's location information. In this case, if the LMF still sends the UE's location information to the communication device that initiated the location request according to the positioning cycle, it will result in a large number of signaling exchanges between devices.

[0157] The solution provided in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0158] This application provides a communication method that can be applied to... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The communication system shown can be used to solve problem 1 above. See below. Figure 4 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method's process.

[0159] S401: The control plane network element acquires the location information of the terminal device. This location information can be used to indicate the location and / or speed of the terminal device.

[0160] In the embodiments of this application, the control plane network element may be, but is not limited to, one of the following: LMF, GMLC, NEF; the terminal device may be, but is not limited to, a UAV or an autonomous vehicle.

[0161] Among them, the control plane network element can execute S401 in one of the following situations:

[0162] Scenario 1: The control plane network element receives a request from the second communication device to obtain the location information of the terminal device.

[0163] Scenario 2: The control plane network element receives a request from the second communication device to obtain the location information of the terminal device. This request includes a positioning period. When the positioning period is reached, the control plane network element executes S401.

[0164] In scenarios 1 and 2, the second communication device can be one of the following: an AF (Automatic Communication Provider), an LCS (Location-Based Service) client, or a terminal device. The AF and LCS client can both function as a USS (United States Service). The request to obtain the location information of the terminal device can be, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: an LCS service request, a request to provide location information, or a location determination request.

[0165] Optionally, the control plane network element obtains the location information of the terminal device through one of the following methods:

[0166] Method 1: The control plane network element determines the location information of the terminal device based on the location data received from the terminal device or the AN device accessed by the terminal device.

[0167] 1. Location of the terminal device:

[0168] For example, the positioning data may include: the time advance (TA) and the angle of arrival (AoA) of the terminal device. Using the TA, the control plane network element can determine the distance of the terminal device relative to the AN device; using the AoA, the control plane network element can determine the direction of the terminal device relative to the AN device. Then, based on the position of the AN device, the control plane network element can determine the position of the terminal device.

[0169] 2. Moving speed of the terminal device:

[0170] For example, the positioning data may include: the TA and AoA of the terminal device at time 1, and the TA and AoA of the terminal device at time 2. Using the method in section 1, the control plane network element can determine the terminal device's position 1 at time 1 and position 2 at time 2. Then, the control plane network element can determine the terminal device's moving speed as (position 2 - position 1) / (time 2 - time 1). To accurately determine the terminal device's moving speed, the control plane network element can obtain the position at multiple times and determine the terminal device's moving speed accordingly.

[0171] It should be understood that the above method for determining the location information of a terminal device is merely an example, and other existing methods for determining the location information of a terminal device may also be used, which are not limited in this application.

[0172] Method 2: The control plane network element receives the location information of the terminal device from the third communication device.

[0173] The location information of the terminal device can be determined by a third communication device. The determination method can refer to Method 1, which will not be elaborated here.

[0174] In Method 2, the control plane network element can be either a GMLC or a NEF, and the third communication device can be an LMF. Specifically, when the control plane network element is a GMLC, it can receive the location information of the terminal device from the LMF through the AMF; when the control plane network element is a NEF, it can receive the location information of the terminal device from the LMF through both the GMLC and the AMF.

[0175] Method 3: The control plane network element can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the global positioning system (GPS) information of the terminal device.

[0176] 1. Location of the terminal device:

[0177] The control plane network element can determine the location of the terminal device as indicated by the GPS information.

[0178] 2. Moving speed of the terminal device:

[0179] The control plane network element can acquire the GPS information of the terminal device at different times and determine the moving speed of the terminal device based on the GPS information at different times. For example, the control plane network element can acquire GPS information 1 at time 3 and GPS information 2 at time 4. GPS information 1 indicates position 3, and GPS information 2 indicates position 4. The control plane network element can determine the moving speed of the terminal device as (position 4 - position 3) / (time 4 - time 3). In order to accurately determine the moving speed of the terminal device, the control plane network element can obtain the position at multiple times and determine the moving speed of the terminal device accordingly.

[0180] S402: When the location information meets the first condition, the control plane network element sends first positioning period configuration information to the terminal device or the access network (AN) device to which the terminal device is connected. The first positioning period configuration information can be used to indicate the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition, or the first positioning period configuration information can be used to indicate the first positioning period.

[0181] The first positioning period configuration information can directly indicate the first positioning period, for example, the first positioning period configuration information is the first positioning period (e.g., 25ms). The first positioning period configuration information can also indirectly indicate the first positioning period, for example, when the value of the first positioning period configuration information is 1, it indirectly indicates that the first positioning period is 25ms. In addition, the first positioning period configuration information can be carried in an existing message or in a new message, and this application does not limit it in this way.

[0182] Optionally, the control plane network element sends the first positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device through the AMF network element.

[0183] With this method, when the location information of the terminal device meets the first condition, the control plane network element can send information indicating the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition. In this way, the control plane network element can update the positioning period according to the location information of the terminal device without re-initiating the positioning process, thereby reducing the interaction between the communication device that initiates the positioning request (e.g., the terminal device or USS) and the control plane network element, and simplifying the positioning process.

[0184] Optional, in Figure 4 In one implementation of the method shown, the first condition may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0185] Condition 1: The location of the terminal device is within the first location range;

[0186] Condition 2: The location of the terminal device is outside the second location range;

[0187] Condition 3: The moving speed of the terminal device is within the first speed range;

[0188] Condition 4: The moving speed of the terminal device is outside the second speed range.

[0189] The specific details of each condition are explained below.

[0190] For condition 1:

[0191] In some possible implementations, the first location range can be a geographical area, such as a first region, or an area whose shortest straight-line distance to the first region lies within a first distance range. An example of a first region is a no-fly zone. Another example of a first region is a permitted flight zone.

[0192] In other possible implementations, the first location range can also be the service range of the communication device. For example, when the service range of the communication device falls within the aforementioned geographical range, the first location range can be indicated by the service range of the communication device. The information used to indicate the service range of the communication device may include at least one of the following: one or more AN device identifiers (IDs), one or more cell identifiers (cell IDs), and one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs).

[0193] Regarding condition 2:

[0194] For details on the second position range, please refer to the explanation of condition 1, except that the first position range is replaced with the second position range, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] It should be understood that the first position range and the second position range can be the same, different, or partially overlap.

[0196] For conditions 3 and 4:

[0197] It should be understood that the first speed range and the second speed range can be the same, different, or partially overlap.

[0198] This method provides a variety of conditions, and by flexibly setting these conditions, the control plane network element can flexibly adjust the positioning cycle.

[0199] Optional, in Figure 4 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, the method further includes:

[0200] S403: The control plane network element receives first information from the first communication device. The first information may include the correspondence between a first condition and a first positioning period.

[0201] The first communication device may be, but is not limited to, one of the following: AMF, NEF, LCS client, AF.

[0202] For example, when the control plane network element is LMF, the first communication device is AMF. LMF can receive the first information from the LCS client sequentially through AMF and GMLC; or, LMF can receive the first information from AF sequentially through AMF, GMLC, and NEF.

[0203] For example, when the control plane network element is GLMC, the first communication device is NEF or LCS client. When the first communication device is NEF, GMLC can receive the first information from AF through NEF.

[0204] For example, when the control plane network element is NEF, the first communication device is AF.

[0205] Furthermore, the first information can be a message containing the correspondence between the first condition and the first positioning period (e.g., a request to obtain the location information of the terminal device), or it can be an information element in a message. Specifically, when the first information is an information element, the first information can reuse information elements from existing messages, or it can be a new information element from existing messages.

[0206] For example, the first information can be a correspondence table between the first condition and the first positioning cycle, as shown in Table 1. The specific content of the first condition can be found in the explanation above, and will not be repeated here.

[0207] Table 1

[0208] first condition First positioning cycle

[0209] It should be understood that the first information may also include other conditions and their correspondence with the positioning period, and this application does not limit this.

[0210] Furthermore, this application does not limit the execution order of S403 and S401. For example, S403 can be executed first, followed by S401; or S401 can be executed first, followed by S403; or S401 and S403 can be executed simultaneously.

[0211] Optionally, the above methods also include:

[0212] S404: When the location information meets the first condition, the control plane network element determines the first positioning cycle configuration information based on the first information and the location information.

[0213] For example, the first condition is condition 1-1, which means that the location of the terminal device is within a first location range. When the location information of the terminal device indicates that the location is within the first location range, the control plane network element can select the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition and generate first positioning cycle configuration information to indicate the first positioning cycle.

[0214] For example, the first condition is condition 1-2, which means that the location of the terminal device is outside the first location range. When the location information of the terminal device indicates that the location is outside the first location range, the control plane network element can select the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition and generate first positioning cycle configuration information to indicate the first positioning cycle.

[0215] For example, the first condition is condition 2-1, which means that the moving speed of the terminal device is within a first speed range. When the moving speed indicated by the location information of the terminal device is within the first speed range, the control plane network element can select the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition and generate first positioning cycle configuration information to indicate the first positioning cycle.

[0216] For example, the first condition includes condition 1-1 and condition 2-1, that is, the first condition includes: the location of the terminal device is within a first location range, and the moving speed of the terminal device is within a first speed range. When the location information of the terminal device indicates that the location is within the first location range, and the moving speed indicated by the location information of the terminal device is within the first speed range, the control plane network element can select the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition, and generate first positioning cycle configuration information to indicate the first positioning cycle.

[0217] Using this method, the control plane network element can select a positioning period corresponding to the conditions met by the location of the terminal device for positioning. Thus, when the positioning period needs to be updated, the control plane network element can update the positioning period automatically without re-initiating the positioning process. This reduces the interaction between the communication device initiating the positioning request (e.g., the terminal device or USS) and the control plane network element, simplifying the positioning process.

[0218] Optional, in Figure 4 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, prior to S401, the method further includes:

[0219] S405: The control plane network element sends the second positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device. The second positioning cycle configuration information is used to indicate the second positioning cycle.

[0220] The second positioning period configuration information can directly indicate the second positioning period, for example, the second positioning period configuration information is the second positioning period (e.g., 10ms). The second positioning period configuration information can also indirectly indicate the second positioning period; for example, when the value of the second positioning period configuration information is 2, it indirectly indicates that the second positioning period is 10ms. Furthermore, the second positioning period configuration information can be carried in an existing message or in a new message; this application does not limit this.

[0221] Optionally, the control plane network element sends the second positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device through the AMF network element.

[0222] Optionally, before sending the second positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device, the control plane network element may obtain the second positioning cycle through one of the following methods.

[0223] Method 1: The control plane network element receives information from the first communication device to indicate the second positioning cycle.

[0224] The first communication device may be, but is not limited to, one of the following: AMF, NEF, LCS client, AF.

[0225] For example, when the control plane network element is LMF, the first communication device is AMF. LMF can receive information from the LCS client indicating the second positioning period through AMF and GMLC in sequence; or, LMF can receive information from AF indicating the second positioning period through AMF, GMLC, and NEF in sequence.

[0226] For example, when the control plane network element is GLMC, the first communication device is either NEF or an LCS client. When the first communication device is NEF, GMLC can receive information from AF indicating the second positioning cycle through NEF.

[0227] For example, when the control plane network element is NEF, the first communication device is AF.

[0228] In Method 1, the second positioning period can be a default positioning period or an initial positioning period. The information used to indicate the second positioning period can be the second positioning period directly or indirectly. Furthermore, the information used to indicate the second positioning period can be included in existing messages or in new messages. When the information used to indicate the second positioning period is included in existing messages, the message can be a request to obtain the location information of the terminal device (e.g., an LCS service request, a request to provide location information, or a location determination request).

[0229] Method 2: The control plane network element receives information from the first communication device to indicate at least one positioning period, and selects the smallest of the at least one positioning periods as the second positioning period.

[0230] The method by which the control plane network element receives information from the first communication device indicating at least one positioning period can refer to method 1, except that the second positioning period is replaced with at least one positioning period, which will not be described in detail here.

[0231] Additionally, the information used to indicate at least one positioning period can be information indicating the correspondence between at least one condition and at least one positioning period (e.g., the first information mentioned above). Here, at least one condition may include a first condition, and at least one positioning period may include a first positioning period. The relationship between at least one condition and at least one positioning period can be one-to-one or many-to-one.

[0232] Method 3: When the location information of the terminal device meets the second condition, the control plane network element determines the second positioning cycle corresponding to the second condition. That is, during the movement of the terminal device, the control plane network element first determines the second positioning cycle based on the location information 1 of the terminal device; then, based on the location information 2 of the terminal device obtained when positioning through the second positioning cycle, it determines the first positioning cycle, thereby allowing the positioning cycle to be updated multiple times.

[0233] The second condition may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0234] Condition 1: The location of the terminal device is within the third location range;

[0235] Condition 2: The terminal device is located outside the fourth location range;

[0236] Condition 3: The terminal device's moving speed is within the third speed range;

[0237] Condition 4: The terminal device's moving speed is outside the fourth speed range.

[0238] The details of Condition 1 can be found in Condition 1, except that the first position range is replaced with the third position range; the details of Condition 2 can be found in Condition 2, except that the second position range is replaced with the fourth position range; the details of Condition 3 can be found in Condition 3, except that the first velocity range is replaced with the third velocity range; the details of Condition 4 can be found in Condition 4, except that the second velocity range is replaced with the fourth velocity range. These details will not be repeated here.

[0239] Optionally, the third location range may differ from the first location range, and / or the fourth location range may differ from the second location range, and / or the third speed range may differ from the first speed range, and / or the fourth speed range may differ from the second speed range. For example, the first location range is the service area of ​​community 1, and the third location range is the service area of ​​community 2; both the first and third speed ranges are 0–5 km / h. Another example is that both the first and third location ranges are the service area of ​​community 1; the first speed range is 0–5 km / h, and the third speed range is 20–30 km / h. Yet another example is that the first location range is the service area of ​​community 1, and the third location range is the service area of ​​community 2; the first speed range is 0–5 km / h, and the third speed range is 20–30 km / h. Yet another example is that the second location range is the service area of ​​community 3, and the fourth location range is the service area of ​​community 4; both the second and fourth speed ranges are 5–10 km / h. For example, the second and fourth location ranges are both within the service area of ​​cell 3; the second speed range is 0–5 km / h, and the fourth speed range is 5–10 km / h. For example, the first and third location ranges are both within the service area of ​​cell 1; the second and fourth location ranges are both within the service area of ​​cell 3; the second speed range is 0–5 km / h, and the fourth speed range is 5–10 km / h.

[0240] Method 4: The control plane network element obtains a pre-configured second positioning period. For example, the control plane network element is pre-configured with a second positioning period, which can be the default positioning period or the initial positioning period.

[0241] Optionally, after the control plane network element receives the first information, the control plane network element determines to use the pre-configured second positioning period and sends the second positioning period configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device.

[0242] Using this method, the control plane network element can notify the terminal device of the second positioning cycle so that the positioning cycle can be updated based on the location information obtained through the second positioning cycle.

[0243] Optional, in Figure 4 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, the method further includes:

[0244] S406: The control plane network element sends information to the second communication device to indicate the second positioning cycle, as well as location information.

[0245] The second communication device can be one of the following: AF, LCS client, or terminal device.

[0246] In addition, the control plane network element can send information indicating the second positioning cycle and location information to the second communication device through existing messages (e.g., determining positioning response, providing location information response, LCS service response, notification message for notifying positioning results, etc.), or it can send information indicating the second positioning cycle and location information to the second communication device through new messages.

[0247] Furthermore, this application does not limit the execution order of S402 and S406. For example, S402 can be executed first, followed by S406; or S406 can be executed first, followed by S402; or S402 and S406 can be executed simultaneously.

[0248] Using this method, when the control plane network element is available to update the positioning period, when the control plane network element feeds back the location information to the second communication device, it will also feed back the second positioning period corresponding to the location information; in this way, the second communication device can know the positioning period corresponding to the location information, thereby enabling more accurate management of the movement of the terminal device.

[0249] This application provides another communication method, which can be applied to... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The communication system shown can be used to solve problem 2 above. See below. Figure 5 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method's process.

[0250] S501: Control plane network elements acquire the setting and movement information of terminal devices.

[0251] In this embodiment, the control plane network element may be, but is not limited to, one of the following: LMF, GMLC, NEF; the terminal device may be, but is not limited to, a UAV or an autonomous vehicle. When the terminal device is a UAV, setting mobility information may also be referred to as setting flight information.

[0252] S502: The control plane network element acquires the location information of the terminal device. The location information indicates the location and / or speed of the terminal device.

[0253] For details of S502, please refer to S401; it will not be repeated here.

[0254] Furthermore, this application does not limit the execution order of S501 and S502. S501 can be executed first, followed by S502; S502 can be executed first, followed by S501; or S501 and S502 can be executed simultaneously.

[0255] S503: The control plane network element sends a notification message to the second communication device based on the set movement information and location information. This notification message can be used to indicate that the location information has shifted relative to the set movement information. In other words, when the location information of the terminal device shifts relative to the set movement information, the control plane network element can send this notification message to the second communication device, notifying the second communication device that the following event has occurred: the location information of the terminal device has shifted relative to the set movement information. A shift in location information relative to the set movement information can also be understood as the location information being different from the set movement information, or the location information being different from any of the location information in the set movement information.

[0256] The second communication device can be one of the following: AF, LCS client, or terminal device. The AF and LCS client can both function as USS.

[0257] Furthermore, the notification information can be a message indicating an offset of location information relative to set movement information, or it can be an information element within a message. Specifically, when the notification information is an information element, it can reuse information elements from an existing message or introduce new information elements from an existing message. For example, the information element can be a first indication field, which, when it takes a first value, indicates that the terminal device's location has offset relative to the set movement information. As another example, the information element can be a second indication field, which, when it takes a second value, indicates that the terminal device's movement speed has offset relative to the set movement information.

[0258] In practical applications, the communication device initiating a location request does not necessarily need to continuously acquire the location information of the terminal device. As described in Scenario 1 above, when the UAV flies along a predetermined flight path, the USS does not need to frequently acquire the UAV's location information. Using this method, the control plane network element only sends a notification message to the second communication device when the terminal device's location information deviates from the set motion information, thus informing the terminal device that its location information has deviated from the set motion information. This eliminates the need to send location information to the second communication device every time the terminal device's location information is acquired, thereby reducing signaling interactions.

[0259] Optionally, in S501, the control plane network element can obtain the set mobility information of the terminal device in the following way: the control plane network element receives the set mobility information from the first communication device.

[0260] The first communication device may be, but is not limited to, one of the following: AMF, NEF, LCS client, AF.

[0261] For example, when the control plane network element is LMF, the first communication device is AMF. LMF can receive the set mobility information from the LCS client sequentially through AMF and GMLC; or, LMF can receive the set mobility information from AF sequentially through AMF, GMLC, and NEF.

[0262] For example, when the control plane network element is GLMC, the first communication device is NEF or LCS client. When the first communication device is NEF, GMLC can receive the set mobility information from AF through NEF.

[0263] For example, when the control plane network element is NEF, the first communication device is AF.

[0264] In addition, the mobile information setting can reuse information elements from existing messages (e.g., requests to obtain location information of terminal devices) or can be new information elements from existing messages.

[0265] Using this method, control plane network elements can easily obtain the set movement information.

[0266] Optional, in Figure 5 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, the motion information includes at least one of the following:

[0267] 1. Setting the movement path of the terminal device: For example, a series of point information or path curve information on the predetermined movement path.

[0268] 2. The set location of the terminal device at at least one point in time (also known as the location the terminal device should reach at at least one point in time): For example, the set geographical location 1 of the terminal device at time 1, the set geographical location 2 at time 2, etc. The set location of the terminal device at at least one point in time can be represented by a correspondence table between at least one point in time and the set location.

[0269] 3. Set movement speed of the terminal device: This set movement speed can be a fixed value, at which the terminal device should always move during the movement process. This set movement speed can also be a variable value, for example, varying over time or depending on the location or range of the terminal device. When the set movement speed is a variable value, the set movement information can include the correspondence between the set movement speed and the variable amount (e.g., time, location or range of the terminal device).

[0270] 4. Set speed range for the terminal device: This set speed range can be a fixed range, at which the terminal device should always move during movement. Alternatively, the set speed range can be a variable value, for example, varying over time or depending on the location or location range of the terminal device. When the set speed range is a variable value, the movement information can include the correspondence between the set speed range and the amount of change (e.g., time, location or location range of the terminal device).

[0271] This method provides a variety of set movement information, so that the control plane network element can flexibly determine whether the position information of the terminal device has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0272] Optionally, in S503, when the offset between the location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element may send notification information to the second communication device.

[0273] The second communication device can be one of the following: AF, LCS client, or terminal device.

[0274] Optionally, the first threshold may include at least one of the following: the maximum offset between the position of the terminal device and the set movement path, the maximum offset between the position of the terminal device and the set position, the maximum offset between the movement speed of the terminal device and the set movement speed, and the maximum offset between the movement speed of the terminal device and the set speed range.

[0275] The following example illustrates that "when the offset between the location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device."

[0276] For example, when the set mobility information is a set mobility path for the terminal device, the location information can represent the location of the terminal device, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the location of the terminal device and the set mobility path. If the shortest distance between the location represented by the location information and the set mobility path is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the location of the terminal device has shifted relative to the set mobility information.

[0277] For example, when the motion information is set as the set location of the terminal device at at least one point in time, the location information can represent the location of the terminal device at the first point in time, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the location of the terminal device and the set location. If the distance between the location of the terminal device at the first point in time and the set location of the terminal device at the first point in time is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the location of the terminal device has shifted relative to the set motion information.

[0278] For example, when the set movement information is the set movement speed of the terminal device, and this set movement speed is a fixed value, the location information can represent the movement speed of the terminal device, and the first threshold is the maximum offset value between the movement speed of the terminal device and the set movement speed. If the difference between the movement speed represented by the location information and the set movement speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the movement speed of the terminal device has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0279] For example, when the set motion information is the set moving speed of the terminal device, and this set moving speed is a value that varies over time, the location information can represent the moving speed of the terminal device in the first time period, and the first threshold is the maximum deviation between the moving speed of the terminal device and the set moving speed. If the difference between the moving speed of the terminal device in the first time period and the set moving speed of the terminal device in the first time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the moving speed of the terminal device has deviated relative to the set motion information.

[0280] For example, when the set movement information is a set movement speed of the terminal device, and this set movement speed is a value that varies with position, the position information can represent the movement speed of the terminal device at a first position, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the terminal device's movement speed and the set movement speed. If the difference between the terminal device's movement speed at the first position and the terminal device's set movement speed at the first position is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the terminal device's movement speed has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0281] For example, when the motion information is set to a set speed range for the terminal device, and this set speed range is a fixed value, the location information can represent the moving speed of the terminal device, and the first threshold is the maximum offset value between the moving speed of the terminal device and the set speed range. If the offset between the moving speed represented by the location information and the set speed range of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the moving speed of the terminal device has deviated relative to the set motion information.

[0282] For example, when the motion information is set as a set speed range for the terminal device, and this set speed range is a value that varies over time, the location information can represent the terminal device's movement speed in a second time period. The first threshold is the maximum offset between the terminal device's movement speed and the set speed range. If the offset between the terminal device's movement speed in the second time period and the set speed range in the second time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the terminal device's movement speed has deviated relative to the set motion information.

[0283] For example, when the motion information is set as a set speed range for the terminal device, and this set speed range is a value that varies with position, the position information can represent the moving speed of the terminal device at a second position, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the moving speed of the terminal device and the set speed range. If the offset between the moving speed of the terminal device at the second position and the set speed range of the terminal device at the second position is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the moving speed of the terminal device has deviated relative to the set motion information.

[0284] For example, when the set movement information includes: a set movement path and a set movement speed of the terminal device, and the set movement speed is a fixed value, the location information can represent the position and movement speed of the terminal device; the first threshold includes: the maximum offset between the position of the terminal device and the set movement path (hereinafter referred to as the first maximum offset value), and the maximum offset between the movement speed of the terminal device and the set movement speed (hereinafter referred to as the second maximum offset value). If the shortest distance between the position represented by the location information and the set movement path is greater than or equal to the first maximum offset value, and the difference between the movement speed represented by the location information and the set movement speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the second maximum offset value, the control plane network element can send a notification message to the second communication device to notify the second communication device that the position and movement speed of the terminal device have deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0285] Optional, in Figure 5 In one implementation of the method shown, before sending notification information to the second communication device, the method further includes:

[0286] S504: Control plane network elements can obtain the first threshold.

[0287] In some possible ways, the control plane network element may obtain the first threshold from the second communication device. The first threshold may reuse information elements from an existing message (e.g., a request to obtain location information of a terminal device), or it may be a new information element from an existing message. Furthermore, the first threshold and predetermined mobility information may be included in the same message or in different messages.

[0288] In other possible approaches, the control plane element may acquire a pre-configured first threshold. That is, the first threshold is pre-configured in the control plane element, for example, pre-stored in the memory of the control plane element.

[0289] Furthermore, this application does not limit the execution order of S501, S502, and S504. For example, S501 and S504 can be executed first, followed by S502; S502 can be executed first, followed by S501 and S504; S501, S502, and S504 can be executed simultaneously; or S501, S504, and S502 can be executed in the following order.

[0290] Optional, in Figure 5 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, the method further includes:

[0291] S505: The control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0292] The following describes the possible implementation methods of "the control plane network element sending the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device".

[0293] Implementation Method 1: When the offset between the location information of the terminal device and the set movement information is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0294] The following is an example illustrating this implementation method one.

[0295] For example, when the mobility information is set as a set mobility path for the terminal device, the location information can represent the location of the terminal device, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the location of the terminal device and the set mobility path. If the shortest distance between the location represented by the location information and the set mobility path is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0296] For example, when the mobility information is set as the set location of the terminal device at at least one point in time, the location information can represent the location of the terminal device at the first point in time, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the location of the terminal device and the set location. If the distance between the location of the terminal device at the first point in time and the set location of the terminal device at the first point in time is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0297] For example, when the set movement information is the set movement speed of the terminal device, and this set movement speed is a fixed value, the location information can represent the movement speed of the terminal device, and the first threshold is the maximum offset value between the movement speed of the terminal device and the set movement speed. If the difference between the movement speed represented by the location information and the set movement speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0298] For example, when the set mobility information is the set mobility speed of the terminal device, and this set mobility speed is a value that varies over time, the location information can represent the mobility speed of the terminal device in the first time period, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the terminal device's mobility speed and the set mobility speed. If the difference between the terminal device's mobility speed in the first time period and the terminal device's set mobility speed in the first time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the terminal device's location information to the second communication device.

[0299] For example, when the set movement information is the set movement speed of the terminal device, and this set movement speed is a value that varies with position, the position information can represent the movement speed of the terminal device at a first position, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the terminal device's movement speed and the set movement speed. If the difference between the terminal device's movement speed at the first position and the terminal device's set movement speed at the first position is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the terminal device's position information to the second communication device.

[0300] For example, when the motion information is set to a set speed range for the terminal device, and this set speed range is a fixed value, the location information can represent the moving speed of the terminal device, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the moving speed of the terminal device and the set speed range. If the offset between the moving speed represented by the location information and the set speed range of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0301] For example, when the motion information is set to a set speed range for the terminal device, and this set speed range is a value that varies over time, the location information can represent the terminal device's movement speed in a second time period. The first threshold is the maximum offset between the terminal device's movement speed and the set speed range. If the offset between the terminal device's movement speed in the second time period and the set speed range in the second time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the terminal device's location information to the second communication device.

[0302] For example, when the motion information is set to a set speed range for the terminal device, and this set speed range is a value that varies with position, the position information can represent the moving speed of the terminal device at a second position, and the first threshold is the maximum offset between the moving speed of the terminal device and the set speed range. If the offset between the moving speed of the terminal device at the second position and the set speed range of the terminal device at the second position is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element can send the position information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0303] For example, when the set movement information includes: a set movement path and a set movement speed of the terminal device, and the set movement speed is a fixed value, the location information can represent the position and movement speed of the terminal device; the first threshold includes: the maximum offset between the position of the terminal device and the set movement path (hereinafter referred to as the first maximum offset), and the maximum offset between the movement speed of the terminal device and the set movement speed (hereinafter referred to as the second maximum offset). If the shortest distance between the position represented by the location information and the set movement path is greater than or equal to the first maximum offset, and the difference between the movement speed represented by the location information and the set movement speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the second maximum offset, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0304] In addition, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through existing messages (e.g., a location determination response, a location information provision response, an LCS service response, a notification message for notifying the location result, etc.), or it can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through new messages.

[0305] Furthermore, when this implementation method is combined with S503, this application does not restrict the order in which the control plane network element sends the location information and notification information of the terminal device. For example, the control plane network element may send the location information of the terminal device first, and then send the notification information; or it may send the notification information first, and then send the location information; or it may send the location information and the notification information simultaneously.

[0306] In this first implementation, when the offset between the terminal device's location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the control plane network element not only sends a notification message to the second communication device indicating the offset of the location information relative to the set movement information, but also sends the terminal device's location information. In this way, the second communication device can effectively manage the movement of the terminal device based on the location information.

[0307] Implementation Method 2: The control plane network element periodically sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0308] In implementation method two, the control plane network element can perform operations A1-A2.

[0309] A1: The control plane network element acquires information used to indicate the first cycle.

[0310] Optionally, in A1, the control plane network element can obtain information for indicating the first cycle by receiving information for indicating the first cycle from the first communication device.

[0311] The first cycle can represent the period during which the control plane network element transmits the location information of the terminal device. This first cycle differs from the positioning cycle of the terminal device; for example, the first cycle can be longer than the positioning cycle of the terminal device.

[0312] The information used to indicate the first cycle can directly indicate the first cycle, for example, the information used to indicate the first cycle is the first cycle (e.g., 200ms). The information used to indicate the first cycle can also indirectly indicate the first cycle, for example, when the value of the information used to indicate the first cycle is 5, it indirectly indicates that the first cycle is 200ms.

[0313] Furthermore, the information used to indicate the first period can be either a message indicating the first period or an information element within a message. Specifically, when the information used to indicate the first period is an information element, it can reuse an existing information element from a message or be a new information element from an existing message. For example, the information element can be a third indicator field; when this field takes the third value, it can indicate the first period.

[0314] Furthermore, this application does not restrict the order in which the control plane network element receives the setting movement information (i.e., S501) from the terminal device and the information used to indicate the first cycle. For example, the control plane network element may first receive the setting movement information from the terminal device and then receive the information used to indicate the first cycle; or it may first receive the information used to indicate the first cycle and then receive the setting movement information; or it may receive the setting movement information and the information used to indicate the first cycle simultaneously.

[0315] A2: The control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device according to the first cycle.

[0316] In some possible configurations, the control plane network element transmits the terminal device's location information to the second communication device in a first cycle. For example, the second positioning cycle is 10 ms, and the first cycle is 200 ms. The control plane network element acquires the terminal device's location information through the second positioning cycle. Assume that both the second and first cycles start at time 0. Within one first cycle, the control plane network element can acquire 20 location information points of the terminal device and transmit the latest location information to the second communication device at time 0 + 200 ms.

[0317] In some other possible ways, the control plane network element may send the terminal device's location information to the second communication device based on the first cycle and the time of the last transmission of location information and / or notification information.

[0318] For example, after receiving information indicating the first cycle, the control plane network element can reset the timer to zero and then start the timer again. During the timer's operation, if the control plane network element sends location information and / or notification information to the second communication device (e.g., the control plane network element executes S503), the control plane network element resets the timer to zero and restarts it. When the timer reaches the first cycle, the control plane network element sends the terminal device's location information to the second communication device.

[0319] Additionally, in step A2, the control plane network element can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through existing messages (e.g., at least one of a location determination response, a location information provision response, an LCS service response, a notification message for notifying the location result, etc.), or it can send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through new messages.

[0320] In this second implementation, the control plane network element sends location information to the second communication device according to the first cycle. In this way, regardless of whether the terminal device's location information deviates from the set movement information, the second communication device can obtain the terminal device's location information. This avoids the situation where, in the first implementation, the second communication device might not receive the terminal device's location information for an extended period, thus enabling the second communication device to effectively manage the terminal device's movement based on the location information.

[0321] This application provides yet another communication method, which can be applied to... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The communication system shown can be used to solve problem 2 above. See below. Figure 6 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method.

[0322] S601: The control plane network element acquires information used to indicate the first cycle.

[0323] For details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5 Step A1 of the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0324] S602: The control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device according to the first cycle. The first cycle is longer than the positioning cycle of the terminal device.

[0325] In some possible approaches, the control plane network element transmits the terminal device's location information to the second communication device in a first cycle. For details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 5 Step A2 in the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0326] In other possible approaches, the control plane network element may send the terminal device's location information to the second communication device based on the first cycle and the time of the last transmission of location information and / or notification information. For details, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 Step A2 in the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0327] Using this method, the control plane network element sends location information to the second communication device according to a first period longer than the positioning period of the terminal device. Thus, regardless of whether the terminal device's location information deviates from the set movement information, the second communication device can obtain the terminal device's location information, enabling it to effectively manage the terminal device's movement based on this location information.

[0328] Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the communication device initiating the location request does not necessarily need to continuously acquire the location information of the terminal device. This method extends the reporting cycle of location information by the control plane network elements, thereby reducing signaling interactions between communication devices.

[0329] Optional, in Figure 6 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, the method further includes:

[0330] B1: Control plane network elements acquire the set movement information of terminal devices.

[0331] B2: The control plane network element acquires the location information of the terminal device. This location information indicates the location and / or speed of the terminal device.

[0332] B3: The control plane network element sends notification information to the second communication device based on the set movement information and location information.

[0333] For details regarding B1-B3, please refer to S501-S503; they will not be repeated here.

[0334] Optional, in Figure 6 In one implementation of the method shown, before sending notification information to the second communication device, the method further includes:

[0335] B4: Control plane network elements can obtain the first threshold.

[0336] For details regarding B4, please refer to S504; further details will not be provided here.

[0337] Optional, in Figure 6 In one implementation scenario of the method shown, the method further includes:

[0338] B5: When the offset between the location information of the terminal device and the set movement information is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control plane network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device.

[0339] For details on B5, please refer to Implementation Method 1 in S505; it will not be elaborated here.

[0340] This application provides another communication method, which can be applied to... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The method is shown in the communication system illustrated. Figure 4 A possible example of the method shown. See below. Figure 7 The flowchart shown illustrates this method using UAV as the terminal device, LMF as the control plane network element, and AF as the USS as the second communication device.

[0341] S701: AF sends the first message to NEF.

[0342] The first information may include a correspondence between at least one positioning period and at least one condition. The at least one condition may include a first condition, and the at least one positioning period may include a first positioning period.

[0343] Optionally, any condition may include at least one of the following:

[0344] Condition A: The UAV's location is within the first predetermined location range;

[0345] Condition B: The UAV's location is outside the second predetermined location range;

[0346] Condition C: The UAV's moving speed is within the first predetermined speed range;

[0347] Condition D: The UAV's movement speed is outside the second predetermined speed range.

[0348] For details regarding condition A, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4In the method shown, condition 1 is simply replaced with a first predetermined position range; for details of condition B, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 Condition 2 in the method shown is simply a replacement of the second position range with a second predetermined position range; for details of condition C, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 Condition 3 in the method shown is simply a replacement of the first speed range with a first predetermined speed range; for details of condition D, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 Condition 4 in the method shown is simply a replacement of the second speed range with a second predetermined speed range, which will not be elaborated here.

[0349] For different conditions, at least one of the first predetermined position range, the second predetermined position range, the first predetermined speed range, and the second predetermined speed range is different. For example, for the first condition, the first predetermined position range is the first position range, the second predetermined position range is the second position range, the first predetermined speed range is the first speed range, and the second predetermined speed range is the second speed range; for the second condition, the first predetermined position range is the third position range, the second predetermined position range is the fourth position range, the first predetermined speed range is the third speed range, and the second predetermined speed range is the fourth speed range. The first position range and the third position range are different, and / or the second position range and the fourth position range are different, and / or the first speed range and the third speed range are different, and / or the second speed range and the fourth speed range are different.

[0350] The following example illustrates the correspondence between at least one positioning cycle and at least one condition.

[0351] For example, the first condition is: the UAV's location is within a second area, which is an area whose distance from the no-fly zone is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold (in other words, the UAV's location is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold). The second condition is: the UAV's location is within a third area, which is an area whose distance from the no-fly zone is less than the first distance threshold (in other words, the UAV's location is less than the first distance threshold). The positioning period corresponding to the first condition (e.g., 25ms) is greater than the positioning period corresponding to the second condition (e.g., 15ms). Thus, the closer the UAV is to the no-fly zone, the shorter the positioning period; when the UAV is close to the no-fly zone, more location information is obtained with a shorter positioning period, thereby enabling effective control of the UAV and preventing it from flying into the no-fly zone.

[0352] For example, the lower the UAV's speed, the longer the positioning cycle. The first condition is that the UAV's speed is between 0 and 5 km / h; the second condition is that the UAV's speed is between 20 and 30 km / h. The positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition is shorter than the positioning cycle corresponding to the second condition. When the UAV's speed is low, the USS does not need to frequently acquire location information; in this case, increasing the positioning cycle can reduce signaling interactions and save transmission resources.

[0353] Optionally, in S701, the AF can also send a signal to the NEF indicating the default positioning period (also known as the initial positioning period; see reference for details). Figure 4 Information on the second positioning cycle in method 1 of the method shown.

[0354] Optionally, the initial information and / or information used to indicate the default location period may be included in the request used to request the location information of the UAV (e.g., an event exposure subscription (NEF_EventExposure_subscribe)).

[0355] S702: NEF sends the first message to GMLC.

[0356] Optionally, in S702, NEF can also send information to GMLC to indicate the default positioning cycle.

[0357] The first information and / or information used to indicate the default location period may be included in the request for obtaining the location information of the UAV (e.g., a location request (Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation Request)).

[0358] S703: GMLC sends the first message to AMF.

[0359] Optionally, in S703, the GMLC can also send information to the AMF to indicate the default positioning cycle.

[0360] The first information and / or information used to indicate the default positioning period may be included in the request for obtaining the location information of the UAV (e.g., a location information request (Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfoRequest)).

[0361] S704: AMF sends the first message to LMF.

[0362] Optionally, in S704, the AMF can also send information to the LMF to indicate the default positioning cycle.

[0363] The first information and / or information used to indicate the default location period may be included in the request for obtaining the location information of the UAV (e.g., a location determination request (Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation Request)).

[0364] S705: The LMF sends information to the UAV to indicate the second positioning cycle.

[0365] In some possible implementations, the second positioning period can be the aforementioned default positioning period.

[0366] In some other possible implementations, the second positioning period may be the smallest of the at least one of the above positioning periods. In this case, S701-S704 may not include information indicating the default positioning period.

[0367] Optionally, in S705, the information used to indicate the second positioning cycle can be carried in a request for obtaining the location information of the UAV (e.g., an LCS Periodic-Triggered InvokeRequest).

[0368] S706: The UAV reports its location information to the LMF according to the second positioning cycle; accordingly, the LMF obtains the location information of the UAV.

[0369] Location information can represent the position or speed of movement of the UAV.

[0370] For details on S706, please refer to S401; it will not be repeated here.

[0371] S707: The LMF can send information to the AF via the GMLC to indicate the positioning cycle currently used by the UAV.

[0372] The information used to indicate the current positioning cycle used by the UAV can be included in a notification message (e.g., Nlmf_Location_Notify) used to notify location information.

[0373] Additionally, the notification message may include the UAV's location result. This location result can include the UAV's position and / or speed. Upon receiving the location result, the AF can determine whether the UAV is flying according to the predetermined flight information (e.g., a predetermined flight path), thereby managing the UAV.

[0374] Optionally, the order of steps S706 and S707 is not limited.

[0375] S708: The LMF determines the first positioning cycle based on the acquired location information and the first information.

[0376] For details on S708, please refer to S404; it will not be repeated here.

[0377] S709: If the LMF determines that the positioning period needs to be updated, for example, when the first positioning period and the second positioning period are different, the LMF may send information to the UAV to indicate the first positioning period (i.e., the updated positioning period).

[0378] For details on S709, please refer to S402; it will not be repeated here.

[0379] S710: Each network element performs positioning according to the first positioning cycle.

[0380] For details on S710, please refer to S308; it will not be repeated here.

[0381] Furthermore, this application does not limit the execution order of S707 and S708. S707 can be executed first, followed by S708; or S708 can be executed first, followed by S707; or both S707 and S708 can be executed.

[0382] Furthermore, steps S709 and S710 are optional. For example, when the first positioning cycle and the second positioning cycle are the same, steps S709 and S710 can be omitted, and each network element can still perform positioning according to the second positioning cycle.

[0383] In some possible implementations, the GMLC can also determine the first positioning period based on the location information and the first information. In this case, in S703 and S704, the GMLC can send the first information to the LMF without using the AMF. In S706, after the LMF obtains the UAV's location information, it sends the UAV's location information to the GMLC via the AMF. Then, the GMLC determines the first positioning period according to the method in S708; and sends information indicating the first positioning period to the LMF via the AMF. Then, the LMF can execute... Figure 7 The subsequent operations.

[0384] In some other possible implementations, the NEF can also determine the first positioning period based on the location information and the first information. In this case, in steps S702-S704, the NEF can send the first information to the LMF without using the GMLC and AMF. In step S706, after the LMF obtains the UAV's location information, it sends the UAV's location information to the NEF via the AMF and GMLC. Then, the NEF determines the first positioning period according to the method in step S708; and sends information indicating the first positioning period to the LMF via the GMLC and AMF. Then, the LMF can execute... Figure 7The subsequent operations.

[0385] Using this method, the control plane network element can obtain the correspondence between at least one condition and at least one positioning period. When the location information of the terminal device meets the first condition, the control plane network element can update the positioning period without re-initiating the positioning process. This reduces the interaction between the communication device (e.g., the terminal device or USS) that initiates the positioning request and the control plane network element, simplifying the positioning process.

[0386] This application provides a communication method, which can be applied to... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The method is shown in the communication system illustrated. Figure 5 or Figure 6 A possible example of the method shown. See below. Figure 8 The flowchart shown illustrates this method using UAV as the terminal device, GMLC as the control plane network element, and AF as the USS as the second communication device.

[0387] S801: AF sends the UAV's configuration and movement information to NEF.

[0388] The mobile setting information may include at least one of the following:

[0389] Setting the movement path for the UAV;

[0390] The location of the UAV at at least one point in time;

[0391] The set movement speed of the UAV;

[0392] UAV's set speed range.

[0393] For details on setting up mobile information, please refer to the above. Figure 5 The description of "setting movement information" in the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0394] Optionally, in S801, the AF may also send information to the NEF indicating a first threshold. The specific details of the first threshold can be found in the description of S503, and will not be repeated here.

[0395] The information that sets the movement information and / or the information used to indicate the first threshold may be included in the request for obtaining the location information of the UAV (e.g., an event exposure subscription (NEF_EventExposure_subscribe)).

[0396] S802: NEF sends the UAV's configuration and movement information to GMLC.

[0397] Optionally, in S802, NEF can also send information to GMLC to indicate the first threshold.

[0398] The information that sets the movement information and / or the information used to indicate the first threshold may be included in the request for obtaining the location information of the UAV (e.g., a location request (Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation Request)).

[0399] S803: The GMLC sends a request to the AMF to request the location information of the UAV (e.g., a Location Information Request (Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request)) to request the location information of the UAV.

[0400] For details of this step, please refer to S304; it will not be repeated here.

[0401] S804: The AMF selects the LMF and sends a request to the LMF to obtain the location information of the UAV (e.g., a location determination request (Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation Request)).

[0402] For details of this step, please refer to S306-S307, which will not be repeated here.

[0403] S805: The LMF sends a location request to the UAV (e.g., an LCS Periodic-Triggered Invoke Request).

[0404] Optionally, if periodic positioning is requested, the positioning period can be included in the messages in steps S801-S805.

[0405] S806: LMF acquires the location information of the UAV; where the location information of the UAV can represent the position and / or speed of movement of the UAV.

[0406] For details on S806, please refer to S401; it will not be repeated here.

[0407] S807: The LMF sends a location result to the GMLC, which may include the location information of the UAV.

[0408] The location results can be included in a location notification message (e.g., Nlmf_Location_Notify).

[0409] After S807, GMLC can send location-related information to AF through the following two implementation methods.

[0410] Implementation Method 1:

[0411] S808: GMLC can send communication messages (e.g., Ngmlc_Location_EventNotify) to NEF based on the positioning results and set mobility information.

[0412] Specifically, GMLC compares the location information in the positioning results with the set movement information. When the location information deviates from the set movement information, it sends a communication message to NEF. This notification message may contain notification information (also called an event) indicating that the location information has deviated from the set movement information. When the terminal device's position deviates from the set movement information, this event can be a position offset event; when the terminal device's movement speed deviates from the set movement information, this event can be a speed offset event.

[0413] For details on S808, please refer to the description of S503; it will not be repeated here.

[0414] S809: The NEF sends the aforementioned notification information to the AF. Upon receiving the notification, the AF can determine whether the UAV is moving according to the pre-set movement information, such as whether it is flying along the pre-set flight path.

[0415] In some possible implementations, the LMF can also send communication messages to the NEF based on the positioning results and the set mobility information. In this case, in S803 and S804, the GMLC can send the set mobility information to the LMF through the AMF. After S806, after the LMF obtains the UAV's location information, it can send communication messages to the NEF based on the positioning results and the set mobility information; for details, please refer to S808.

[0416] In some other possible implementations, the NEF can also send a communication message to the AF based on the positioning result and the set mobility information. In this case, in S802, the NEF may not need to send the set mobility information to the GMLC. After S806, after the LMF obtains the UAV's location information, it can send the positioning result to the NEF sequentially through the AMF and GMLC. Then, the NEF can send a communication message to the AF based on the positioning result and the set mobility information; the details can be found in S808.

[0417] In practical applications, the communication device initiating the location request does not necessarily need to continuously acquire the UAV's location information. As described in Scenario 1 above, when the UAV is flying along a predetermined flight path, the USS does not need to frequently acquire the UAV's location information. Through this implementation method, the control plane network element only sends a notification message to the AF when the UAV's location information deviates from the set movement information, thus informing the AF that the UAV's location information has deviated from the set movement information. This eliminates the need to send location information to the AF every time the UAV's location information is acquired, thereby reducing signaling interaction.

[0418] Implementation Method Two:

[0419] In S801 and S802, the GMLC can also receive information used to notify the first cycle. The specific content of the first cycle can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 5 Step A1 in the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0420] S810: The GMLC sets the timer according to the first cycle, and the timer's timing period is the first cycle.

[0421] After sending the notification message in S808 to NEF, GMLC can reset the timer to zero and restart it.

[0422] S811: When the timer reaches the first cycle, GMLC sends a notification message to NEF (e.g., Ngmlc_Location_EventNotify).

[0423] The notification message may include the latest location results (e.g., the latest location information of the UAV).

[0424] S812: The NEF sends the latest positioning results to the AF. In this way, the AF can determine whether the UAV is moving according to the set movement information, for example, whether it is flying along the set flight path.

[0425] In some possible implementations, the LMF can also send communication messages according to the first cycle. In this case, in S803 and S804, the GMLC can send information indicating the first cycle to the LMF via the AMF. After S806, the LMF can send communication messages to the NEF according to the first cycle.

[0426] In some other possible implementations, the NEF can also send a communication message to the AF according to the first cycle. In this case, in S802, the NEF may not send the information indicating the first cycle to the GMLC. After S806, after the LMF obtains the UAV's location information, it can send the positioning result to the NEF sequentially through the AMF and GMLC. Then, the NEF can send a communication message to the AF according to the first cycle.

[0427] In this second implementation, the control plane network element can send position information to the AF according to the first cycle. In this way, regardless of whether the UAV's position information deviates from the set movement information, that is, even if the position information matches the set movement information, the AF can still obtain the UAV's position information, thereby avoiding the AF being unable to obtain the UAV's position information for a long time, and thus enabling the AF to effectively manage the movement of the UAV based on the position information.

[0428] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a communication device, the structure of which is as follows: Figure 9 As shown, it includes a communication unit 901 and a processing unit 902. The communication device 900 can be applied to... Figure 1 NEF in the communication system shown, or applied to Figure 2 The communication system shown can utilize LMF, GMLC, or NEF, and can implement the communication methods provided in the embodiments and examples of this application. The functions of each unit in the device 900 are described below.

[0429] The communication unit 901 is used to receive and send data.

[0430] When the communication device 900 is applied to LMF, GMLC, or NEF, the communication unit 901 can be implemented through a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, and an input / output interface. The communication device 900 can connect to a network cable or electrical cable through this communication unit to establish a physical connection with other devices.

[0431] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to Figure 4 or Figure 7 The control plane network element shown in the embodiment of this application (e.g., Figure 4 Control plane network elements, Figure 7 (LMF). The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0432] The processing unit 902 is used for:

[0433] The location information of the terminal device is obtained; wherein the location information is used to represent the location and / or moving speed of the terminal device; when the location information meets a first condition, a first positioning cycle configuration information is sent to the terminal device or the AN device accessed by the terminal device through the communication unit 901; wherein the first positioning cycle configuration information is used to indicate the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition.

[0434] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: receive first information from the first communication device through the communication unit 901; wherein the first information includes the correspondence between the first condition and the first positioning period.

[0435] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: when the location information meets the first condition, determine the first positioning cycle configuration information based on the first information and the location information.

[0436] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: before obtaining the location information of the terminal device, send second positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device accessed by the terminal device through the communication unit 901, wherein the second positioning cycle configuration information is used to indicate the second positioning cycle.

[0437] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: send information indicating the second positioning period and the location information to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0438] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: receive information from the first communication device via the communication unit 901 for indicating the second positioning period.

[0439] Optionally, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0440] The terminal device is located within the first location range;

[0441] The terminal device is located outside the second location range;

[0442] The moving speed of the terminal device is within a first speed range;

[0443] The terminal device's moving speed is outside the second speed range.

[0444] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to Figure 5 or Figure 8 The control plane network element shown in any of the embodiments of this application (e.g., Figure 5 Control plane network elements, Figure 8(GMLC). The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0445] The processing unit 902 is used for:

[0446] The system acquires the set movement information of the terminal device; acquires the location information of the terminal device; wherein the location information is used to represent the position and / or movement speed of the terminal device; and sends a notification message to the second communication device through the communication unit 901 according to the set movement information and the location information; wherein the notification message is used to indicate that the location information has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0447] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: when the offset between the location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, send the notification information to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0448] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: obtain the first threshold before sending the notification information to the second communication device.

[0449] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: receive the set movement information from the first communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0450] Optionally, the setting of movement information includes at least one of the following:

[0451] The set movement path of the terminal device;

[0452] The terminal device is set at at least one point in time;

[0453] The set moving speed of the terminal device;

[0454] The set speed range of the terminal device.

[0455] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0456] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: when the offset between the location information of the terminal device and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0457] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: acquire information for indicating a first period; and, according to the first period, send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0458] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to Figure 6 Or the control plane network element shown in the embodiment of this application (e.g., Figure 6 Control plane network elements, Figure 8 (GMLC). The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0459] The processing unit 902 is used for:

[0460] The system acquires information indicating the first cycle; based on the first cycle, it transmits the terminal device's location information to the second communication device via the communication unit 901. The first cycle is longer than the terminal device's positioning cycle.

[0461] The processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: acquire set movement information of the terminal device; acquire location information of the terminal device; wherein the location information is used to represent the position and / or movement speed of the terminal device; and send notification information to the second communication device through the communication unit 901 according to the set movement information and the location information; wherein the notification information is used to indicate that the location information has shifted relative to the set movement information.

[0462] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: when the offset between the location information and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, send the notification information to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0463] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: obtain the first threshold before sending the notification information to the second communication device.

[0464] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: receive the set movement information from the first communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0465] Optionally, the setting of movement information includes at least one of the following:

[0466] The set movement path of the terminal device;

[0467] The terminal device is set at at least one point in time;

[0468] The set moving speed of the terminal device;

[0469] The set speed range of the terminal device.

[0470] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0471] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to: when the offset between the location information of the terminal device and the set movement information is greater than or equal to a first threshold, send the location information of the terminal device to the second communication device through the communication unit 901.

[0472] It should be noted that the module division in the above embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, exist as separate physical entities, or have two or more units integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0473] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0474] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a communication device, which can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 NEF in the communication system shown, or applied to Figure 2 The LMF, GMLC, or NEF in the communication system shown can implement the communication methods provided in the embodiments and examples of this application, and have the following characteristics: Figure 9 The function of the communication device shown. (See also...) Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 includes a communication module 1001, a processor 1002, and a memory 1003. The communication module 1001, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 are interconnected.

[0475] Optionally, the communication module 1001, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 are interconnected via a bus 1004. The bus 1004 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 10 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0476] The communication module 1001 is used to receive and send data, enabling communication and interaction with other devices. For example, when the communication device 1000 is applied to LMF, GMLC, or NEF, the communication module 1001 can be implemented through a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, or an input / output interface.

[0477] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to Figure 4 or Figure 7 The control plane network element shown in the embodiment of this application (e.g., Figure 4 Control plane network elements, Figure 7 The processor 1002 is specifically used for:

[0478] The location information of the terminal device is obtained; wherein the location information is used to represent the location and / or moving speed of the terminal device; when the location information meets a first condition, a first positioning cycle configuration information is sent to the terminal device or the AN device accessed by the terminal device through the communication module 1001; wherein the first positioning cycle configuration information is used to indicate the first positioning cycle corresponding to the first condition.

[0479] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to Figure 5 or Figure 8 The control plane network element shown in the embodiment of this application (e.g., Figure 5 Control plane network elements, Figure 8 The processor 1002 is specifically used for:

[0480] The system acquires the set movement information of the terminal device; acquires the location information of the terminal device; wherein the location information is used to represent the position and / or movement speed of the terminal device; and sends a notification message to the second communication device through the communication module 1001 according to the set movement information and the location information; wherein the notification message is used to indicate that the location information has deviated relative to the set movement information.

[0481] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to Figure 6 or Figure 8 The control plane network element shown in the embodiment of this application (e.g., Figure 6 Control plane network elements, Figure 8 The processor 1002 is specifically used for:

[0482] The system acquires information indicating the first cycle; based on the first cycle, it sends the terminal device's location information to the second communication device via the communication module 1001. The first cycle is longer than the terminal device's positioning cycle.

[0483] The specific functions of the processor 1002 can be found in the descriptions of the communication methods provided in the embodiments and examples of this application above. Figure 9 The specific functional description of the communication device 900 shown in the embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0484] The memory 1003 is used to store program instructions and data. Specifically, the program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. The memory 1003 may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. The processor 1002 executes the program instructions stored in the memory 1003 and uses the data stored in the memory 1003 to implement the above-mentioned functions, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0485] It is understood that this application Figure 10The memory 1003 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0486] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the communication method provided in the above embodiments.

[0487] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the communication method provided in the above embodiments.

[0488] The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. For example, but not limited to, a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0489] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a chip for reading computer programs stored in a memory and implementing the communication method provided in the above embodiments.

[0490] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the functions involved in the service equipment, forwarding equipment, or site equipment in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary programs and data of the computer device. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0491] In summary, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, and device. In this method, a control plane network element can acquire the location information of a terminal device, wherein the location information can be used to represent the location and / or movement speed of the terminal device. When the location information meets a first condition, the control plane network element can send first positioning period configuration information to the terminal device or an AN device connected to the terminal device, wherein the first positioning period configuration information can be used to indicate the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition. Through this scheme, when the location information of the terminal device meets the first condition, the control plane network element can send information indicating the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition; thus, the control plane network element can update the positioning period according to the location information of the terminal device without re-initiating the positioning process, thereby reducing the interaction between the communication device initiating the positioning request (e.g., the terminal device or USS) and the control plane network element, simplifying the positioning process.

[0492] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0493] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0494] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0495] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0496] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0497] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a control plane network element, characterized in that, include: Obtain the location information of the terminal device; wherein the location information is used to represent the location and / or moving speed of the terminal device; When the location information meets the first condition, first positioning period configuration information is sent to the terminal device or the access network (AN) device to which the terminal device is connected; wherein, the first positioning period configuration information is used to indicate the first positioning period corresponding to the first condition; wherein. Before obtaining the location information of the terminal device, the method further includes: Send a second positioning cycle configuration information to the terminal device or the AN device connected to the terminal device. The second positioning cycle configuration information is used to indicate the second positioning cycle, and the second positioning cycle is used to obtain the location information of the terminal device. The method further includes: when the control plane network element is available to update the positioning period, sending information indicating the second positioning period and the location information to the second communication device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information from a first communication device; wherein the first information includes the correspondence between the first condition and the first positioning period; When the location information meets the first condition, the first positioning cycle configuration information is determined based on the first information and the location information.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information from the first communication device indicating the second positioning period.

4. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal device is located within the first location range; The terminal device is located outside the second location range; The moving speed of the terminal device is within a first speed range; The terminal device's moving speed is outside the second speed range.

5. A communication device applied to a control plane network element, characterized in that, include: The communication unit is used to receive and send data; A processing unit is configured to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-4 via the communication unit.

6. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 1-4.

7. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor reading a computer program stored in the memory to cause the chip to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

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