Positioning negotiation method and device, terminal equipment and core network equipment

Abstract

According to the positioning negotiation method and device provided by the invention, a terminal side and a network side can negotiate and determine a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the transmission efficiency of the user plane positioning information is improved. The positioning negotiation method comprises: a terminal device sends a first message to a first core network device, the first message being used for performing network registration or establishing a user plane positioning connection; wherein the first message comprises one or more of the following items: a first capability, a first specified protocol and first confirmation information; the first capability is used for indicating a transmission protocol supported by the terminal equipment and used for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the first specified protocol comprises a transmission protocol expected to be used by the terminal equipment and used for transmitting the user plane positioning information; the first confirmation information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to accept or refuse to transmit the user plane positioning information by using a second specified protocol, and the second specified protocol comprises a transmission protocol which is specified by the first core network equipment or the second core network equipment and is used for transmitting the user plane positioning information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a positioning negotiation method and device, terminal equipment and core network equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the New Radio (NR) system, user plane positioning is introduced on the basis of control plane positioning. For example, a large amount of or high frequency positioning-related information can be transmitted through the user plane to reduce the control plane load and improve the positioning experience. However, the specific transmission protocol used to transmit user plane positioning information is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a method and device for positioning negotiation, which can solve the technical problem of being unable to determine which transmission protocol to use for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0004] In a first aspect, a positioning negotiation method is provided, including:

[0005] The terminal device sends a first message to the first core network device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0006] The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message;

[0007] Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device.

[0008] In a second aspect, a positioning negotiation method is provided, including:

[0009] The first core network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0010] The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value;

[0011] Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0012] In a third aspect, a positioning negotiation method is provided, including:

[0013] The second core network device sends a third message to the first core network device;

[0014] The third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the third message includes a second specified protocol, and the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, a positioning negotiation device is provided, including:

[0016] A sending unit, configured to send a first message to a first core network device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0017] The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message;

[0018] Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the positioning negotiation device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information that the positioning negotiation device expects to use, the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the positioning negotiation device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device.

[0019] In a fifth aspect, a positioning negotiation device is provided, including:

[0020] A sending unit, configured to send a second message to a terminal device, wherein the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0021] The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value;

[0022] Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the positioning negotiation device or the second core network device, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0023] In a sixth aspect, a positioning negotiation device is provided, including:

[0024] A sending unit, configured to send a third message to the first core network device;

[0025] The third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the third message includes a second specified protocol, and the positioning negotiation device includes a transmission protocol specified by the second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0026] In the seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementation methods.

[0027] In an eighth aspect, a core network device is provided, which is a first core network device, comprising a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory to execute the methods in the above-mentioned second aspect or its various implementation methods.

[0028] In the ninth aspect, a core network device is provided, which is a second core network device, including a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory to execute the methods in the above-mentioned third aspect or its various implementation methods.

[0029] In the tenth aspect, a device is provided for implementing the method in any one of the first to third aspects or their respective implementations. Specifically, the device includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the device executes the method in any one of the first to third aspects or their respective implementations.

[0030] In the eleventh aspect, a chip is provided for implementing the method in any one of the first to third aspects or their respective implementations. Specifically, the chip includes: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method in any one of the first to third aspects or their respective implementations.

[0031] In the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the method in any one of the first to third aspects or any of its implementations.

[0032] Through the technical solution of the first aspect mentioned above, the terminal device can provide the network side with relevant information of the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information through the first message, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of user plane positioning information.

[0033] Through the technical solution of the second aspect mentioned above, the first core network device can provide the terminal device with relevant information of the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information through the second message, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of user plane positioning information.

[0034] Through the technical solution of the third aspect mentioned above, the second core network device can provide the first core network device and the terminal device with relevant information of the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information through the third message, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of user plane positioning information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0036] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by a network provided in the present application.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by a terminal provided in the present application.

[0039] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a SUPL protocol stack provided by the present application.

[0040] Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart of a positioning negotiation method provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart of another positioning negotiation method provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of another positioning negotiation method provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Figures 8 to 11 They are respectively schematic flow charts of positioning negotiation provided according to embodiments of the present application.

[0044] Fig.12 It is a schematic block diagram of a positioning negotiation device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Fig.13 It is a schematic block diagram of another positioning negotiation device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Fig.14 This is a schematic block diagram of another positioning negotiation device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] Fig.15 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Fig.16 It is a schematic block diagram of a device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] Fig.17 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. For the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0051] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, rather than to limit the present application. The terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, the process, method, system, product or equipment comprising a series of steps or units need not be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment. In addition, "and / or" is used in the specification and claims to represent at least one of the connected objects, such as A and / or B and / or C, indicating that A alone, B alone, C alone, and A and B all exist, B and C all exist, A and C all exist, and 7 situations in which A, B and C all exist.

[0052] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association relationship between A and B.

[0053] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two items, or an association relationship between the two items, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, and the like.

[0054] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Internet of Things (IoT), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Fifth Generation Communication (5G) system, Sixth Generation Communication (6G) system or other evolved communication systems.

[0055] The communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to licensed spectrum and / or unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum, and the licensed spectrum can also be considered as a non-shared spectrum.

[0056] For example, the communication system 100 used in the embodiment of the present application can be as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 may include a terminal device 110, an access network device 120, and a core network device 130, wherein the terminal device 110 may be connected to the core network device 130 via the access network device 120. The access network device 120 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area, and may communicate with terminal devices located in the coverage area. Specifically, for example, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a terminal, or other similar names.

[0057] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Tablet Personal Computer), a laptop computer (Laptop Computer), a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a netbook, an ultra-mobile personal computer (Ultra-mobile Personal Computer, UMPC), a mobile Internet device (Mobile Internet Device, MID), an augmented reality (Augmented Reality, AR), a virtual reality (Virtual Reality, VR) device, a robot, a wearable device (Wearable Device), an aircraft (flight vehicle), a vehicle user equipment (VUE), a shipborne equipment, a pedestrian terminal (Pedestrian User Equipment, PUE), a smart home (home appliances with wireless communication functions, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines or furniture, etc.), a game console, a personal computer (Personal Computer, PC), a teller machine or a self-service machine and other terminal side devices. Wearable devices include: smart watches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart bracelets, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among them, vehicle-mounted equipment can also be called vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicle-mounted controllers, vehicle-mounted modules, vehicle-mounted components, vehicle-mounted chips or vehicle-mounted units, etc.

[0058] In some embodiments, the access network device 120 may also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device, a radio access network function, or a radio access network unit. The access network device may include a base station, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AS), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) node, etc. Among them, the base station may be referred to as a Node B (NB), an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a New Radio Node B (NR Node B), an access point, a Relay Base Station (RBS), a Serving Base Station (SBS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a Basic Service Set (BSS), an Extended Service Set (ESS), a Home Node B (HNB), a Home Evolved Node B, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP) or other appropriate terms in the field. As long as the same technical effect is achieved, the base station is not limited to specific technical terms. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, only the base station in the NR system is used as an example for introduction, and the specific type of the base station is not limited.

[0059] In some embodiments, the core network device 130 may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: core network node, core network function, mobility management entity (Mobility Management Entity, MME), access mobility management function (Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF), session management function (Session Management Function, SMF), user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF), policy control function (Policy Control Function, PCF), policy and charging rules function unit (Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF), edge application service discovery function (Edge Application Server Discovery Function, EASDF), unified data management (Unified Data Management, UDM), unified data storage (Unified Data Repository, UDR), home user server (Home Subscriber Server, HSS), centralized network configuration (CNC), network storage function (Network Repository Function, NRF), network exposure function (Network Exposure Function, NEF), local NEF (Local NEF, or L-NEF), binding support function (Binding Support Function, BSF), application function (Application Function, AF), etc. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the core network device in the NR system is introduced as an example, and the specific type of the core network device is not limited.But not limited to at least one of the following: core network node, core network function, mobility management entity (Mobility Management Entity, MME), access mobility management function (Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF), session management function (Session Management Function, SMF), user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF), policy control function (Policy Control Function, PCF), policy and charging rules function unit (Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF), edge application service discovery function (Edge Application Server Discovery Function, EASDF), unified data management (Unified Data Management, UDM), unified data storage (Unified Data Repository, UDR), home user server (Home Subscriber Server, HSS), centralized network configuration (CNC), network storage function (Network Repository Function, NRF), network exposure function (Network Exposure Function, NEF), local NEF (Local NEF, or L-NEF), binding support function (Binding Support Function, BSF), application function (Application Function, AF), Sensing Function (SF), etc. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the core network device in the NR system is introduced as an example, and the specific type of the core network device is not limited.

[0060] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the user plane positioning related to the present application is explained.

[0061] The NR system supports two methods to establish user plane positioning connection: network-initiated LCS-UP initiation and terminal-initiated LCS-UP initiation. A large amount of positioning-related data can be transmitted between the terminal equipment (UE) and the positioning management function (LMF) entity using the user plane, or the UE and the LMF entity can use the user plane to transmit positioning-related data more frequently. It should be noted that which protocol stack is used to encapsulate and transmit user plane positioning messages has not been determined.

[0062] Specifically, the network-initiated LCS-UPinitiation may be as follows: Figure 2 As shown. The LMF entity on the network side decides to use user plane positioning and informs the access and mobility management function (AMF) entity of the user plane positioning information. The AMF entity then interacts with the UE through non-access stratum (NAS) signaling. After receiving the UE's acknowledgment (ACK) message, the AMF entity replies to the LMF entity. The UE then establishes a user plane positioning connection with the LMF entity.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown, the user plane positioning connection establishment process initiated by the network may include at least one of the following steps:

[0064] Step 1, based on the UE user plane positioning capability and other implementation factors, the LMF entity decides whether to continue the positioning process via the user plane connection between the UE and the LMF entity; if the user plane connection context of the target UE already exists in the LMF entity and the LMF entity determines to use the user plane connection for positioning, skip step 1; the LMF entity can select user plane positioning for a specific positioning method (for example, a motion sensor-based method), and determine which positioning method (corresponding positioning data) requires user plane transmission based on implementation and local configuration;

[0065] Step 2 (optional), if the LMF entity decides to use the user plane for positioning, and no secure user plane connection is established between the UE and the LMF entity, the LMF entity sends user plane information to the AMF entity to instruct the UE to use the user plane for positioning; the user plane information includes the user plane positioning address and security-related information of the LMF;

[0066] Step 3 (optional), when the AMF entity receives the user plane information from the LMF entity in step 2, the AMF entity sends it to the UE via a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message;

[0067] Step 4 (optional), if no applicable Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is established for user plane positioning, the UE uses the User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP) which includes PDU session parameters related to user plane positioning, such as the dedicated data network name (DNN) and single network slice assistance information (S-NSSAI) to establish a PDU session for user plane positioning. The UE may send a confirmation to the LMF entity through the AMF entity to indicate the successful utilization of the user plane connection for positioning services or the failure to utilize the user plane connection, such as the failure to establish a suitable PDU session.

[0068] Step 5 (optional), the AMF entity sends the confirmation received in step 4 to the LMF entity through the Namf_N1messageNotify service;

[0069] Step 6 (optional), if the LMF entity knows the UE Internet Protocol (IP) address information, the LMF entity can notify the UE to establish a secure user plane connection through the known UE IP address;

[0070] Step 7 (optional), the UE establishes a secure user plane connection with the LMF entity; if the LMF entity sends its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) to the UE, a Domain Name System (DNS) server / resolver is used to resolve the IP address of the LMF entity (e.g., an edge application server discovery function (easdf) or a local DNS for local LMF entity address resolution);

[0071] Step 8 (optional), the LMF entity indicates in the Nmmf_Location_UP Notify message that the user plane connection between the AMF UE and the LMF has been established;

[0072] Step 9 (optional), the AMF entity stores the Location Service User Plane (LCS-UP) connection context as part of the UE context;

[0073] Step 10: If the LMF entity or UE determines to use the user plane connection for positioning and establishes a secure user plane connection, the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message is transmitted between the UE and the LMF entity for UE-based positioning, UE-assisted positioning and delivery of auxiliary data; the supplementary service event report message from the UE can also be transmitted to the LMF entity via the established user plane connection.

[0074] Specifically, the terminal-initiated user plane location connection establishment (UE-initiated LCS-UPP initiation) can be as follows Figure 3 The terminal initiates a user plane positioning establishment request to the AMF entity. Based on the request, the AMF entity executes the LMF entity selection process, selects a suitable LMF entity for this user plane positioning task, and establishes a connection from the UE to the LMF entity in subsequent signaling.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, the user plane positioning connection establishment process initiated by the terminal may include at least one of the following steps:

[0076] Step 1: If the UE decides to prepare a user plane connection for the upcoming positioning request, the UE may send a user plane establishment request to the AMF entity via a NAS message;

[0077] Step 2 (optional), if the UE is authorized to use user plane positioning based on UE subscription, the AMF entity selects an LMF entity that can establish a user plane session for positioning with the UE;

[0078] Step 3 (optional), the AMF entity sends a positioning user plane configuration (Nmmf_Location_UPConfig) request to the LMF entity to request to establish an LCS-UP connection;

[0079] Step 4 (optional), if the LMF entity accepts positioning using the user plane, and no secure user plane connection is established between the UE and the LMF entity, the LMF entity sends user plane information to the AMF entity to instruct the UE to accept and use the user plane for positioning; the user plane information includes the user plane positioning address and security-related information of the LMF entity;

[0080] Step 5 (optional), when the AMF entity receives the user plane information from the LMF entity in step 4, the AMF entity forwards it to the UE via a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message;

[0081] Step 6 (optional): the UE establishes a secure user plane connection with the LMF entity;

[0082] Step 7 (optional), the LMF entity responds to the AMF entity that the user plane connection between the UE and the LMF entity has been established;

[0083] Step 8 (optional): the AMF entity stores the LCS-UP connection context as part of the UE context.

[0084] Step 9 (optional), after establishing a secure user plane connection, if the LMF entity determines to use the user plane connection for positioning after receiving a positioning request from the AMF entity, or the UE determines to use the user plane connection for positioning, LPP messages are transmitted between the UE and the LMF entity for UE-based positioning, UE-assisted positioning and delivery of auxiliary data; supplementary service event report messages from the UE can also be transmitted to the LMF entity via the established user plane connection.

[0085] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the security user plane location (SUPL) related to the present application is described.

[0086] Encapsulates the control plane positioning protocol and uses the data network for positioning services without affecting the control plane, thereby offloading any changes to the service provider's infrastructure. This is a set of standard protocols developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). SUPL was introduced into the NR architecture of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Figure 4As shown, in the research architecture before Rel-18, there is a SUPL enabled terminal (SET) module on the UE side (belonging to the functional module specified in OMA SUPL), and a SUPL location center (SLC) and a SUPL positioning center (SPC) on the network side, which are close to the deployment location of the LMF entity (that is, the SLC and SPC can quickly interact with the LMF), support the interaction interface with the LMF entity and the location service (LCS) client, and realize the transmission and communication of the user plane positioning information through the user plane function (UPF).

[0087] Specifically, Figure 4 As shown, the UE is connected to the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) through the Uu interface, the NG-RAN is connected to the user plane function (UPF) through the N3 interface, the NG-RAN is connected to the access and mobility management function (AMF) through the N2 interface, the AMF is connected to the LMF through the NLs interface, the AMF is connected to the gateway mobile location center (GMLC) through the NLg interface, the AMF is connected to the unified data management (UDM) through the N8 interface, the UDM is connected to the GMLC through the NLh interface, the LMF can be directly connected to the SPC, the SPC is connected to the SLC through the Llp interface, the SLC is connected to the LCS client through the Le interface, and the UPF is connected to the SLC through the N6 interface or the Lup interface.

[0088] It should be noted that in Figure 4 In the SUPL protocol, Lup and N6 refer to the same interface channel, but from different perspectives. One is from the 3GPP architecture perspective, called N6; the other is that the interface is called Lup inside the SUPL server.

[0089] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the problems solved by the present application are explained.

[0090] At present, there may be two user plane positioning transmission protocols: one is SUPL; the other is the standard protocol of layer 3 (such as Location Service User Plane Protocol (LCS-UPP)). If both user plane positioning transmission protocols can be deployed on the terminal side and the network side, then how to negotiate which user plane positioning transmission protocol (also called protocol stack) to use is still under discussion. To elaborate: if both user plane positioning transmission protocols are optional on the terminal side and the network side, there is a negotiation problem; if both user plane positioning transmission protocols are required on side A (terminal side or network side) and optional on side B (network side or terminal side), then there is a problem of how to inform side A which user plane positioning transmission protocol to use.

[0091] Based on the above problems, the present application proposes a positioning negotiation method, whereby the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the user plane positioning information.

[0092] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The following related technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0093] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a method 200 for positioning negotiation according to an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 5 As shown, the positioning negotiation method 200 may include at least part of the following contents:

[0094] S210, the terminal device sends a first message to the first core network device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0095] The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message;

[0096] Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device.

[0097] It should be understood that Figure 5 The steps or operations of the positioning negotiation method 200 are shown, but these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or Figure 5 Variations of the various operations in .

[0098] The transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information described in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a protocol stack for transmitting user plane positioning information or a user plane protocol stack, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0099] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is illustrated by taking two transmission protocols (i.e., the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol) for transmitting user plane positioning information as an example. Of course, the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to more (such as 3, 4, 5, ... etc.) transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by 3GPP.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is Secure User Plane Location (SUPL). Of course, the first transmission protocol may also be other user plane location transmission protocols not formulated by 3GPP.

[0102] In some embodiments, the second transmission protocol is a Location Service-User Plane Protocol (LCS-UPP). Of course, the second transmission protocol may also be other user plane location transmission protocols developed by 3GPP.

[0103] In an embodiment of the present application, the user plane positioning process may be initiated or triggered by a terminal device, or may be initiated or triggered by a network side (such as a second core network device).

[0104] In some embodiments, the first core network device may be a core network device, for example, an AMF entity. Of course, the first core network device may also be other core network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0105] In some embodiments, the second core network device is a device that establishes a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device. For example, the second core network device is an LMF entity. Of course, the second core network device can also be other core network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0106] In some embodiments, the second core network device can also be replaced by a third-party device (such as a positioning service (LCS) client) or a 5G core network (5G Core Network, 5GC) network function (NF) entity (such as a network data analysis function (NWDAF)).

[0107] In some embodiments, when the first message is used for network registration, the first message includes the first capability.

[0108] In one implementation, the first message may be a registration request message. Specifically, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) to provide registration information and perform network registration, and the terminal device provides the first capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane location information) in the registration request message.

[0109] For example, when the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning, the terminal device provides the first capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information) in the registration request message.

[0110] In some embodiments, when the first message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the first message includes but is not limited to one or more of the following: the first capability, the first designated protocol, and the first confirmation information.

[0111] In some embodiments, when the first message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the first message may be a user plane location request message sent by the terminal device. In this case, the first message may include the first capability and / or the first specified protocol. In this case, it can be understood that: the terminal device initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0112] In some embodiments, when the first message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the first message may be a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message sent by the terminal device. In this case, the first message may include the first confirmation information. Optionally, the first message may also include the first capability and / or the first specified protocol. In this case, it can be understood that the network side (such as the LMF entity) initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first capability includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0114] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using the first transmission protocol;

[0115] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using the second transmission protocol;

[0116] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0117] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports using the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, including:

[0118] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; or,

[0119] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit user plane positioning information; or,

[0120] The terminal device only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the first transmission protocol.

[0121] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports using the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, including:

[0122] The terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0123] The terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0124] The terminal device only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the second transmission protocol.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first capability may be characterized by the terminal device supporting the user plane positioning capability to characterize that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information. That is, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0126] For example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0127] For another example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0128] For another example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first specified protocol includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0130] The first transmission protocol, the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0131] Exemplarily, when the first capability is included in the first message but the first designated protocol is not included, if the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, then it is assumed that the terminal device expects to use the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane location information.

[0132] Exemplarily, when the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol, one implementation method is to use the first transmission protocol to transmit LPP messages, and use the second transmission protocol to transmit location service supplementary service (LCS-SS) messages.

[0133] In some embodiments, the second specified protocol includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0134] The first transmission protocol, the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0135] Exemplarily, when the second designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol, one implementation method is to use the first transmission protocol to transmit LPP messages, and use the second transmission protocol to transmit location service supplementary service (LCS-SS) messages.

[0136] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first confirmation information, and the first confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the first message also includes a first cause value, wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first reason value includes but is not limited to one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0138] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first cause value, the first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0139] For example, the first reason value includes that the second specified protocol is not supported. Assuming that the second specified protocol includes the first transmission protocol, in this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0140] For example, the first reason value includes that the second specified protocol is not supported. Assuming that the second specified protocol includes the second transmission protocol, in this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0141] For example, the first reason value includes that the first transmission protocol is not supported. In this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0142] For example, the first reason value includes that the second transmission protocol is not supported. In this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0143] In the embodiment of the present application, the difference between the first capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information) and the user plane positioning capability of the terminal device is that the latter refers to whether the capability of user plane positioning is supported, while the former refers to what kind of transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information is supported when the capability of user plane positioning is supported.

[0144] In some embodiments, when the first capability is included in the first message, the terminal device may indicate the first capability in a 5G System Mobility Management (5GMM) capability. For example, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL and the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, the 5GMM capability information element identity (IEI) can be as shown in Table 1, and the first capability can occupy bits 3 and 4 in octet 9* in the 5GMM capability IEI; wherein, bit 3 in byte 9* is the LCS-UPP support (LCS-UPP support, LUS) field, and bit 4 in byte 9* is the SUPL support (SUPL support, SUPLS) field; specifically, as shown in Table 2, the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field value 1 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL support (SUPLS) field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL support (SUPLS) field value 1 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information. It should be noted that the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field and the SUPL support (SUPLS) field may also occupy other bits in byte 9*, or the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field and the SUPL support (SUPLS) field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0145] Table 1

[0146]

[0147] Table 2

[0148]

[0149] Exemplarily, the specific meanings of the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field and the SUPL support (SUPLS) field may not be as described in Table 2. For example, the LCS-UPP support field value 1 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP support field value 0 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL support field value 1 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL support field value 0 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0150] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first designated protocol, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL and the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, the terminal device may indicate the first designated protocol in an IE as shown in Table 3. As shown in Table 3, the first designated protocol may occupy bit 1 and bit 2 in byte 1; wherein bit 1 is the LCS-UPP usage field, and bit 2 is the SUPL usage field; specifically, as shown in Table 4, the LCS-UPP usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information. It should be noted that the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bits in byte 1, or the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0151] Table 3

[0152]

[0153] Table 4

[0154]

[0155] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can provide the network side with relevant information of the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information through a first message, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of user plane positioning information.

[0156] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation method 200 further includes:

[0157] The terminal device receives a second message from the first core network device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; wherein,

[0158] The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value;

[0159] Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0160] In some embodiments, when the second message is used for network registration, the second message includes the second capability. For example, the first message is a registration request message, and the second message is a registration accept message. Specifically, the terminal device provides the first capability in the registration request message, and the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) saves the first capability as terminal context information (UE context). The first core network device sends a registration accept message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device of the registration result and / or the control plane N1 connection information, and the first core network device carries the second capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information) in the registration accept message.

[0161] For example, when the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning, the first core network device carries the second capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information) in the registration acceptance message.

[0162] In some embodiments, when the second message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the second message includes one or more of the following: the second capability, the second specified protocol, and the second cause value.

[0163] In some embodiments, when the second message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the second message may be a downlink non-access stratum (NAS) transmission message, for example, the second message is a user plane location request message sent by the first core network device (such as an AMF entity). In this case, the second message may include the second capability and / or the second specified protocol, for example, the second capability and / or the second specified protocol may be carried by a payload container IE or other IE. In this case, it can be understood that: the network (such as an LMF entity) initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0164] In some embodiments, when the second message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the second message may be a downlink NAS transmission message, for example, the second message is a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message sent by the first core network device (such as an AMF entity). In this case, the second message may include the second cause value, and optionally, the second message may also include the second capability and / or the second specified protocol. For example, the second cause value, the second capability, the second specified protocol, etc. may be carried by payloadcontainer IE or other IE. In this case, it can be understood that: the terminal device initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0165] In some embodiments, when the first capability is included in the first message, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message includes the second capability. For example, the first message is a registration request message, and the second message is a registration accept message. That is, the terminal device and the first core network device (such as the AMF entity) exchange their respective capabilities of the transmission protocol for transmitting the user plane location information during the network registration process.

[0166] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first specified protocol, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate acceptance of the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection, and the second message carries the second specified protocol. For example, the first message is a user plane positioning request message, and the second message is a user plane positioning response message or a user plane positioning reply message.

[0167] Optionally, the transmission protocol included in the second specified protocol is the same as the transmission protocol included in the first specified protocol, or the transmission protocol included in the second specified protocol is different from the transmission protocol included in the first specified protocol.

[0168] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first designated protocol, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate the rejection of the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane location connection, and the second message carries the second cause value. For example, the first message is a user plane location request message, and the second message is a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message.

[0169] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first confirmation information, the second message is received by the terminal device before sending the first message, and the second message carries the second specified protocol. For example, the second message is a user plane location request message, and the first message is a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message.

[0170] In some embodiments, the second capability includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0171] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0172] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0173] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0174] The network supports transmission of user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0175] Exemplarily, the network supports transmitting user plane location information using a first transmission protocol, including:

[0176] The network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0177] The network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0178] The network only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the first transmission protocol.

[0179] Exemplarily, the network supports transmitting user plane location information using a second transmission protocol, including:

[0180] The network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0181] The network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0182] The network only supports transmission of user plane positioning information using the second transmission protocol.

[0183] In some embodiments, the second capability characterizes that the network supports user plane location information transmission by using the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol.

[0184] For example, in the case where the network supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0185] For another example, when the network supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0186] For another example, when the network supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0187] In some embodiments, if there is at least one second core network device (such as LMF entity) in the network that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, it means that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one second core network device (such as LMF entity) in the network that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, it means that the network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one second core network device (such as LMF entity) in the network that supports both the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information and the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, it means that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; if the second core network devices (such as LMF entities) in the network do not support the user plane positioning function, it means that the network does not support user plane positioning capabilities.

[0188] In some embodiments, the network may forcibly support the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; or, when there are multiple second core network devices (such as LMF entities) in the network, some second core network devices support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and some second core network devices support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, then the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0189] In some embodiments, when the network indicates support for user plane positioning capability and does not indicate the capability of the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, it can be understood that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0190] In some embodiments, the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) directly carries the second capability in the registration acceptance message without considering whether the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates whether the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability.

[0191] In some embodiments, the second cause value includes at least one of the following: the first specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, the second transmission protocol is not supported, and the second core network device is congested.

[0192] In some embodiments, when the second message carries the second cause value, the second message also includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0193] In some embodiments, the second designated protocol is determined by the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) or the second core network device (such as an LMF entity).

[0194] In some embodiments, when the second capability is included in the second message, the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) may indicate the second capability in a 5G system (5G System, 5GS) network feature support information element (information element, IE). For example, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL, the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, and the 5GS network feature support IEI is shown in Table 5, the second capability can occupy 2 bits (ie, bits 1-2) in byte 6* in the 5GS network feature support IEI; wherein, the 2 bits in byte 6* are the LCS-UP protocol field, and the specific meaning of the LCS-UP protocol field can be as shown in Table 6, the LCS-UP protocol field value 00 indicates that the network does not support user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol not supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 01 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL protocol supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 10 indicates that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (LCS-UPP protocol supported), and the LCS-UP protocol field value 11 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL and LCS-UPPprotocol supported). It should be noted that the LCS-UP protocol field may also occupy other bits in byte 6*, or the LCS-UP protocol field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0195] Table 5

[0196]

[0197] Table 6

[0198]

[0199] Exemplarily, the specific meaning of the LCS-UP protocol field may not be as described in Table 6. For example, the LCS-UP protocol field value 00 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL and LCS-UPPprotocol supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 01 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL protocol supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 10 indicates that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (LCS-UPP protocol supported), and the LCS-UP protocol field value 11 indicates that the network does not support user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol not supported).

[0200] In some embodiments, when the second capability is included in the second message, the second message also includes the user plane positioning capability supported by the network. The user plane positioning capability supported by the network can occupy 1 bit in byte 6* in the 5GS network feature support IEI (i.e., bit 3 in Table 7), as shown in Table 7; wherein, bit 3 in byte 6* is the LCS-UP support field, and the specific meaning of the LCS-UP support field can be as shown in Table 8, and the LCS-UP support field value 0 indicates that the network does not support the user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol not supported), and the LCS-UP support field value 1 indicates that the network supports the user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol supported). It should be noted that the LCS-UP support field may also occupy other bits in byte 6*, or the LCS-UP support field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0201] Table 7

[0202]

[0203] Table 8

[0204]

[0205] In some embodiments, when the second specified protocol is included in the second message, the second message can be transmitted to the terminal device by passing the specified protocol information (i.e., the second specified protocol) in the terminal policy process, such as a terminal policy (UE policy) or a policy dedicated to positioning the user plane. One implementation method may be to occupy a new bit based on the existing coding, for example: a value of 1 indicates that the user plane positioning message is transmitted using the SUPL protocol, and a value of 0 indicates that the user plane positioning message is transmitted using the LCS-UPP protocol. The opposite is also possible, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0206] In some embodiments, when the second designated protocol is included in the second message, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL and the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, the first core network device may indicate the second designated protocol in the IE shown in Table 9. As shown in Table 9, the second designated protocol may occupy bit 1 and bit 2 in byte 1; wherein bit 1 is the LCS-UPP usage field, and bit 2 is the SUPL usage field; specifically, as shown in Table 10, the LCS-UPP usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information. It should be noted that the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bits in byte 1, or the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0207] Table 9

[0208]

[0209] Table 10

[0210]

[0211] In an embodiment of the present application, the first core network device can provide the terminal device with relevant information of the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information through the second message, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of user plane positioning information.

[0212] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the terminal side and the network side interact with each other to determine the transmission protocol for transmitting the user plane positioning information, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting the user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of the user plane positioning information.

[0213] Combination of the above Figure 5 , describes in detail the terminal device side embodiment of the present application, and the following is combined with Figure 6 , the first core network device side embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the first core network device side embodiment and the terminal device side embodiment correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can refer to the terminal device side embodiment.

[0214] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method 300 for positioning negotiation according to an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 6 As shown, the positioning negotiation method 300 may include at least part of the following contents:

[0215] S310, the first core network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0216] The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value;

[0217] Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0218] It should be understood that Figure 6 The steps or operations of the positioning negotiation method 300 are shown, but these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or Figure 6 Variations of the various operations in .

[0219] The transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information described in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a protocol stack for transmitting user plane positioning information or a user plane protocol stack, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0220] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is illustrated by taking two transmission protocols (i.e., the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol) for transmitting user plane positioning information as an example. Of course, the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to more (such as 3, 4, 5, ... etc.) transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0221] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by 3GPP.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is Secure User Plane Location (SUPL). Of course, the first transmission protocol may also be other user plane location transmission protocols not formulated by 3GPP.

[0223] In some embodiments, the second transmission protocol is a Location Service-User Plane Protocol (LCS-UPP). Of course, the second transmission protocol may also be other user plane location transmission protocols developed by 3GPP.

[0224] In an embodiment of the present application, the user plane positioning process may be initiated or triggered by a terminal device, or may be initiated or triggered by a network side (such as a second core network device).

[0225] In some embodiments, the first core network device may be a core network device, for example, an AMF entity. Of course, the first core network device may also be other core network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0226] In some embodiments, the second core network device is a device that establishes a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device. For example, the second core network device is an LMF entity. Of course, the second core network device can also be other core network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0227] In some embodiments, the second core network device may also be replaced by a third-party device (such as a location service (LCS) client) or a 5GC NF entity (such as NWDAF).

[0228] In some embodiments, when the second message is used for network registration, the second message includes the second capability. For example, the second message may be a registration accept message. Specifically, the terminal device provides a first capability in a registration request message, and the first capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane location information. The first core network device (such as an AMF entity) saves the first capability as terminal context information (UE context). The first core network device sends a registration accept message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device of the registration result and / or the information of the control plane N1 connection. The first core network device carries the second capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane location information) in the registration accept message.

[0229] For example, when the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning, the first core network device carries the second capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information) in the registration acceptance message.

[0230] In some embodiments, when the second message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the second message includes one or more of the following: the second capability, the second specified protocol, and the second cause value.

[0231] In some embodiments, when the second message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the second message may be a user plane location request message sent by the first core network device (such as an AMF entity). In this case, the second message may include the second capability and / or the second specified protocol. In this case, it can be understood that the network (such as an LMF entity) initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0232] In some embodiments, when the second message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the second message may be a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message sent by the first core network device (such as an AMF entity). In this case, the second message may include the second cause value, and optionally, the second message may also include the second capability and / or the second specified protocol. In this case, it can be understood that the terminal device initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0233] In some embodiments, the second capability includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0234] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0235] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0236] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0237] The network supports transmission of user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0238] Exemplarily, the network supports transmitting user plane location information using a first transmission protocol, including:

[0239] The network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0240] The network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0241] The network only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the first transmission protocol.

[0242] Exemplarily, the network supports transmitting user plane location information using a second transmission protocol, including:

[0243] The network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0244] The network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the network does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0245] The network only supports transmission of user plane positioning information using the second transmission protocol.

[0246] In some embodiments, the second capability characterizes that the network supports user plane location information transmission by using the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol.

[0247] For example, when the network supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0248] For another example, when the network supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0249] For another example, when the network supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0250] In some embodiments, if there is at least one second core network device (such as LMF entity) in the network that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, it means that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one second core network device (such as LMF entity) in the network that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, it means that the network supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one second core network device (such as LMF entity) in the network that supports both the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information and the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, it means that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; if the second core network devices (such as LMF entities) in the network do not support the user plane positioning function, it means that the network does not support user plane positioning capabilities.

[0251] In some embodiments, the network may forcibly support the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; or, when there are multiple second core network devices (such as LMF entities) in the network, some second core network devices support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and some second core network devices support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, then the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0252] In some embodiments, when the network indicates support for user plane positioning capability and does not indicate the capability of the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, it can be understood that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0253] In some embodiments, the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) directly carries the second capability in the registration acceptance message without considering whether the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates whether the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability.

[0254] In some embodiments, the second cause value includes at least one of the following: the first specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, the second transmission protocol is not supported, and the second core network device is congested.

[0255] In some embodiments, when the second cause value is carried in the second message, the second message also includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0256] In some embodiments, the second specified protocol includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0257] The first transmission protocol, the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0258] Exemplarily, when the second designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol, one implementation method is to use the first transmission protocol to transmit LPP messages, and use the second transmission protocol to transmit location service supplementary service (LCS-SS) messages.

[0259] In some embodiments, the second designated protocol is determined by the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) or the second core network device (such as an LMF entity).

[0260] In some embodiments, when the second capability is included in the second message, the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) may indicate the second capability in a 5GS network feature support IE. For example, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL, the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, and the 5GS network feature support IEI is shown in Table 5 above, the second capability can occupy 2 bits (ie, bits 1-2) in byte 6* in the 5GS network feature support IEI; wherein, the 2 bits in byte 6* are the LCS-UP protocol field, and the specific meaning of the LCS-UP protocol field can be as shown in Table 6 above, the LCS-UP protocol field value 00 indicates that the network does not support user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol not supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 01 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL protocol supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 10 indicates that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (LCS-UPP protocol supported), and the LCS-UP protocol field value 11 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL and LCS-UPP protocol supported). It should be noted that the LCS-UP protocol field may also occupy other bits in byte 6*, or the LCS-UP protocol field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0261] Exemplarily, the specific meaning of the LCS-UP protocol field may not be as described in Table 6 above. For example, the LCS-UP protocol field value 00 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL and LCS-UPP protocol supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 01 indicates that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information (SUPL protocol supported), the LCS-UP protocol field value 10 indicates that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information (LCS-UPP protocol supported), and the LCS-UP protocol field value 11 indicates that the network does not support user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol not supported).

[0262] In some embodiments, when the second capability is included in the second message, the second message also includes the user plane positioning capability supported by the network. The user plane positioning capability supported by the network can occupy 1 bit in byte 6* in the 5GS network feature support IEI (i.e., bit 3 in the above Table 7), as shown in the above Table 7; wherein, bit 3 in byte 6* is the LCS-UP support field, and the specific meaning of the LCS-UP support field can be as shown in the above Table 8, and the LCS-UP support field value 0 indicates that the network does not support the user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol not supported), and the LCS-UP support field value 1 indicates that the network supports the user plane positioning capability (LCS user plane protocol supported). It should be noted that the LCS-UP support field may also occupy other bits in byte 6*, or the LCS-UP support field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0263] In some embodiments, when the second specified protocol is included in the second message, the second message can be transmitted to the terminal device by passing the specified protocol information (i.e., the second specified protocol) in the terminal policy process, such as a terminal policy (UE policy) or a policy dedicated to positioning the user plane. One implementation method may be to occupy a new bit based on the existing coding, for example: a value of 1 indicates that the user plane positioning message is transmitted using the SUPL protocol, and a value of 0 indicates that the user plane positioning message is transmitted using the LCS-UPP protocol. The opposite is also possible, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0264] In some embodiments, when the second designated protocol is included in the second message, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL and the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, the first core network device may indicate the second designated protocol in the IE shown in Table 9. As shown in Table 9, the second designated protocol may occupy bit 1 and bit 2 in byte 1; wherein bit 1 is the LCS-UPP usage field, and bit 2 is the SUPL usage field; specifically, as shown in Table 10, the LCS-UPP usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information. It should be noted that the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bits in byte 1, or the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0265] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation method 300 further includes:

[0266] The first core network device receives a first message from the terminal device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0267] The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message;

[0268] Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0269] In some embodiments, when the first message is used for network registration, the first message includes the first capability. For example, the first message may be a registration request message. Specifically, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the first core network device (such as an AMF entity) to provide registration information and perform network registration, and the terminal device provides the first capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane location information) in the registration request message.

[0270] For example, when the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning, the terminal device provides the first capability (i.e., the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information) in the registration request message.

[0271] In some embodiments, when the first message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the first message includes but is not limited to one or more of the following: the first capability, the first specified protocol, and the first confirmation information.

[0272] In some embodiments, when the first message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the first message may be a user plane location request message sent by the terminal device. In this case, the first message may include the first capability and / or the first specified protocol. In this case, it can be understood that: the terminal device initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0273] In some embodiments, when the first message is used to establish a user plane location connection, the first message may be a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message sent by the terminal device. In this case, the first message may include the first confirmation information. Optionally, the first message may also include the first capability and / or the first specified protocol. In this case, it can be understood that the network side (such as the LMF entity) initiates or triggers the user plane location process.

[0274] In some embodiments, when the first capability is included in the first message, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message includes the second capability. For example, the first message is a registration request message, and the second message is a registration accept message. That is, the terminal device and the first core network device (such as the AMF entity) exchange their respective capabilities of the transmission protocol for transmitting the user plane location information during the network registration process.

[0275] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first specified protocol, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate acceptance of the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection, and the second message carries the second specified protocol. For example, the first message is a user plane positioning request message, and the second message is a user plane positioning response message or a user plane positioning reply message.

[0276] Optionally, the transmission protocol included in the second specified protocol is the same as the transmission protocol included in the first specified protocol, or the transmission protocol included in the second specified protocol is different from the transmission protocol included in the first specified protocol.

[0277] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first designated protocol, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate the rejection of the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane location connection, and the second message carries the second cause value. For example, the first message is a user plane location request message, and the second message is a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message.

[0278] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first confirmation information, the second message is received by the terminal device before sending the first message, and the second message carries the second specified protocol. For example, the second message is a user plane location request message, and the first message is a user plane location response message or a user plane location reply message.

[0279] In some embodiments, the first capability includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0280] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0281] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0282] The terminal device transmits user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0283] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports using the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, including:

[0284] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; or,

[0285] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit user plane positioning information; or,

[0286] The terminal device only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the first transmission protocol.

[0287] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports using the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, including:

[0288] The terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0289] The terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0290] The terminal device only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the second transmission protocol.

[0291] In some embodiments, the first capability may be characterized by the terminal device supporting the user plane positioning capability to characterize that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information. That is, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0292] For example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0293] For another example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0294] For another example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0295] In some embodiments, the first designated protocol includes but is not limited to one of the following: a first transmission protocol, a second transmission protocol, a first transmission protocol or a second transmission protocol, a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0296] Exemplarily, when the first capability is included in the first message but the first designated protocol is not included, if the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, then it is assumed that the terminal device expects to use the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane location information.

[0297] Exemplarily, when the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol, one implementation method is to use the first transmission protocol to transmit LPP messages, and use the second transmission protocol to transmit location service supplementary service (LCS-SS) messages.

[0298] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first confirmation information, and the first confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the first message also includes a first cause value; wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0299] In some embodiments, the first reason value includes but is not limited to one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0300] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first cause value, the first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0301] For example, the first reason value includes that the second specified protocol is not supported. Assuming that the second specified protocol includes the first transmission protocol, in this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0302] For example, the first reason value includes that the second specified protocol is not supported. Assuming that the second specified protocol includes the second transmission protocol, in this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0303] For example, the first reason value includes that the first transmission protocol is not supported. In this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0304] For example, the first reason value includes that the second transmission protocol is not supported. In this case, the first message also includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0305] In some embodiments, when the first capability is included in the first message, the terminal device may indicate the first capability in the 5GMM capability. For example, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL and the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, the 5GMM capability IEI may be as shown in Table 1 above, and the first capability may occupy bits 3 and 4 in octet 9* in the 5GMM capability IEI; wherein bit 3 in octet 9* is the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field, and bit 4 in octet 9* is the SUPL support (SUPLS) field; specifically, as shown in Table 2 above, the LCS-UPP support field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP support field value 1 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL support field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL support field value 1 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information. It should be noted that the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field and the SUPL support (SUPLS) field may also occupy other bits in byte 9*, or the LCS-UPP support (LUS) field and the SUPL support (SUPLS) field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0306] Exemplarily, the specific meanings of the LCS-UPP support field and the SUPL support field may not be as described in Table 2 above. For example, the LCS-UPP support field value 1 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP support field value 0 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL support field value 1 indicates that the terminal device does not support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL support field value 0 indicates that the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0307] In some embodiments, the terminal device may carry the first capability in the registration request message sent during the initial registration and periodic update processes.

[0308] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first designated protocol, assuming that the first transmission protocol is SUPL and the second transmission protocol is LCS-UPP, the terminal device may indicate the first designated protocol in the IE shown in Table 3. As shown in Table 3, the first designated protocol may occupy bit 1 and bit 2 in byte 1; wherein bit 1 is the LCS-UPP usage field, and bit 2 is the SUPL usage field; specifically, as shown in Table 4, the LCS-UPP usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and the LCS-UPP usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the SUPL usage field value 1 indicates that the terminal device expects to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and the SUPL usage field value 0 indicates that the terminal device does not expect to use SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information. It should be noted that the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bits in byte 1, or the LCS-UPP usage field and the SUPL usage field may also occupy other bytes, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0309] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation method 300 further includes:

[0310] The first core network device selects, from the at least one second core network device, a second core network device that establishes a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device according to the first capability and / or the first specified protocol and a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by at least one second core network device; and / or,

[0311] The first core network device determines the second designated protocol based on the first capability and / or the first designated protocol, and a transmission protocol supported by at least one second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0312] In some embodiments, the first core network device can obtain and save the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by at least one second core network device through local configuration or network repository function (NRF) entity query method, so that the first core network device can provide the second capability to provide network supported protocol information to the terminal device.

[0313] In some embodiments, the transmission protocol supported by the second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information includes one of the following: the second core network device does not support user plane positioning capability, the second core network device supports the use of a first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the second core network device supports the use of a second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second core network device supports the use of a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0314] It should be noted that the transmission protocols supported by different second core network devices for transmitting user plane positioning information may be the same or different.

[0315] For example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device selects a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection between the device and the terminal device.

[0316] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device selects a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection between the device and the terminal device.

[0317] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device selects a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0318] For example, the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device may preferentially select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device. Of course, in the case where the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol, the first core network device may also select a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device, or the first core network device may also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device.

[0319] For another example, the first designated protocol includes the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device may preferentially select a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device. Of course, in the case where the first designated protocol includes the second transmission protocol, the first core network device may also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device, or the first core network device may also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0320] For another example, the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device can select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device. Of course, in the case where the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first core network device can also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0321] For another example, the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device can select a second core network device from the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0322] For example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device selects a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0323] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device can preferentially select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device. Of course, the first core network device can also select a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device, or the first core network device can also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device.

[0324] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information and the first designated protocol includes the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device selects a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0325] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and the first designated protocol includes the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device can preferentially select a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device. Of course, the first core network device can also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device, or the first core network device can also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device.

[0326] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device can select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device. Of course, the first core network device can also select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane location connection with the terminal device.

[0327] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the first designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol. In this case, the first core network device can select a second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information from the at least one second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device.

[0328] For example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and there is a second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, or, there is a second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol.

[0329] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and there is no second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and there is no second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information. In this case, the first core network device will not determine the second designated protocol, or the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol does not exist. Optionally, in this case, the first core network device can indicate the rejection of the request to establish a user plane connection initiated by the terminal device or the second core network device.

[0330] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and there is a second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, or there is a second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol includes the second transmission protocol.

[0331] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and there is no second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and there is no second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information. In this case, the first core network device will not determine the second designated protocol, or the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol does not exist. Optionally, in this case, the first core network device can indicate the rejection of the request to establish a user plane connection initiated by the terminal device or the second core network device.

[0332] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and there is only a second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol.

[0333] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and among the at least one second core network device, there is only a second core network device that supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol includes the second transmission protocol.

[0334] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and there is a second core network device among the at least one second core network device that supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information. In this case, the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol includes one of the following: the first transmission protocol, the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0335] For another example, the first capability includes that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, and all the second core network devices do not have a second core network device that supports the user plane location capability. In this case, the first core network device will not determine the second designated protocol, or the first core network device determines that the second designated protocol does not exist. Optionally, in this case, the first core network device can indicate to reject the request initiated by the terminal device or the second core network device to establish a user plane connection.

[0336] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation method 300 further includes:

[0337] The first core network device receives a third message from the second core network device; wherein the third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, and the third message includes the second specified protocol.

[0338] Specifically, when the second designated protocol is included in the second message, before the first core network device sends the second message, the first core network device receives the third message from the second core network device.

[0339] In some embodiments, the third message may not include the second designated protocol. In this case, it is assumed that the second core network device supports all transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0340] In some embodiments, the third message may also carry at least one of the following: an identifier of the terminal device (such as UE ID), security key information, an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second core network device, etc. Of course, the third message may also carry other information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0341] In some embodiments, after the first core network device receives the third message, the positioning negotiation method 300 further includes:

[0342] The first core network device sends a fourth message to the second core network device;

[0343] The fourth message includes second confirmation information, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0344] For example, the first core network device may determine the second confirmation information based on the first confirmation information, or the information included in the second confirmation information is the same as that in the first confirmation information.

[0345] In some embodiments, the fourth message may indicate whether the user plane positioning connection is successfully established. For example, when the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts the use of the second specified protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, the fourth message may indicate that the user plane positioning connection is successfully established. For another example, when the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, the fourth message may indicate that the user plane positioning connection is not successfully established.

[0346] In some embodiments, when the second confirmation information represents that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the fourth message also includes a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0347] For example, the first core network device may determine the third cause value based on the first cause value, or the third cause value may contain the same information as the first cause value.

[0348] In some embodiments, the third cause value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0349] In some embodiments, when the third cause value is included in the fourth message, the fourth message also includes the first capability.

[0350] In some embodiments, before the first core network device receives the third message, the positioning negotiation method 300 further includes:

[0351] The first core network device sends a fifth message to the second core network device; wherein the fifth message is used to obtain location information of the terminal device, and the fifth message includes the first capability.

[0352] In some embodiments, the second core network device that sends the third message is selected by the first core network device from at least one second core network device based on the first capability and / or the first specified protocol, and a transmission protocol supported by at least one second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0353] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the first core network device can exchange relevant information of the transmission protocol used to transmit user plane positioning information with the terminal device and / or the second core network device, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol used to transmit user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of the user plane positioning information.

[0354] Combination of the above Figure 6 , describes in detail the first core network device side embodiment of the present application, and the following is combined with Figure 7 , the second core network device side embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the second core network device side embodiment corresponds to the first core network device side embodiment, and similar descriptions can refer to the first core network device side embodiment.

[0355] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a method 400 for positioning negotiation according to an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, the positioning negotiation method 400 may include at least part of the following contents:

[0356] S410, the second core network device sends a third message to the first core network device;

[0357] The third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the third message includes a second specified protocol, and the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0358] It should be understood that Figure 7 The steps or operations of the positioning negotiation method 400 are shown, but these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or Figure 7 Variations of the various operations in .

[0359] The transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information described in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a protocol stack for transmitting user plane positioning information or a user plane protocol stack, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0360] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is illustrated by taking two transmission protocols (i.e., the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol) for transmitting user plane positioning information as an example. Of course, the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to more (such as 3, 4, 5, ... etc.) transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0361] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by 3GPP.

[0362] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is Secure User Plane Location (SUPL). Of course, the first transmission protocol may also be other user plane location transmission protocols not formulated by 3GPP.

[0363] In some embodiments, the second transmission protocol is a Location Service-User Plane Protocol (LCS-UPP). Of course, the second transmission protocol may also be other user plane location transmission protocols developed by 3GPP.

[0364] In some embodiments, the first core network device may be an AMF entity. Of course, the first core network device may also be other core network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0365] In some embodiments, the second core network device is a device that establishes a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device. For example, the second core network device is an LMF entity. Of course, the second core network device can also be other core network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0366] In some embodiments, the second core network device may also be replaced by a third-party device (such as a location service (LCS) client) or a 5GC NF entity (such as NWDAF).

[0367] In some embodiments, the third message is used to request to establish a user plane location connection. That is, the second core network device (such as LMF entity) triggers or initiates a user plane location process.

[0368] In some embodiments, the second specified protocol includes one of the following: a first transmission protocol, a second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0369] Exemplarily, when the second designated protocol includes the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol, one implementation method is to use the first transmission protocol to transmit LPP messages, and use the second transmission protocol to transmit location service supplementary service (LCS-SS) messages.

[0370] In some embodiments, the third message may not include the second designated protocol. In this case, it is assumed that the second core network device supports all transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0371] In some embodiments, the third message may also carry at least one of the following: an identifier of the terminal device (such as UE ID), security key information, an IP address of the second core network device, etc. Of course, the third message may also carry other information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0372] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation method 400 further includes:

[0373] The second core network device receives a fourth message from the first core network device;

[0374] The fourth message includes second confirmation information, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0375] In some embodiments, the fourth message may indicate whether the user plane positioning connection is successfully established. For example, when the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts the use of the second specified protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, the fourth message may indicate that the user plane positioning connection is successfully established. For another example, when the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, the fourth message may indicate that the user plane positioning connection is not successfully established.

[0376] In some embodiments, when the second confirmation information represents that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the fourth message also includes a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0377] In some embodiments, the third cause value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0378] In some embodiments, the fourth message also includes a first capability, where the first capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0379] In some embodiments, before the second core network device sends the third message, the positioning negotiation method 400 further includes:

[0380] The second core network device receives a fifth message from the first core network device; wherein the fifth message is used to obtain location information of the terminal device, and the fifth message includes a first capability, and the first capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0381] In some embodiments, the first capability includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0382] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0383] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0384] The terminal device transmits user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0385] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports using the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, including:

[0386] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information; or,

[0387] The terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit user plane positioning information; or,

[0388] The terminal device only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the first transmission protocol.

[0389] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports using the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane location information, including:

[0390] The terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0391] The terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device does not support the use of other transmission protocols to transmit the user plane positioning information; or,

[0392] The terminal device only supports the transmission of user plane positioning information using the second transmission protocol.

[0393] In some embodiments, the first capability may be characterized by the terminal device supporting the user plane positioning capability to characterize that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information. That is, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0394] For example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0395] For another example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0396] For another example, when the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, it is assumed that the terminal device supports the use of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol to transmit the user plane positioning information.

[0397] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the second core network device can interact with the terminal device and / or the first core network device for relevant information of the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information, so that the terminal side and the network side can negotiate and determine the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information and improve the transmission efficiency of user plane positioning information.

[0398] The technical solution of the present application is described below by taking Embodiments 1 to 4 as examples. When establishing a user plane positioning connection, one or more transmission protocols (also referred to as protocol stacks) are used to transmit positioning information on user plane resources.

[0399] The following embodiments are described by taking the first core network device as an AMF entity and the second core network device as an LMF entity as an example, and taking the first transmission protocol as SUPL and the second transmission protocol as LCS-UPP as an example. Specifically, the terminal side and the network side can interact with each other's supported transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the AMF entity or the LMF entity determines the final selected transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0400] The following embodiments mainly focus on two processes: one is the user plane positioning process initiated by the terminal side (embodiment one); the other is the user plane positioning process initiated by the network side (embodiments two, three and four). Among them, in embodiments one and two, the AMF entity determines the final transmission protocol used to transmit the user plane positioning information, in embodiment three, the LMF entity determines the final transmission protocol used to transmit the user plane positioning information, and in embodiment four, the LMF entity locally determines the transmission protocol used to transmit the user plane positioning information, and the terminal device replies to confirm whether it is supported.

[0401] Embodiment 1: When the UE initiates a user plane location request, the AMF entity determines the transmission protocol ultimately used to transmit the user plane location information, which may specifically include part or all of the following steps 1-0 to 1-7, such as Figure 8 shown.

[0402] Step 1-0, the AMF entity obtains and saves the transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by one or more LMF entities through local configuration or NRF query method; wherein, the transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by the LMF entity include but are not limited to: not supporting user plane positioning capability, supporting the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, supporting the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, and supporting the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information. The following Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 3 omit this step, but it is still possible to obtain and save the transmission protocols for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by one or more LMF entities through local configuration or NEF query method.

[0403] Step 1-1, the terminal device (UE) sends a registration request message to the AMF entity to provide registration information and perform network registration. When the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning capability, the terminal device provides a first capability in the registration request message; wherein the first capability includes but is not limited to: the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information; the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the terminal device supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0404] It should be noted that the difference between the first capability and the user plane positioning capability is that the latter refers to whether the user plane positioning capability is supported, while the former refers to what transmission protocol is supported for transmitting user plane positioning information when the user plane positioning capability is supported.

[0405] For example, the terminal device may indicate the first capability in the 5GMM capability, or may use a new IE to indicate the first capability. Optionally, the terminal device may send the registration request message carrying the first capability in the initial registration and periodic update process.

[0406] Step 1-2, the AMF entity saves the first capability as terminal context information (UE context). The AMF entity sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device of the registration result and the information of the control plane N1 connection. When the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, the AMF entity carries the second capability and / or the network supports the user plane positioning capability in the registration acceptance message.

[0407] The second capability includes but is not limited to:

[0408] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0409] The network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane location information;

[0410] The network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0411] The network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0412] The network supports user plane positioning capabilities including but not limited to:

[0413] The network supports user plane positioning;

[0414] The network does not support user plane positioning.

[0415] In one implementation method, the AMF entity carries the network support user plane positioning capability in the registration acceptance message, and does not carry the second capability. After receiving the registration acceptance message, the terminal device understands that the network supports the use of all transmission protocols to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0416] It should be noted that when at least one LMF entity in the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information; when at least one LMF entity in the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one LMF in the network that supports both the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information and the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; if none of the LMFs in the network support the user plane positioning function, it can be characterized that the network does not support user plane positioning capability.

[0417] In one implementation, the network may forcibly support the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; or, when there are multiple LMF entities in the network, some LMF entities support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and some LMF entities support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, then the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0418] Optionally, the AMF entity does not need to consider the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message to indicate whether the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, and directly carries the second capability in the registration acceptance message.

[0419] One implementation method is that the AMF entity indicates the above-mentioned second capability in the 5GS network feature support IE.

[0420] Step 1-3: When the terminal device expects to use the user plane positioning function in subsequent use, the terminal device sends a user plane positioning request message to the network side (that is, the terminal device triggers the user plane positioning process), carrying a first specified protocol. The first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0421] The first designated protocol includes one of the following:

[0422] SUPL;

[0423] LCS-UPP;

[0424] SUPL or LCS-UPP (it should be noted that if the UE does not provide the first specified protocol and indicates support for SUPL and LCS-UPP, the network side assumes that the terminal device supports all protocols after receiving the user plane positioning establishment request message);

[0425] SUPL and LCS-UPP; (It should be noted that this option is used when both the terminal side and the network side support SUPL and LCS-UPP, and SUPL can be used to transmit LPP messages, and LCS-UPP can be used to transmit LCS-SS messages).

[0426] It should be noted that when steps 1-1 and 1-2 occur, if the terminal device learns that the transmission protocol supported by the network side is different from the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device (for example, the terminal device supports SUPL and the network supports LCS-UPP, or the terminal device supports LCS-UPP and the network supports SUPL), the terminal device cannot initiate a user plane positioning establishment request message (ie, step 1-3). When both the network side and the terminal side support SUPL and LCS-UPP, the terminal device may optionally provide the first designated protocol to the network.

[0427] Steps 1-4: The AMF entity performs at least one of the following operations:

[0428] LMF entity selection,considers the capability of the user plane location protocol stack of LMF;

[0429] Determine a second designated protocol, where the second designated protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the AMF entity for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0430] One implementation method is that a policy control function (PCF) entity indicates the second designated protocol in a terminal policy (UE policy) related process.

[0431] In steps 1-5 and 1-6, the AMF entity exchanges user plane positioning information with the LMF entity.

[0432] Step 1-7: If the network can provide user plane positioning service for the terminal, the AMF entity sends a user plane positioning reply message to the terminal device, carrying the second specified protocol and IP address information.

[0433] Among them, the IP address information is used to represent the address of the LMF entity.

[0434] The second specified protocol includes one of the following:

[0435] SUPL;

[0436] LCS-UPP;

[0437] SUPL and LCS-UPP; (It should be noted that this option is used when both parties support two protocol stacks. One implementation method is to use SUPL to transmit LPP messages and use LCS-UPP to transmit LCS-SS messages).

[0438] Specifically, if the network cannot provide user plane positioning service for the terminal, the AMF entity sends a user plane positioning rejection message to the terminal device, carrying a second cause value. The second cause value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0439] The second cause value includes at least one of the following: not supporting the first specified protocol, not supporting SUPL, not supporting LCS-UPP, and LMF entity congestion.

[0440] Optionally, when the user plane positioning reject message carries the second cause value, the user plane positioning reject message further includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0441] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, for the capability interaction of the above steps 1-1 and 1-2, and the transmission protocol (also referred to as a protocol stack) communication of steps 1-3 and 1-7, the following description is given:

[0442] 1) Either capability interaction or transmission protocol communication must be performed, otherwise the transmission protocol cannot be determined.

[0443] 2) When the UE or the network indicates support for user plane positioning capability, it indicates support for using at least one transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information (one of which: support for SUPL; support for LCS-UPP; support for SUPL and LCS-UPP).

[0444] 3) When capability interaction is mandatory: Step 1-2 is mandatory. The terminal device knows the transmission protocol it supports for transmitting positioning information, and must know the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting positioning information. If the terminal supports transmission protocol A and the network supports transmission protocol A in step 1-2, then all subsequent information may not be carried (or subsequent steps may not be executed) because only transmission protocol A can be used; if the terminal device supports transmission protocol A and the network supports transmission protocol B in step 1-2, then the terminal device cannot send the user plane positioning request message in step 1-3; if the terminal device supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B, and supports transmission protocol A in step 1-2, then the terminal device can only choose to use transmission protocol A, and subsequent information may not be carried; if the terminal supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B, and supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B in step 1-2, then the transmission protocol selected for transmitting positioning information is determined based on its own implementation or the transmission protocol communication part of executing steps 1-3 and 1-7.

[0445] 4) When transmission protocol communication is required: At this time, capability interaction does not occur. Before establishing a connection, both the terminal side and the network side do not know the transmission protocols supported by the other side. It may be that only one or both are supported. Both parties need to perform steps 1-3 / step 1-7 to determine the final transmission protocol used to transmit positioning information.

[0446] Embodiment 2: When the LMF entity initiates a user plane location request, the AMF entity determines the transmission protocol ultimately used to transmit the user plane location information, which may specifically include part or all of the following steps 2-1 to 2-8, such as Fig. 9 shown.

[0447] Step 2-1, the terminal device (UE) sends a registration request message to the AMF entity to provide registration information and perform network registration. When the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning capability, the terminal device provides a first capability in the registration request message, wherein the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information; wherein the first capability includes but is not limited to: the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information; the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the terminal device supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0448] It should be noted that the difference between the first capability and the user plane positioning capability is that the latter refers to whether the user plane positioning capability is supported, while the former refers to what transmission protocol is supported for transmitting user plane positioning information when the user plane positioning capability is supported.

[0449] For example, the terminal device may indicate the first capability in the 5GMM capability, or may use a new IE to indicate the first capability. Optionally, the terminal device may send the registration request message carrying the first capability in the initial registration and periodic update process.

[0450] Step 2-2, the AMF entity saves the first capability as terminal context information (UE context). The AMF entity sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device of the registration result and the information of the control plane N1 connection. When the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, the AMF entity carries the second capability and / or the network supports the user plane positioning capability in the registration acceptance message.

[0451] The second capability includes but is not limited to:

[0452] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0453] The network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane location information;

[0454] The network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0455] The network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0456] The network supports user plane positioning capabilities including but not limited to:

[0457] The network supports user plane positioning;

[0458] The network does not support user plane positioning.

[0459] In one implementation method, the AMF entity carries the network support user plane positioning capability in the registration acceptance message, and does not carry the second capability. After receiving the registration acceptance message, the terminal device understands that the network supports the use of all transmission protocols to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0460] It should be noted that when at least one LMF entity in the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information; when at least one LMF entity in the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one LMF in the network that supports both the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information and the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; if none of the LMFs in the network support the user plane positioning function, it can be characterized that the network does not support user plane positioning capability.

[0461] In one implementation, the network may forcibly support the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; or, when there are multiple LMF entities in the network, some LMF entities support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and some LMF entities support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, then the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0462] Optionally, the AMF entity does not need to consider the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message to indicate whether the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, and directly carries the second capability in the registration acceptance message.

[0463] One implementation method is that the AMF entity indicates the above-mentioned second capability in the 5GS network feature support IE.

[0464] Step 2-3, the LMF entity sends a message to the AMF entity, requesting to establish a user plane location connection, carrying a second specified protocol, UE ID, security key information, and LMF IP address; wherein the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the LMF entity for transmitting user plane location information. If the second specified protocol is not optionally carried, the AMF entity understands that the LMF entity supports all transmission protocols.

[0465] Step 2-4, the AMF entity performs transmission protocol selection, considering the first capability in the saved UE context, wherein the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0466] In some embodiments, the first capability includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0467] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane positioning information using SUPL;

[0468] The terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0469] The terminal device supports using SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0470] Specifically, an example of the operation of transmission protocol selection is as follows: if both the terminal and the network support transmission protocol A, transmission protocol A is selected as the transmission protocol, and steps 2-6 are executed; if one party supports transmission protocol A and the other party supports transmission protocol B, the transmission protocol specified by the LMF entity does not overlap with the transmission protocol supported by the current UE, and steps 2-5 are executed; if one party supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B and the other party supports transmission protocol A, transmission protocol A is selected to transmit the user plane positioning information, and steps 2-6 are executed; if both the terminal and the network support multiple protocol stacks, the AMF entity selects the transmission protocol for transmitting the user plane positioning information based on the local policy, and steps 2-6 to 2-8 are executed.

[0471] Step 2-5: If the transmission protocol specified by the LMF entity for transmitting user plane positioning information does not overlap with the transmission protocol supported by the current UE for transmitting user plane positioning information, the AMF entity sends a notification message to the LMF entity, carrying a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0472] Optionally, the third cause value includes one of the following: not supporting the second specified protocol, not supporting SUPL, and not supporting LCS-UPP.

[0473] Optionally, the notification message in step 2-5 also includes the first capability.

[0474] Step 2-6: If the transmission protocol specified by the LMF entity for transmitting user plane positioning information coincides with the transmission protocol supported by the current UE for transmitting user plane positioning information, the AMF entity sends a user plane positioning request message to the terminal, carrying the second specified protocol.

[0475] The user plane positioning request message can be transmitted in one method by using a payload container IE in a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message, or in another method by using a new IE in a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message.

[0476] Step 2-7, the terminal device sends a user plane location reply message to the network side, confirms the user plane location request message of step 2-6 and establishes user plane resources.

[0477] One method for the user plane positioning reply message is to use a new IE in an uplink NAS transport (UL NAS TRANSPORT) message for transmission.

[0478] Step 2-8: The AMF entity sends a confirmation message to the LMF entity, indicating whether the user plane positioning connection is successfully established.

[0479] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, for the capability interaction of step 1 / step 2 and the transmission protocol (also referred to as protocol stack) confirmation of steps 2-6, the following description is given:

[0480] 1) Either capability interaction or transmission protocol confirmation must be performed, otherwise the transmission protocol cannot be determined.

[0481] 2) When the UE indicates support for user plane positioning capability, it means that it supports the use of at least one transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information (one of which: supports SUPL; supports LCS-UPP; supports SUPL and LCS-UPP). The final one to be used is determined by communication in steps 2-6 to 2-8.

[0482] 3) When capability interaction is mandatory: Step 2-1 is mandatory. The network knows the transmission protocols it supports for transmitting positioning information, but at the same time it must know the transmission protocols supported by the terminal for transmitting positioning information. If the network supports transmission protocol A and the terminal supports transmission protocol A in step 2-1, then all subsequent information may not be carried to the terminal because only transmission protocol A can be used; if the network only supports transmission protocol A and the terminal supports transmission protocol B in step 2-1, then AMF will reject the user plane positioning service for the terminal in step 2-5, and step 2-6 will not occur; if the network supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B, and the terminal only supports transmission protocol A in step 2-1, then the network can only choose to use transmission protocol A, and subsequent information may not be carried; if the network supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B, and the terminal supports transmission protocol A and transmission protocol B in step 2-1, then the choice of which transmission protocol to use for transmitting positioning information is based on its own implementation, and the terminal is informed in step 2-6.

[0483] 4) When transmission protocol communication is required: At this time, capability interaction does not occur. Before establishing a connection, both the terminal side and the network side do not know the protocol stack supported by the other side. It may be that only one or both are supported. Both parties need to perform steps 2-6 and 2-7 to determine the final transmission protocol used to transmit positioning information.

[0484] Embodiment 3: When the AMF entity requests the location information of the UE, the AMF entity informs the LMF entity of the first capability, and the LMF entity determines the transmission protocol used to transmit the user plane positioning information, wherein the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting the user plane positioning information, which may specifically include part or all of the following steps 3-1 to 3-10, such as Fig.10 shown.

[0485] Step 3-1, the terminal device (UE) sends a registration request message to the AMF entity to provide registration information and perform network registration. When the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports user plane positioning capability, the terminal device provides a first capability in the registration request message; wherein the first capability includes but is not limited to: the terminal device supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information; the terminal device supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; the terminal device supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0486] It should be noted that the difference between the first capability and the user plane positioning capability is that the latter refers to whether the user plane positioning capability is supported, while the former refers to what transmission protocol is supported for transmitting user plane positioning information when the user plane positioning capability is supported.

[0487] For example, the terminal device may indicate the first capability in the 5GMM capability, or may use a new IE to indicate the first capability. Optionally, the terminal device may send the registration request message carrying the first capability in the initial registration and periodic update process.

[0488] Step 3-2, the AMF entity saves the first capability as terminal context information (UE context). The AMF entity sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device of the registration result and the information of the control plane N1 connection. When the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message indicates that the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, the AMF entity carries the second capability and / or the network supports the user plane positioning capability in the registration acceptance message.

[0489] The second capability includes but is not limited to:

[0490] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0491] The network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane location information;

[0492] The network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0493] The network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0494] The network supports user plane positioning capabilities including but not limited to:

[0495] The network supports user plane positioning;

[0496] The network does not support user plane positioning.

[0497] In one implementation method, the AMF entity carries the network support user plane positioning capability in the registration acceptance message, and does not carry the second capability. After receiving the registration acceptance message, the terminal device understands that the network supports the use of all transmission protocols to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0498] It should be noted that when at least one LMF entity in the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information; when at least one LMF entity in the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; if there is at least one LMF in the network that supports both the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information and the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, it can be characterized that the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; if none of the LMFs in the network support the user plane positioning function, it can be characterized that the network does not support user plane positioning capability.

[0499] In one implementation, the network may forcibly support the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information; or, when there are multiple LMF entities in the network, some LMF entities support the use of SUPL to transmit user plane positioning information, and some LMF entities support the use of LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information, then the network supports the use of SUPL and LCS-UPP to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0500] Optionally, the AMF entity does not need to consider the bit information carried by the terminal device in the registration request message to indicate whether the terminal device supports the user plane positioning capability, and directly carries the second capability in the registration acceptance message.

[0501] One implementation method is that the AMF entity indicates the above-mentioned second capability in the 5GS network feature support IE.

[0502] Step 3-3: The AMF entity receives the location request message from the 5G network element, which carries information such as UE ID.

[0503] Step 3-4, the AMF entity selects an LMF entity and sends a location request confirmation message to the selected LMF entity, carrying the user plane positioning capability of the terminal device and the first capability.

[0504] Step 3-5: The LMF entity responds to the location request confirmation message received in step 3-4.

[0505] Step 3-6, the LMF entity saves the information in step 3-4. In addition, the LMF entity performs transmission protocol selection: considering the first capability and the transmission protocol supported by the LMF entity itself for transmitting user plane positioning information, a second designated protocol is determined, wherein the second designated protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the LMF entity for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0506] Optionally, the second designated protocol includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0507] SUPL, LCS-UPP, SUPL or LCS-UPP, SUPL and LCS-UPP.

[0508] It should be noted that if the transmission protocol supported by the terminal for transmitting user plane positioning information does not overlap with the transmission protocol supported by the LMF entity for transmitting user plane positioning information, the LMF entity cannot initiate establishment of a user plane positioning connection with the terminal.

[0509] Step 3-7, the LMF entity sends Namf_communication_N1N2 transmission (user plane positioning request message) to the AMF entity, requesting to establish a user plane positioning connection, carrying the second specified protocol.

[0510] Step 3-8, the AMF entity sends a downlink NAS transmission (ie, a user plane positioning request message) to the terminal, carrying the second specified protocol.

[0511] The user plane positioning request message can be transmitted in one method by using a payload container IE in a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message, or in another method by using a new IE in a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message.

[0512] Step 3-9, the terminal device sends a user plane location reply message to the network side, confirms the user plane location request message of step 3-7 and establishes user plane resources.

[0513] One method for the user plane positioning reply message is to use a new IE in an uplink NAS transport (UL NAS TRANSPORT) message for transmission.

[0514] Step 3-10: The AMF entity sends a confirmation message to the LMF entity, indicating whether the user plane positioning connection is successfully established.

[0515] Embodiment 4: When the LMF entity initiates a user plane location request, there is no capability interaction, the LMF entity directly selects a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane location information, and the UE can subsequently accept or reject it in the reply, which may specifically include part or all of the following steps 4-1 to 4-5, such as Fig.11 shown.

[0516] Step 4-1: The LMF entity decides to use user plane positioning and selects a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0517] Step 4-2, the LMF entity sends a user plane positioning request message to the AMF entity, requesting to establish a user plane positioning connection, carrying a second specified protocol, where the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the LMF entity for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0518] Optionally, the second designated protocol includes but is not limited to one of the following:

[0519] SUPL, LCS-UPP, SUPL or LCS-UPP, SUPL and LCS-UPP.

[0520] Step 4-3, the AMF entity sends a user plane positioning request message to the terminal, carrying the second specified protocol.

[0521] The user plane positioning request message can be transmitted in one method by using a payload container IE in a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message, or in another method by using a new IE in a downlink NAS transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message.

[0522] Step 4-4, the terminal device sends a user plane location reply message to the network side, including two types of acceptance messages and rejection messages. Acceptance means confirming the receipt of the user plane location request message in step 4-3 and establishing user plane resources. The rejection message rejects the user plane location request message in step 4-3, and optionally carries a first cause value, wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device rejects the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane location connection.

[0523] Optionally, the first cause value includes but is not limited to one of the following: not supporting the second specified protocol, not supporting SUPL, and not supporting LCS-UPP.

[0524] Optionally, when the first message includes the first cause value, the first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0525] One method for the user plane positioning reply message is to use a new IE in an uplink NAS transport (UL NAS TRANSPORT) message for transmission.

[0526] It should be noted that the AMF entity does not store the first capability and the second capability; wherein the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane location information, and the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane location information. If the LMF entity selects the transmission protocol based on the local policy, step 4-3 is sent to the terminal. In this way, after the terminal receives the step 4-3 message, if it finds that the second specified protocol is not supported locally, the first reason value is carried in the reply message.

[0527] Step 4-5, the AMF entity replies an acceptance or rejection message to the LMF entity. Optionally, if the terminal device does not support the second specified protocol, the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting the user plane location information is stored in the LMF entity or the AMF entity. If the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting the user plane location information is provided in step 4-4, the LMF entity may carry the supported transmission protocol in the subsequent user plane location request.

[0528] Combination of the above Figures 5 to 11 , describes in detail the method embodiment of the present application, and the following is combined with Figure 12 to Figure 14 , the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail. It should be understood that the device embodiments and the method embodiments correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can refer to the method embodiments.

[0529] Fig.12 FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a positioning negotiation apparatus 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig.12 As shown, the positioning negotiation device 500 includes:

[0530] A sending unit 510 is configured to send a first message to a first core network device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0531] The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message;

[0532] Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the positioning negotiation device 500 for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information that the positioning negotiation device 500 expects to use, and the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the positioning negotiation device 500 accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device.

[0533] In some embodiments, the first capability includes one of the following:

[0534] The positioning negotiation device 500 supports the use of a first transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0535] The positioning negotiation device 500 supports the use of a second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information;

[0536] The positioning negotiation apparatus 500 supports the use of a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0537] In some embodiments, the first specified protocol includes one of the following:

[0538] First transmission protocol, second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol or second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol and second transmission protocol.

[0539] In some embodiments, the second specified protocol includes one of the following:

[0540] First transmission protocol, second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol or second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol and second transmission protocol.

[0541] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first confirmation information, and the first confirmation information represents that the positioning negotiation device 500 refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the first message also includes a first cause value, wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the positioning negotiation device 500 rejects the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0542] In some embodiments, the first cause value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0543] In some embodiments, the first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the positioning negotiation apparatus 500 for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0544] In some embodiments, when the first message is used for network registration, the first message includes the first capability; or,

[0545] In the case where the first message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the first message includes one or more of the following: the first capability, the first designated protocol, and the first confirmation information.

[0546] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation device 500 further includes:

[0547] The receiving unit 520 is configured to receive a second message from the first core network device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; wherein,

[0548] The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, the second specified protocol, and a second cause value;

[0549] The second capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the second cause value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the positioning negotiation device 500.

[0550] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first capability, the second message is received by the positioning negotiation apparatus 500 after sending the first message, and the second message includes the second capability; or,

[0551] In the case where the first specified protocol is included in the first message, the second message is received by the positioning negotiation device 500 after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate acceptance of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the positioning negotiation device 500, and the second message carries the second specified protocol; or, in the case where the first specified protocol is included in the first message, the second message is received by the positioning negotiation device 500 after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate rejection of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the positioning negotiation device 500, and the second message carries the second cause value; or,

[0552] In a case where the first confirmation information is included in the first message, the second message is received by the positioning negotiation apparatus 500 before sending the first message, and the second message carries the second designated protocol.

[0553] In some embodiments, the second capability includes one of the following:

[0554] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0555] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0556] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0557] The network supports transmission of user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0558] In some embodiments, the second capability characterizes that the network supports user plane location information transmission by using the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol.

[0559] In some embodiments, the second cause value includes at least one of the following: the first specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, the second transmission protocol is not supported, and the second core network device is congested.

[0560] In some embodiments, when the second cause value is carried in the second message, the second message also includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0561] In some embodiments, when the second message is used for network registration, the second message includes the second capability; or,

[0562] In the case where the second message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the second message includes one or more of the following: the second capability, the second specified protocol, and the second cause value.

[0563] In some embodiments, the second designated protocol is determined by the first core network device or the second core network device.

[0564] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by the 3GPP.

[0565] In some embodiments, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0566] It should be understood that the positioning negotiation device 500 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the terminal device in the method embodiment of the present application, and the above and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the positioning negotiation device 500 are respectively to implement Figure 5 For the sake of brevity, the corresponding process of the terminal device in the method 200 is not repeated here.

[0567] Fig.13 FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a positioning negotiation apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig.13 As shown, the positioning negotiation device 600 includes:

[0568] A sending unit 610 is configured to send a second message to a terminal device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0569] The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value;

[0570] Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the positioning negotiation device 600 or the transmission protocol specified by the second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0571] In some embodiments, the second capability includes one of the following:

[0572] The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities;

[0573] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0574] The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0575] The network supports transmission of user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0576] In some embodiments, the second capability characterizes that the network supports user plane location information transmission by using the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol.

[0577] In some embodiments, the second cause value includes at least one of the following: the first specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, the second transmission protocol is not supported, and the second core network device is congested;

[0578] The first designated protocol includes a transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0579] In some embodiments, when the second cause value is carried in the second message, the second message also includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0580] In some embodiments, the second specified protocol includes one of the following: a first transmission protocol, a second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0581] In some embodiments, the second designated protocol is determined by the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 or the second core network device.

[0582] In some embodiments, when the second message is used for network registration, the second message includes the second capability; or,

[0583] In the case where the second message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the second message includes one or more of the following: the second capability, the second specified protocol, and the second cause value.

[0584] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation device 600 further includes:

[0585] The receiving unit 620 is configured to receive a first message from the terminal device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection;

[0586] The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message;

[0587] Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0588] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first capability, the second message is sent by the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 after receiving the first message, and the second message includes the second capability; or,

[0589] In the case where the first message includes the first designated protocol, the second message is sent by the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 after receiving the first message, and the second message is used to indicate acceptance of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the terminal device, and the second message carries the second designated protocol; or, in the case where the first message includes the first designated protocol, the second message is sent by the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 after receiving the first message, and the second message is used to indicate rejection of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the terminal device, and the second message carries the second cause value; or,

[0590] In the case that the first message includes the first confirmation information, the second message is sent by the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 before receiving the first message, and the second message carries the second designated protocol.

[0591] In some embodiments, the first capability includes one of the following:

[0592] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0593] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0594] The terminal device transmits user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0595] In some embodiments, the first designated protocol includes one of: a first transmission protocol, a second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0596] In some embodiments, when the first message includes the first confirmation information, and the first confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the first message also includes a first cause value; wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane positioning connection.

[0597] In some embodiments, the first reason value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0598] In some embodiments, the first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0599] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 further includes: a processing unit 630;

[0600] The processing unit 630 is used to select a second core network device to establish a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device from the at least one second core network device according to the first capability and / or the first specified protocol, and a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by at least one second core network device; and / or,

[0601] The processing unit 630 is used to determine the second designated protocol according to the first capability and / or the first designated protocol, and a transmission protocol supported by at least one second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0602] In some embodiments, before the positioning negotiation apparatus 600 sends the second message, the receiving unit 620 is used to receive a third message from a second core network device; wherein the third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, and the third message includes the second specified protocol.

[0603] In some embodiments, the sending unit 610 is further configured to send a fourth message to the second core network device;

[0604] The fourth message includes second confirmation information, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0605] In some embodiments, when the second confirmation information represents that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the fourth message also includes a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0606] In some embodiments, the third cause value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0607] In some embodiments, the fourth message also includes the first capability.

[0608] In some embodiments, before the positioning negotiation device 600 receives the third message, the sending unit 610 is also used to send a fifth message to the second core network device; wherein the fifth message is used to obtain the location information of the terminal device, and the fifth message includes the first capability.

[0609] In some embodiments, the second core network device is selected from the at least one second core network device as the positioning negotiation device 600 based on the first capability and / or the first specified protocol, and a transmission protocol supported by at least one second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0610] In some embodiments, when the first message is used for network registration, the first message includes the first capability; or,

[0611] In the case where the first message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the first message includes one or more of the following: the first capability, the first designated protocol, and the first confirmation information.

[0612] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by the 3GPP.

[0613] In some embodiments, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0614] It should be understood that the positioning negotiation device 600 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the first core network device in the method embodiment of the present application, and the above and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the positioning negotiation device 600 are respectively to implement Figure 6 For the sake of brevity, the corresponding process of the first core network device in the method 300 is not repeated here.

[0615] Fig.14 FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a positioning negotiation apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig.14 As shown, the positioning negotiation device 700 includes:

[0616] The sending unit 710 is configured to send a third message to the first core network device;

[0617] The third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, and the third message includes a second specified protocol, and the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the positioning negotiation device 700 for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0618] In some embodiments, the second specified protocol includes one of the following: a first transmission protocol, a second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

[0619] In some embodiments, the positioning negotiation device 700 further includes:

[0620] The receiving unit 720 is configured to receive a fourth message from the first core network device;

[0621] The fourth message includes second confirmation information, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0622] In some embodiments, when the second confirmation information represents that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the fourth message also includes a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

[0623] In some embodiments, the third cause value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

[0624] In some embodiments, the fourth message also includes a first capability, where the first capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0625] In some embodiments, before the positioning negotiation device 700 sends the third message, the receiving unit 720 is also used to receive a fifth message from the first core network device; wherein the fifth message is used to obtain the location information of the terminal device, and the fifth message includes a first capability, and the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

[0626] In some embodiments, the first capability includes one of the following:

[0627] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol;

[0628] The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol;

[0629] The terminal device transmits user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

[0630] In some embodiments, the first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by the 3GPP.

[0631] In some embodiments, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0632] It should be understood that the positioning negotiation device 700 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the second core network device in the method embodiment of the present application, and the above and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the positioning negotiation device 700 are respectively to implement Figure 7 For the sake of brevity, the corresponding process of the second core network device in the method 400 is not repeated here.

[0633] Fig.15 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.15 The communication device 800 shown includes a processor 810, and the processor 810 can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0634] In some embodiments, Fig.15 As shown, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 820. The processor 810 may call and run a computer program from the memory 820 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0635] The memory 820 may be a separate device independent of the processor 810 , or may be integrated into the processor 810 .

[0636] In some embodiments, Fig.15 As shown, the communication device 800 may further include a transceiver 830, and the processor 810 may control the transceiver 830 to communicate with other devices, specifically, may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0637] The transceiver 830 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 830 may further include an antenna, and the number of the antennas may be one or more.

[0638] In some embodiments, the processor 810 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a terminal device, or the processor 810 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a core network device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0639] In some embodiments, the transceiver 830 may implement the functions of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit in a terminal device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0640] In some embodiments, the transceiver 830 may implement the functions of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit in a core network device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0641] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 may specifically be a core network device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 800 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the core network device in each method of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be described again here for the sake of brevity.

[0642] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 may specifically be a terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 800 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0643] Fig.16 It is a schematic structural diagram of the device of an embodiment of the present application. Fig.16 The device 900 shown includes a processor 910, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0644] In some embodiments, Fig.16 As shown, the apparatus 900 may further include a memory 920. The processor 910 may call and run a computer program from the memory 920 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0645] The memory 920 may be a separate device independent of the processor 910 , or may be integrated into the processor 910 .

[0646] In some embodiments, the processor 910 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a terminal device, or the processor 910 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a core network device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0647] In some embodiments, the device 900 may further include an input interface 930. The processor 910 may control the input interface 930 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips. Optionally, the processor 910 may be located inside or outside the chip.

[0648] In some embodiments, the input interface 930 may implement the function of a receiving unit in a terminal device, or the input interface 930 may implement the function of a receiving unit in a core network device.

[0649] In some embodiments, the apparatus 900 may further include an output interface 940. The processor 910 may control the output interface 940 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips. Optionally, the processor 910 may be located inside or outside the chip.

[0650] In some embodiments, the output interface 940 may implement the function of a sending unit in a terminal device, or the output interface 940 may implement the function of a sending unit in a core network device.

[0651] In some embodiments, the device can be applied to the core network equipment in the embodiments of the present application, and the device can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the core network equipment in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0652] In some embodiments, the apparatus can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the apparatus can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods in the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0653] In some embodiments, the device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be a chip, for example, a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip, a chip system, or a system-on-chip chip.

[0654] Fig.17 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.17 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a terminal device 1010 and a core network device 1020.

[0655] Among them, the terminal device 1010 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, and the core network device 1020 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the core network device (the first core network device and / or the second core network device) in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0656] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiment of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit or software instructions in the processor. The above processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to perform, or the hardware and software modules in the decoding processor are combined and performed. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, and other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0657] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0658] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memory is exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memory in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synch link DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM), etc. That is to say, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0659] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0660] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0661] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0662] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0663] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0664] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. In view of such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product in essence or in other words, the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0665] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A positioning negotiation method, characterized in that: include: The terminal device sends a first message to the first core network device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message; Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first capability includes one of the following: The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol; The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol; The terminal device supports the use of a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first specified protocol includes one of the following: First transmission protocol, second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol or second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol and second transmission protocol.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second designated protocol includes one of the following: First transmission protocol, second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol or second transmission protocol, first transmission protocol and second transmission protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In the case where the first confirmation information is included in the first message, and the first confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the first message also includes a first cause value, wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane positioning connection.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first reason value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that In the case where the first message is used for network registration, the first message includes the first capability; or, In the case where the first message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the first message includes one or more of the following: the first capability, the first designated protocol, and the first confirmation information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal device receives a second message from the first core network device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; wherein, The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, the second specified protocol, and a second cause value; The second capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the second cause value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that In a case where the first capability is included in the first message, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message includes the second capability; or, In the case where the first specified protocol is included in the first message, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate acceptance of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the terminal device, and the second message carries the second specified protocol; or, in the case where the first specified protocol is included in the first message, the second message is received by the terminal device after sending the first message, and the second message is used to indicate rejection of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the terminal device, and the second message carries the second reason value; or, In a case where the first confirmation information is included in the first message, the second message is received by the terminal device before sending the first message, and the second message carries the second designated protocol.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The second capability includes one of the following: The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities; The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol; The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol; The network supports transmission of user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second capability characterizes that the network supports user plane positioning capability and that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

13. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The second reason value includes at least one of the following: the first specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, the second transmission protocol is not supported, and the second core network device is congested.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that When the second cause value is carried in the second message, the second message also includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that In the case where the second message is used for network registration, the second message includes the second capability; or, In the case where the second message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the second message includes one or more of the following: the second capability, the second specified protocol, and the second cause value.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The second designated protocol is determined by the first core network device or the second core network device.

17. The method according to claim 2, 3, 4, 11 or 12, characterized in that The first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by the Third Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by the 3GPP.

18. A method for positioning negotiation, characterized in that: include: The first core network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value; Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The second capability includes one of the following: The network does not support user plane positioning capabilities; The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol; The network supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol; The network supports transmission of user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The second capability characterizes that the network supports user plane positioning capability and that the network supports the use of the first transmission protocol and / or the second transmission protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

21. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The second cause value includes at least one of the following: the first specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, the second transmission protocol is not supported, and the second core network device is congested; The first designated protocol includes a transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that When the second cause value is carried in the second message, the second message also includes transmission protocol information supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information.

23. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The second designated protocol includes one of the following: the first transmission protocol, the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

24. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The second designated protocol is determined by the first core network device or the second core network device.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that In the case where the second message is used for network registration, the second message includes the second capability; or, In the case where the second message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the second message includes one or more of the following: the second capability, the second specified protocol, and the second cause value.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first core network device receives a first message from the terminal device, where the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message; Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol that the terminal device expects to use for transmitting user plane positioning information, and the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that In a case where the first capability is included in the first message, the second message is sent by the first core network device after receiving the first message, and the second message includes the second capability; or, In the case where the first specified protocol is included in the first message, the second message is sent by the first core network device after receiving the first message, and the second message is used to indicate acceptance of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the terminal device, and the second message carries the second specified protocol; or, in the case where the first specified protocol is included in the first message, the second message is sent by the first core network device after receiving the first message, and the second message is used to indicate rejection of the request for establishing a user plane positioning connection initiated by the terminal device, and the second message carries the second reason value; or, In the case where the first confirmation information is included in the first message, the second message is sent by the first core network device before receiving the first message, and the second message carries the second specified protocol.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The first capability includes one of the following: The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol; The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol; The terminal device transmits user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

29. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The first designated protocol includes one of the following: a first transmission protocol, a second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

30. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that When the first confirmation information is included in the first message, and the first confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the first message also includes a first cause value; wherein the first cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses the request initiated by the network to establish a user plane positioning connection.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The first reason value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that The first message also includes a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

33. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 32, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first core network device selects, from the at least one second core network device, a second core network device that establishes a user plane positioning connection with the terminal device according to the first capability and / or the first specified protocol and a transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information supported by at least one second core network device; and / or, The first core network device determines the second designated protocol based on the first capability and / or the first designated protocol, and a transmission protocol supported by at least one second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

34. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 32, characterized in that Before the first core network device sends the second message, the method further includes: The first core network device receives a third message from the second core network device; wherein the third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, and the third message includes the second specified protocol.

35. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first core network device sends a fourth message to the second core network device; The fourth message includes second confirmation information, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that In the case where the second confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the fourth message also includes a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

37. The method according to claim 36, characterized in that The third reason value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

38. The method according to claim 37, characterized in that The fourth message also includes the first capability.

39. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 38, characterized in that Before the first core network device receives the third message, the method further includes: The first core network device sends a fifth message to the second core network device; wherein the fifth message is used to obtain location information of the terminal device, and the fifth message includes the first capability.

40. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 39, characterized in that The second core network device is selected from at least one second core network device by the first core network device based on the first capability and / or the first specified protocol, and a transmission protocol supported by at least one second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

41. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 40, characterized in that In the case where the first message is used for network registration, the first message includes the first capability; or, In the case where the first message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the first message includes one or more of the following: the first capability, the first designated protocol, and the first confirmation information.

42. The method of claim 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 31, 32, 37 or 38, wherein: The first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by the Third Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by the 3GPP.

43. A method for positioning negotiation, characterized in that: include: The second core network device sends a third message to the first core network device; The third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the third message includes a second specified protocol, and the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the second core network device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

44. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that The second designated protocol includes one of the following: the first transmission protocol, the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol or the second transmission protocol, the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol.

45. The method according to claim 43 or 44, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second core network device receives a fourth message from the first core network device; The fourth message includes second confirmation information, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the terminal device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

46. ​​The method according to claim 45, characterized in that In the case where the second confirmation information indicates that the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, the fourth message also includes a third cause value, and the third cause value is used to indicate the reason why the terminal device refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information.

47. The method according to claim 46, characterized in that The third reason value includes one of the following: the second specified protocol is not supported, the first transmission protocol is not supported, and the second transmission protocol is not supported.

48. The method according to claim 47, characterized in that The fourth message also includes a first capability, where the first capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

49. The method according to any one of claims 43 to 48, characterized in that Before the second core network device sends the third message, the method further includes: The second core network device receives a fifth message from the first core network device; wherein the fifth message is used to obtain location information of the terminal device, and the fifth message includes a first capability, and the first capability is used to indicate a transmission protocol supported by the terminal device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

50. The method according to claim 48 or 49, characterized in that The first capability includes one of the following: The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a first transmission protocol; The terminal device supports transmission of user plane location information using a second transmission protocol; The terminal device transmits user plane positioning information using a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol.

51. The method of claim 44, 47, 48 or 50, wherein: The first transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol not formulated by the Third Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, and the second transmission protocol is a user plane positioning transmission protocol formulated by the 3GPP.

52. A positioning negotiation device, characterized in that: include: A sending unit, configured to send a first message to a first core network device, wherein the first message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; The first message includes one or more of the following: a first capability, a first specified protocol, and a first confirmation message; Among them, the first capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the positioning negotiation device for transmitting user plane positioning information, the first specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information that the positioning negotiation device expects to use, the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the positioning negotiation device accepts or refuses to use the second specified protocol to transmit user plane positioning information, and the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the first core network device or the second core network device.

53. A positioning negotiation device, characterized in that: include: A sending unit, configured to send a second message to a terminal device, wherein the second message is used to perform network registration or establish a user plane positioning connection; The second message includes one or more of the following: a second capability, a second specified protocol, and a second cause value; Among them, the second capability is used to indicate the transmission protocol supported by the network for transmitting user plane positioning information, the second specified protocol includes the transmission protocol for transmitting user plane positioning information specified by the positioning negotiation device or the second core network device, and the second reason value is used to indicate the reason why the network rejects the request initiated by the terminal device to establish a user plane positioning connection.

54. A positioning negotiation device, characterized in that: include: A sending unit, configured to send a third message to the first core network device; The third message is used to establish a user plane positioning connection, the third message includes a second specified protocol, and the second specified protocol includes a transmission protocol specified by the positioning negotiation device for transmitting user plane positioning information.

55. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 when executed by the processor.

56. A core network device, the core network device being a first core network device, characterized in that: The core network device includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program implements the steps in the method as described in any one of claims 18 to 42 when executed by the processor.

57. A core network device, wherein the core network device is a second core network device, characterized in that: The core network device includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps in the method as described in any one of claims 43 to 51.

58. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17; or, implements the steps in the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 42; or, implements the steps in the method as claimed in any one of claims 43 to 51.

Images