Communication method, core network device and communication system

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method, core network equipment and a communication system, and relates to the technical field of mobile communication. The communication method is executed by core network equipment, and comprises the following steps: receiving equipment data sent by a passive Internet of Things terminal; acquiring address information of a third-party server from the equipment data, wherein the third-party server is used for storing subscription data of the passive Internet of Things terminal; and sending a data acquisition request to a third-party server according to the address information so as to obtain subscription data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server. Through the method, the problems existing in related technologies are solved, the storage and management pressure of an operator can be reduced while enterprise data privacy is protected, and the overall flexibility of passive Internet of Things services is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, core network equipment and a communication system. Background Art

[0002] According to the definition of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an Ambient IoT (AIoT) terminal is an IoT (Internet of Things) device with extremely low energy, extremely low power consumption, and no SIM card. In addition, based on whether an amplifier is installed, passive IoT terminals can be divided into weak terminals that only support backscatter communication and strong terminals that can support self-generated signals or use backscatter communication.

[0003] In the related technology, the contract data (or subscription data) between the passive IoT terminal and the operator network can be stored and managed by a third-party server. In this scenario, the operator network is usually required to deploy the address information of the passive IoT terminal and the third-party server in advance for subsequent use when the AIoT terminal (or AIoT device) accesses the network. Using this approach, there are the following problems: First, some companies may not want the operator to manage this information for data privacy or commercial reasons; second, the operator network stores and manages the address information of the third-party servers corresponding to a large number of AIoT terminals, which brings great storage and management pressure to the operator network. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a communication method, a core network device and a communication system.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, which is executed by a core network device, including: receiving device data sent by a passive Internet of Things terminal; obtaining address information of a third-party server from the device data, and the third-party server is used to store the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal; and sending a data acquisition request to the third-party server based on the address information to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0006] In some embodiments, the communication method also includes: obtaining indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate a storage field in the device data for storing the address information; wherein, obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the device data includes: obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the device data according to the indication information.

[0007] In some embodiments, the obtaining the indication information includes: obtaining the indication information from the device data.

[0008] In some embodiments, the device data includes a first portion of data, and the indication information is located in a vendor identification field in the first portion of data.

[0009] In some embodiments, the obtaining indication information includes: sending a query request to a unified data management function (UDM) device in a core network; and receiving the indication information returned by the UDM device.

[0010] In some embodiments, the obtaining of the indication information further comprises: before the sending of the query request to the unified data management function (UDM) device in the core network, determining that the device data does not include the indication information.

[0011] In some embodiments, the receiving of device data sent by a passive Internet of Things terminal includes: receiving a first part of data in the device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal; the obtaining of address information of a third-party server from the device data includes: obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the first part of data when the indication information indicates that the storage field is a field in the first part of data.

[0012] In some embodiments, the receiving of device data sent by a passive Internet of Things terminal includes: receiving a first part of data in the device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal; the obtaining of address information of a third-party server from the device data includes: when the indication information indicates that the storage field is a field in a second part of data in the device data, obtaining the second part of data in the device data, and obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the second part of data.

[0013] In some embodiments, the storage field is an application identification field in the first portion of data.

[0014] In some embodiments, the storage field is a business data field in the second portion of data.

[0015] In some embodiments, obtaining the second part of the device data includes: sending a request to a wireless reader / writer so that the wireless reader / writer collects the second part of the device data from the passive Internet of Things terminal; and receiving the second part of the device data collected by the wireless reader / writer.

[0016] In some embodiments, sending the data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information includes: sending the data acquisition request to the third-party server through a network open function NEF device in the core network according to the address information; or, sending the data acquisition request directly to the third-party server according to the address information.

[0017] In some embodiments, the core network device is a passive Internet of Things functional device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: performing network access authentication on the passive Internet of Things terminal according to the contract data.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a core network device is provided, comprising: a module for executing the communication method as described above.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a core network device is provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method as described above based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0021] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a core network device as described above; and a third-party server, configured to send the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal to the core network device after receiving a data acquisition request from the core network device.

[0022] In some embodiments, the communication system also includes: a unified data management function UDM device, configured to query a pre-stored contract information table according to a query request of the core network device to determine a storage field in the device data for storing the address information of the third-party server, and send an indication information of the storage field to the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the communication system further includes: a wireless reader / writer configured to collect device data from the passive Internet of Things terminal and send the device data to the core network device.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method as described above is implemented.

[0025] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method as described above is implemented.

[0026] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a communication method according to some further embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of device data of a passive Internet of Things terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device according to some further embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Fig.12 It is a structural diagram of a communication system according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0042] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0043] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0044] Technologies, methods, and apparatus known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such technologies, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0045] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0046] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0047] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] In the related art, there are many problems in storing and managing the address information of third-party servers by the operator network. When the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by the third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server, how to obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal becomes a problem.

[0049] In view of this, the present disclosure proposes a communication method, a core network device and a communication system, which store the address information of the third-party server in the AIoT terminal in advance, obtain the address information of the third-party server from the AIoT terminal, and obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal accordingly. It can protect the privacy of enterprise data while reducing the storage and management pressure of operators and improving the overall flexibility of passive Internet of Things services.

[0050] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the communication method includes steps S11 to S13.

[0051] Step S11: receiving device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0052] The communication method is executed by a core network device. For example, the core network device is an Ambient IoT Function (AIoTF) device or other functional device in the core network.

[0053] In step S11, the core network device can receive the device data of the AIoT terminal forwarded via the wireless reader / writer, or can directly receive the device data from the AIoT terminal.

[0054] In some examples, the device data includes multiple parts of data, and a part of the device data is received each time. For example, the device data includes a first part of data and a second part of data. When the receiving operation is performed for the first time, the first part of the device data sent by the AIoT terminal is received; when the receiving operation is performed for the second time, the second part of the device data sent by the AIoT terminal is received.

[0055] In other examples, the device data includes multiple parts of data, and all the device data is received at one time. For example, the device data includes a first part of data and a second part of data. When performing a receiving operation at one time, the first part of data and the second part of data of the device data sent by the AIoT terminal are received.

[0056] Step S12: Acquire the address information of the third-party server from the device data.

[0057] The device data carries the address information of the third-party server. The third-party server, also known as the AIoT Subscription Server, is used to store the contract data of the AIoT terminal.

[0058] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: obtaining indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate a storage field in the device data for storing address information of the third-party server, so that the address information of the third-party server can be obtained from the device data according to the indication information.

[0059] In specific implementation, the step of obtaining the indication information may be performed after step S11. For example, step S11 is performed after all the device data is received at one time.

[0060] In addition, when receiving device data of the AIoT terminal N times, the step of obtaining indication information may also be performed after performing the first receiving operation and before performing the Nth receiving operation, where N is an integer greater than 1. For example, after receiving the first part of the device data, the indication information is obtained, and then the second part of the device data is received.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, by acquiring indication information, it is convenient to quickly locate the storage field for storing the address information of the third-party server in the device data, and parse the storage field, thereby accelerating the acquisition speed of the address information.

[0062] Step S13: Send a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0063] In some examples, the core network device sends a data acquisition request to a third-party server through a Network Exposure Function (NEF) device in the core network based on the address information.

[0064] In other examples, the core network device directly sends a data acquisition request to a third-party server based on the address information.

[0065] In the disclosed embodiment, through the above process, the address information of the third-party server can be obtained from the AIoT terminal, and the contract data of the AIoT terminal can be obtained from the third-party server accordingly. In this way, the problem of how to obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal when the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by the third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server is solved. Moreover, compared with the related art, by designing the above process, it is possible to reduce the storage and management pressure of the operator while protecting the privacy of enterprise data, and improve the overall flexibility of the passive Internet of Things service.

[0066] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, the communication method includes steps S21 to S24.

[0067] Step S21: receiving device data sent by a passive IoT terminal.

[0068] The communication method is executed by the core network device. In step S21, the core network device receives all the device data reported by AIoT at one time.

[0069] Step S22: Obtain instruction information from the device data.

[0070] The indication information is used to indicate a storage field (or storage block) in the device data for storing address information.

[0071] In some examples, the device data includes a first portion of data and a second portion of data, wherein the indication information is located in the first portion of data, for example, the indication information is located in a manufacturer identifier (Enterprise Identifier or Owner ID) field in the first portion of data.

[0072] In this example, the core network device parses the manufacturer identification block in the first part of data to obtain the indication information.

[0073] Step S23: According to the instruction information, the address information of the third-party server is obtained from the device data.

[0074] In some examples, the device data includes a first part of data and a second part of data. In these examples, step S23 includes: when the indication information indicates that the storage field is a field in the first part of data, the core network device obtains the address information of the third-party server from the first part of data; when the indication information indicates that the storage field is a field in the second part of data, the address information of the third-party server is obtained from the second part of data.

[0075] For example, when the indication information indicates that the storage field is an application identifier (Application defined Identifier, APP ID) in the first part of the data, the APP ID is parsed to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0076] For example, when the indication information indicates that the storage field is AIoT service data (Ambient IoT Service / Application Data) in the second part of the data, the AIoT service data is parsed to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0077] Step S24: Send a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0078] In some examples, the core network device requests AIoT's contract data from a third-party server via the NEF device.

[0079] In other examples, the core network device directly requests the third-party server to obtain the AIoT contract data.

[0080] In the disclosed embodiment, through the above process, the address information of the third-party server can be obtained from the AIoT terminal efficiently and accurately, and then the contract data of the AIoT terminal can be obtained from the third-party server based on this.

[0081] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the communication method includes steps S31 to S37.

[0082] Step S31: receiving the first part of the device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0083] In step S31, the core network device may receive the first part of the device data of the AIoT terminal via a wireless reader / writer, or directly receive the first part of the device data sent by the AIoT terminal.

[0084] Step S32: According to the first part of data, obtain indication information of a storage field for storing address information in the device data.

[0085] In some examples, step S32 includes: obtaining indication information from the first part of data, wherein the indication information indicates which storage field in the device data is used to store the address information.

[0086] For example, the manufacturer identification block (or manufacturer identification field) in the first part of the data carries the indication information. In this example, the manufacturer identification block is parsed to obtain the indication information.

[0087] In other examples, step S32 includes: sending a query request to a unified data management function (UDM) in the core network; and receiving indication information returned by the UDM, wherein the query request is generated based on the first part of data.

[0088] For example, the first part of the data includes the device identification of AIoT, which includes the identification of the affiliated operator and the identification of the manufacturer. The core network device sends a query request carrying the device identification of the AIoT terminal to the UDM; the UDM queries the pre-stored contract information table according to the query request to obtain the indication information corresponding to the AIoT terminal, and returns the indication information to the core network device.

[0089] For another example, the first part of the data includes the device identification of the AIoT terminal, which includes the identification of the affiliated operator and the manufacturer. The core network device sends a query request carrying the manufacturer identification of the AIoT to the UDM; the UDM queries the pre-stored contract information table according to the query request to obtain the indication information corresponding to the manufacturer identification of the AIoT terminal, and returns the indication information to the core network device.

[0090] Step S33: Determine whether the storage field is located in the first part of data.

[0091] If the judgment result of step S33 is yes, execute step S34; otherwise, execute steps S35 to 36.

[0092] Step S34: Obtain address information from the first part of data.

[0093] In this step, the storage field in the first part of data is parsed to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0094] After step S34, step S37 is executed.

[0095] Step S35: Acquire the second part of the device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0096] In step S35, the core network device can send a request to the wireless reader / writer to enable the wireless reader / writer to collect the second part of the device data from the AIoT terminal; the core network device receives the second part of the device data of the AIoT terminal collected by the wireless reader / writer.

[0097] Step S36: Obtain address information from the second part of data.

[0098] In this step, the storage field in the second part of data is parsed to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0099] After step S36, step S37 is executed.

[0100] Step S37: Send a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0101] In the disclosed embodiment, through the above process, the problem of how to obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal when the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by a third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server is solved, which can reduce the storage and management pressure of the operator while protecting the privacy of enterprise data, and improve the overall flexibility of the passive Internet of Things service. Moreover, on the one hand, by obtaining the indication information of the storage field, it is convenient to quickly locate the storage field used to store the address information of the third-party server in the device data at a lower parsing cost, thereby improving the efficiency of obtaining the contract information of the AIoT terminal; on the other hand, by first receiving and parsing the first part of the data in the device data of the AIoT terminal, and then receiving and parsing the second part of the data in the device data of the AIoT terminal when the address information cannot be obtained from this part of the data, it is possible to save network resources in the contract information acquisition process of the AIoT terminal.

[0102] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of device data of a passive Internet of Things terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, the device data of the AIoT terminal includes a first part of data and a second part of data. The first part of data includes a home network identifier, a manufacturer identifier, and an application identifier. The second part of data includes business data.

[0103] The Home Network Identifier (Home Network Identifier) ​​can be represented by, for example, a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC), or can be represented by a Public Land Mobile Network Identifier (PLMN ID).

[0104] The manufacturer identification, for example, can be service provider information, public platform information, or manufacturer information. The manufacturer identification and the home operator identification can be collectively referred to as the identification of the AIoT terminal.

[0105] The application identifier, for example, can be the identifier of a passive IoT application program. The application identifier, the manufacturer identifier, and the home operator identifier can be collectively referred to as the device identification data of the AIoT terminal.

[0106] Business data, for example, can be AIoT business data, security data, etc.

[0107] In some examples, the manufacturer identifier is used to carry indication information of a storage field, where the storage field is a field storing address information of a third-party server, specifically an application identifier field.

[0108] In some other examples, the manufacturer identifier is used to carry indication information of a storage field, where the storage field is a region field storing address information of a third-party server, specifically a business data field.

[0109] In the disclosed embodiment, by designing the data structure stored in the above AIoT terminal, it is convenient to efficiently obtain the address information of the third-party server from the data of the AIoT terminal itself in the subsequent AIoT terminal management process (such as the authentication process of the AIoT terminal accessing the network), and then obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal from the third-party server. In this way, not only the storage and management costs of the operator network are reduced, but also the management flexibility of the AIoT terminal is improved.

[0110] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the communication method includes the following steps.

[0111] Step 501: AF requests the AIoT terminal to execute the service.

[0112] Application function (AF) refers to a third-party device or a module on a third-party device that is responsible for AIoT terminal-related services. In the disclosed embodiment, AF and the third-party server are co-located on the same device. In addition, during specific implementation, AF and the third-party server can also be located on different devices.

[0113] Exemplarily, in this step, AF requests the AIoT terminal to perform services from the core network; the device in the core network (such as AIoTF) requests the AIoT terminal to access.

[0114] Step 502: The AIoT terminal reports device identification data.

[0115] In this step, the AIoT terminal sends its own device identification data to the wireless reader; the wireless reader sends the device identification data of the AIoT terminal to AIoTF.

[0116] After step 502, there are multiple situations. In one situation, steps 503a and 504a are performed; in another situation, steps 503b to 507b are performed.

[0117] Step 503a: AIoTF recognizes the identification bit and determines that the address information exists in the application identification field in the device identification data, and parses the application identification field to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0118] The device data of the AIoT terminal includes device identification data and business data. Among them, the device identification data includes the identification of the AIoT terminal and the application identification. After receiving the device identification data of AIoT, AIoTF first parses the identification of the AIoT terminal in the device identification data. If the identification bit (or indication information) is identified from the identification of the AIoT terminal, and the address information of the third-party server is determined to exist in the application identification field through the identification bit, the application identification field is then parsed to obtain the address information of the third-party server. In this way, the resource consumption caused by data parsing in the contract data acquisition process can be reduced.

[0119] Step 504a: Obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal from the third-party server.

[0120] In some examples, AIoTF sends a data acquisition request to a third-party server based on the address information of the third-party server; the third-party server sends the contract data of the AIoT terminal to AIoTF.

[0121] In other examples, AIoTF sends a data acquisition request to a third-party server via NEF; the third-party server sends the contract data of the AIoT terminal to AIoTF via NEF.

[0122] Exemplarily, the contract data of the AIoT terminal may include one or more of authentication information, business information, affiliation information, capability information, and network service guarantee QoS information.

[0123] Step 503b: AIoTF recognizes the identification bit and determines that the address information exists in the business data of AIoT.

[0124] The device data of the AIoT terminal includes device identification data and business data. Among them, the device identification data includes the identification and application identification of the AIoT terminal. After receiving the device identification data of the AIoT terminal, AIoTF first parses the identification of the AIoT terminal in the device identification data. If the identification bit (or indication information) is identified from the identification of the AIoT terminal, and the address information of the third-party server is determined to exist in the business data through the identification bit, the business data of AIoT is obtained through subsequent steps.

[0125] Step 504b: Request to read AIoT business data.

[0126] In this step, AIoTF sends a request to the wireless reader / writer so that the wireless reader / writer reads business data from the AIoT terminal.

[0127] Step 505b: Read AIoT business data through the wireless reader.

[0128] In this step, the wireless reader reads the business data of AIoT and sends the business data to AIoTF.

[0129] Step 506b: AIoTF parses the business data to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0130] Step 507b: AIoTF obtains the contract data of the AIoT terminal from the third-party server.

[0131] In the disclosed embodiment, the above process solves the problem of how to obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal when the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by a third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server. This can protect the privacy of enterprise data while reducing the storage and management pressure of operators and improving the overall flexibility of passive Internet of Things services.

[0132] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. In these embodiments, the communication method includes: Figure 5 In addition to step 501 and step 502, the following steps are also included: Figure 6 Steps 503c to 506c, or Figure 6 Steps 503d to 508d are shown.

[0133] Step 503c: AIoTF fails to identify the identification bit and requests UDM to query the indication information.

[0134] In this step, if AIoTF fails to identify the identification bit from the device identification data, it sends a query request to UDM.

[0135] Step 504c: The UDM returns an indication message indicating that the address information exists in the application identification field in the device identification data.

[0136] There are many ways to query the indication information of the UDM, and two exemplary ways are described below.

[0137] In the first example, the query request carries the identifier of the AIoT terminal. The identifier of the AIoT terminal includes the identifier of the network to which the AIoT terminal belongs and the identifier of the manufacturer to which the AIoT terminal belongs. In this example, the UDM queries the pre-stored contract information table according to the identifier of the AIoT terminal to obtain the indication information corresponding to the AIoT terminal.

[0138] In the second example, the query request carries the group identifier to which the AIoT terminal belongs. For example, the group identifier to which the AIoT terminal belongs is the manufacturer identifier to which the AIoT terminal belongs. In this exemplary method, the UDM queries the pre-stored contract information table according to the group identifier to which the AIoT terminal belongs to obtain the indication information corresponding to the group identifier to which the AIoT terminal belongs.

[0139] After querying the indication information, UDM sends the indication information to AIoTF.

[0140] Step 505c: AIoTF parses the application identification field to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0141] Step 506c: Obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal from the third-party server.

[0142] Step 503d: AIoTF fails to identify the identification bit and requests UDM to query the indication information.

[0143] Step 504d: UDM returns an indication message, indicating that the address information exists in the business data of AIoT.

[0144] Step 505d: AIoTF requests to read the business data of AIoT.

[0145] Step 506d: Read AIoT business data through the wireless reader.

[0146] Step 507d: AIoTF parses the business data to obtain the address information of the third-party server.

[0147] Step 508d: Obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal from the third-party server.

[0148] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, by Figure 5 and Figure 6 The process shown not only solves the problems existing in the related technologies, but also is compatible with application scenarios in which the device identification data of the AIoT terminal carries an identification bit and in which the device identification data of the AIoT terminal does not carry an identification bit, but is also compatible with application scenarios in which the device identification data of the AIoT terminal carries the address information of a third-party server and in which the business data of the AIoT terminal carries the address information of a third-party server, thereby improving the applicability and flexibility of the contract data acquisition process.

[0149] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 As shown, the communication method includes steps S71 to S74.

[0150] Step S71: receiving device data sent by a passive IoT terminal.

[0151] The communication method is executed by a core network device. For example, the communication method is executed by an Ambient IoT Function (AIoTF) device or other functional device in the core network.

[0152] In some examples, an access request sent by an AIoT terminal is received, and the access request carries device data of the AIoT terminal.

[0153] Regarding how the core network device specifically receives the device data of the AIoT terminal, please refer to the relevant instructions of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0154] Step S72: Obtain the address information of the third-party server from the device data.

[0155] Regarding how the core network device specifically obtains the address information of the third-party server, please refer to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0156] Step S73: Send a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0157] Regarding how the core network device obtains the contract data of the AIoT terminal from the third-party server, please refer to the relevant instructions of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0158] Step S74: Perform network access authentication on the passive IoT terminal according to the contract data.

[0159] In some examples, the subscription data includes authentication data. The core network device performs access authentication on whether the AIoT terminal can access the core network based on the authentication data.

[0160] In the disclosed embodiment, the address information of the third-party server can be obtained from the AIoT terminal through the above process, and the contract data of the AIoT terminal can be obtained from the third-party server accordingly, so as to perform access authentication on the AIoT terminal. In this way, the problem of how to obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal and how to perform access authentication on the AIoT terminal is solved when the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by a third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server. Moreover, compared with the related technology, by designing the above access authentication process, it is possible to reduce the storage and management pressure of the operator while protecting the privacy of enterprise data, thereby improving the overall flexibility of passive Internet of Things services.

[0161] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8As shown, the core network device 80 is used to execute the aforementioned communication method, including a receiving module 81, an acquisition module 82, and a sending module 83.

[0162] The receiving module 81 is configured to receive device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0163] The acquisition module 82 is configured to acquire the address information of the third-party server from the device data. The third-party server is used to store the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0164] The sending module 83 is configured to send a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information, so as to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0165] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the above device can solve the problems existing in the related art. Moreover, compared with the related art, the above device can protect the privacy of enterprise data while reducing the storage and management pressure of operators and improving the overall flexibility of passive Internet of Things services.

[0166] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the core network device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown, the core network device 90 is used to execute the communication method, including a receiving module 91, an acquisition module 92, a sending module 93, and an authentication module 94.

[0167] The receiving module 91 is configured to receive device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0168] The acquisition module 92 is configured to acquire the address information of the third-party server from the device data. The third-party server is used to store the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0169] The sending module 93 is configured to send a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information, so as to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

[0170] The authentication module 94 is configured to perform network access authentication on the passive Internet of Things terminal according to the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0171] In the disclosed embodiment, the above device solves the problem of how to authenticate the access of the AIoT terminal when the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by a third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server. Moreover, compared with the related art, by designing the above access authentication process, it is possible to protect the privacy of enterprise data while reducing the storage and management pressure of the operator and improving the overall flexibility of the passive Internet of Things service.

[0172] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the core network device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig.10 As shown, the core network device 100 includes a memory 101 and a processor 102 coupled to the memory 101. The memory 101 is used to store instructions for executing the corresponding embodiments of the communication method. The processor 102 is configured to execute the communication method in any of the embodiments of the present disclosure based on the instructions stored in the memory 101.

[0173] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig.11 As shown, the communication system 110 includes a core network device 111 and a third-party server 112 .

[0174] The core network device 111 is configured to execute the communication method as described above.

[0175] The third-party server 112 is configured to send the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal to the core network device after receiving the data acquisition request from the core network device.

[0176] In some embodiments, the communication system further includes a wireless reader / writer. The wireless reader / writer is mainly used to transmit data between the AIoT terminal and the core network device 111. For example, the wireless reader / writer is configured to collect device data from the passive IoT terminal and send the device data to the core network device.

[0177] In some embodiments, the communication system further includes a UDM device. The UDM device stores a contract information table, which is mainly used to assist the core network device 111 in obtaining indication information. For example, the UDM device is configured to query the pre-stored contract information table according to the query request of the core network device after receiving the query request of the core network device, so as to determine the storage field in the device data for storing the address information of the third-party server, and send the indication information of the storage field to the passive Internet of Things terminal.

[0178] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the above system solves the problems existing in the related technologies, and can reduce the storage and management pressure of operators while protecting the privacy of enterprise data, thereby improving the overall flexibility of passive Internet of Things services.

[0179] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig.12 As shown, the communication system includes an AIoT terminal 121, a wireless reader / writer 122, an AIoTF 123, a UDM 124, a NEF 125, an AF 126, and a third-party server 127.

[0180] The AIoT terminal 121 stores two parts of data, the first part is device identification data, and the second part is business data.

[0181] The wireless reader / writer 122 includes two types: a terminal reader / writer (UE Reader) and a base station reader / writer (Base Station Reader).

[0182] AIoTF 123: Mainly responsible for coordinating with wireless readers to issue instructions or data to AIoT terminals and collecting and parsing AIoT data. And after the AIoT terminal is connected to the network, it provides network services for the AIoT terminal. In this disclosure, AIoTF 123 is mainly used to execute the data acquisition process or the access authentication process.

[0183] UDM 124: Mainly responsible for managing the AIoT terminal and the related contract information of the AF to which the AIoT terminal belongs. In this disclosure, UDM is mainly responsible for managing the contract information table provided by the AF.

[0184] NEF 125: Mainly responsible for forwarding interaction messages between core network devices (such as AIoTF 123) and third-party servers.

[0185] AF 126: Mainly responsible for AIoT related businesses.

[0186] Third-party server 127: mainly responsible for storing and managing the contract data of the AIoT terminal.

[0187] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, various devices in the communication system cooperate with each other to achieve Figure 5 and Figure 6 The above system solves the problem of how to obtain the contract data of the AIoT terminal when the contract data of the AIoT terminal is managed by a third-party server and the operator network does not store the address information of the third-party server. It can protect the privacy of enterprise data while reducing the storage and management pressure of operators and improving the overall flexibility of passive IoT services.

[0188] Here, various aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices, and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each frame of the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of frames can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0189] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable device to produce a machine, so that the processor executes the instructions to produce means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0190] These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory, which cause the computer to work in a specific manner to produce an article of manufacture, including instructions for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0191] The present disclosure can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

[0192] So far, the communication method, core network device and communication system according to the present disclosure have been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

Claims

1. A communication method, performed by a core network device, comprising: Receive device data sent by passive IoT terminals; Acquire address information of a third-party server from the device data, wherein the third-party server is used to store the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal; According to the address information, a data acquisition request is sent to the third-party server to obtain the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal from the third-party server.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: Obtain indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate a storage field in the device data for storing the address information; wherein, obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the device data includes: obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the device data according to the indication information.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein: The acquisition instruction information includes: The indication information is obtained from the device data.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein: The device data includes a first portion of data, and the indication information is located in a vendor identification field in the first portion of data.

5. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein: The acquisition instruction information includes: Sending a query request to the unified data management function UDM device in the core network; Receive the indication information returned by the UDM device.

6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein: The acquisition instruction information also includes: Before sending the query request to the unified data management function (UDM) device in the core network, it is determined that the device data does not include the indication information.

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein: The receiving device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal includes: receiving a first part of the device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal; The acquiring the address information of the third-party server from the device data includes: acquiring the address information of the third-party server from the first part of the data when the indication information indicates that the storage field is a field in the first part of the data.

8. The communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein: The receiving device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal includes: receiving a first part of the device data sent by the passive Internet of Things terminal; The obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the device data includes: when the indication information indicates that the storage field is a field in the second part of the data in the device data, obtaining the second part of the data in the device data, and obtaining the address information of the third-party server from the second part of the data.

9. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The storage field is an application identification field in the first part of data.

10. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein: The storage field is the business data field in the second part of data.

11. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein: The acquiring of the second part of the device data comprises: Sending a request to a wireless reader / writer so that the wireless reader / writer collects a second portion of the device data from the passive Internet of Things terminal; A second portion of the device data collected by the wireless reader is received.

12. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The sending a data acquisition request to the third-party server according to the address information includes: According to the address information, a data acquisition request is sent to the third-party server through a network open function NEF device in the core network; or, According to the address information, a data acquisition request is directly sent to the third-party server.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The core network device is a passive Internet of Things functional device.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: According to the contract data, network access authentication is performed on the passive Internet of Things terminal.

15. A core network device, comprising: A module for executing the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A core network device, comprising: Memory; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 based on instructions stored in the memory.

17. A communication system comprising: The core network device as claimed in claim 15 or 16; The third-party server is configured to send the contract data of the passive Internet of Things terminal to the core network device after receiving the data acquisition request from the core network device.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, further comprising: The unified data management function UDM device is configured to query the pre-stored contract information table according to the query request of the core network device to determine the storage field in the device data for storing the address information of the third-party server, and send the indication information of the storage field to the passive Internet of Things terminal.

19. The communication system according to claim 17, further comprising: The wireless reader is configured to collect device data from the passive Internet of Things terminal and send the device data to the core network device.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executed by a processor to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

21. A computer program product having computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executed by a processor to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images