Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a communication method and device, which are used for solving the problem of how to communicate terminal equipment integrating two or more capabilities with network equipment. The method comprises the steps that a paging message is received, the paging message is used for paging a first type of terminal equipment, and the first type of terminal equipment has at least two working modes of environment Internet of Things terminal equipment; and if at least two working modes of the environment Internet of Things terminal equipment exist, sending a random access request. By indicating the type of the paged terminal device in the paging message (i.e., the paged terminal device has dual mode (or multimode)), the network device can obtain the capability of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] The working principle of passive radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is that the tag converts the wireless signal sent by the reader into energy and uses the energy to drive itself to work. In the development of communications, in order to save the power consumption of terminal devices, it is proposed to introduce RFID technology into communication networks, such as ambient IoT (A-IoT). A-IoT is based on the cellular network communication infrastructure, and consists of readers and writers (and passive / semi-passive / active tags. In this scenario, the tag is the terminal in the cellular network, such as an IoT terminal with extremely low power consumption and extremely low complexity. The reader and writer can be a base station. At present, terminal devices in A-IoT can be divided into three categories: Class A devices (Device A), Class B devices (Device B), and Class C devices (Device C). Among them, Device A has no energy storage and no independent signal generation / amplification function. Device B has energy storage, but does not have the ability to generate signals independently. The use of energy stored by Device B may include methods to reflect signals. Device C has energy storage and the ability to generate signals independently. The communication methods of different device types may be different. For example, Device A and Device B rely on the continuous wave sent by the base station to send data, and Device C can generate carriers by itself to send data. For another example, the large frequency deviation of the internal crystal oscillators of Device A and Device B will cause the inability to accurately synchronize with the network time. Therefore, the access process is asynchronous access, and Device C is asynchronous. The crystal oscillator of C can be synchronized with the network time, so the access process can be synchronous access.

[0003] However, the current research on Class A devices (Device A), Class B devices (Device B), and Class C devices (Device C) is independent of each other, and does not take into account that the terminal devices in A-IoT may integrate two or three capabilities of Device A, Device A, or Device C at the same time, that is, the terminal devices may have the capabilities of both passive devices and active devices. If the terminal device only executes each active or passive module independently without optimizing the process, the base station may not be able to switch the communication mode in time. For example, when the terminal device switches to the passive module, the base station still believes that the terminal device is an active terminal, which may cause the terminal service to fail to proceed smoothly. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for solving the problem of how a terminal device integrating two or more capabilities communicates with a network device.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the execution subject of the method may be a terminal device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the terminal device. Taking the execution subject as a first terminal device as an example, the method may be implemented through the following steps: the first terminal device receives a paging message, and the paging message is used to page a first type of terminal device, and the first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; if the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device, the first terminal device sends a random access request.

[0006] This application considers introducing a terminal device with at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device. Since the research on different working modes is independent of each other and the communication methods are different, the network device indicates the type of the paged terminal device in the paging message, so that the network device can obtain the capabilities of the terminal device (that is, obtain the working mode supported by the terminal device), which helps the network device and the terminal device align the communication methods, thereby improving communication performance.

[0007] In one possible design, the paging message also indicates the working mode that the first type of terminal device needs to support. The above method indicates the specific working mode in the paging message, so that the terminal device that supports the working mode indicated by the paging message responds to the network device, so that the network device can obtain the working mode supported by the paging terminal device.

[0008] In a possible design, the method further includes: the first terminal device sends information A, and the information A is used to indicate the working mode supported by the first terminal device. The above method allows the network device to obtain the working mode supported by the paging terminal device by actively reporting the specific working mode through the first terminal device.

[0009] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The execution subject of the method may be a terminal device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the terminal device. Taking the execution subject as a first terminal device as an example, the method may be implemented through the following steps: the first terminal device sends a first indication message, and the first indication message indicates a working mode supported by the first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0010] This application considers introducing a terminal device with at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device. Since the research on different working modes is independent of each other and the communication methods are different, the terminal device reports the working mode it supports, so that the network device can obtain the capabilities of the terminal device (that is, obtain the working mode of the terminal device), which helps the network device and the terminal device align the communication methods, thereby improving communication performance.

[0011] In one possible design, the first indication information is carried in a random access request, or the first indication information is carried in a registration request.

[0012] In this manner, the first terminal device reports the working mode in a random access request or a registration request, so that the network device can learn about the capabilities of the first terminal device as early as possible.

[0013] The first terminal device reports the working mode in the random access request, and the network device can determine the random access method of the first terminal device based on the working mode. For example, if the first terminal device works in the third mode, a synchronous access method can be used, such as receiving system messages, synchronization signals, etc., confirming random access resources, and performing clock synchronization / frame synchronization with the network device. The access method can be based on 2-step or 4-step random access. If the first terminal device works in the first mode or the second mode, it does not support system messages, nor does it support precise clock / frame synchronization with the network device. Therefore, it can rely on downlink trigger signals (such as Query signaling, QueryRep signaling) for asynchronous access, such as an asynchronous access method based on Aloha.

[0014] The first terminal device reports the working mode in the registration request, and the network device can trigger the downlink service according to the working mode of the first terminal device. For example, if the first terminal device works in the first mode / second mode, the network device can send a carrier and / or energy signal (or control / trigger other terminal devices or network devices to send a carrier and / or energy signal) to enable the first terminal device working in the first mode / second mode to perform a reflection communication mode. If the first terminal device works in the third mode, the network device may not need to send a carrier and / or energy signal (the network device may not need to control / trigger other terminals or network devices to send a carrier and / or energy signal). In addition, if the first terminal device works in the first mode / second mode, it may not receive system messages to confirm random access resources, frame number information, cell identification (ID) and other information, and does not need to rely on synchronization signals for synchronization. If the first terminal device works in the third mode, it may receive system messages and / or synchronization signals from the network device to confirm random access resources, frame number information, cell ID and other information, and perform synchronization.

[0015] Based on the above first and second aspects, the following design is provided:

[0016] In one possible design, the working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflective communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than that in the second mode.

[0017] In one possible design, the method further includes: the first terminal device receives a first message, and the first message is used to instruct the first terminal device to switch the working mode. In this way, the network device can flexibly switch the working mode of the terminal device, and instruct the terminal device to adopt different working modes in different scenarios, which is conducive to improving communication quality or saving power consumption of the terminal device, etc.

[0018] In one possible design, before receiving the first message, the method further includes: the first terminal device sends at least one of the following: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of power, indication information of data volume, or service type. In the above manner, the terminal device reports its own communication parameters for reference by the network device. For example, the network device can flexibly switch the working mode of the terminal device according to the communication scenario (such as low signal quality scenario, high signal quality scenario, low power scenario, high power scenario, etc.).

[0019] In one possible design, before receiving the first message, the method also includes: the first terminal device sends at least one of the following: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value. In one possible design, the method also includes: the first terminal device receives at least one of the following: a first signal quality threshold value, a first power threshold value, or a first data volume threshold value. The above method can further enhance the flexibility of switching working modes by configuring threshold values ​​through network devices.

[0020] In a possible design, the method further includes: the first terminal device determines to switch the working mode according to at least one of the following: fourth information, fifth information, sixth information, or service type, the fourth information includes reference signal quality and second signal quality threshold value, the fifth information includes power and second power threshold value, and the sixth information includes data volume and second data volume threshold value; sends a second message, and the second message is used to request to switch the working mode. In the above manner, the terminal device can switch the working mode according to demand and request to switch to the working mode in different scenarios, which is conducive to improving communication quality or saving power consumption of the terminal device, etc.

[0021] In one possible design, the method further includes: the first terminal device receives at least one of the following: a second signal quality threshold value, a second power threshold value, and a second data volume threshold value. The above method can further improve the flexibility of switching working modes by configuring threshold values ​​through network devices.

[0022] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first terminal device sends third indication information, and the third indication information indicates an operating mode of the first terminal device.

[0023] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The execution subject of the method may be a network device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the network device. Taking the execution of the network device as an example, the method may be implemented by the following steps: the network device sends a paging message, and the paging message is used to page a first type of terminal device. The first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; the network device receives a random access request.

[0024] In one possible design, the paging message also indicates the working mode that the first type of terminal device needs to support.

[0025] In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device receives information A, where information A is used to indicate an operating mode supported by the first terminal device.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The executor of the method may be a network device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the network device. Taking the network device as an example, the method may be implemented through the following steps: the network device receives second indication information, and the second indication information indicates an operating mode supported by a first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device has at least two operating modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0027] In one possible design, the second indication information is carried in a random access request, or the second indication information is carried in a registration request.

[0028] Based on the third and fourth aspects above, the following designs are included:

[0029] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends a first message, and the first message is used to indicate switching of the working mode.

[0030] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device receives at least one of the following: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of power level, indication information of data volume, or service type; and determines to switch the working mode of the terminal device based on at least one of the following: reference signal quality, power level, data volume, or service type.

[0031] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device receives at least one of the following: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value; and determines the working mode of the switching terminal device according to at least one of the following: the first information, the second information, the third information, or the service type.

[0032] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends at least one of the following: a first signal quality threshold value, a first power threshold value, or a first data volume threshold value.

[0033] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device receives a second message, and the second message is used to request switching of the working mode.

[0034] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends at least one of the following: a second signal quality threshold value, a second power threshold value, and a second data volume threshold value.

[0035] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device receives third indication information, and the third indication information indicates an operating mode of the first terminal device.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the executor of the method may be a core network device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the core network device. Taking the core network device as an example, the method may be implemented through the following steps: the core network device receives first indication information from a first terminal device, the first indication information indicates a working mode supported by the first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; the core network device sends second indication information to the network device, and the second indication information indicates a working mode supported by the first terminal device.

[0037] In one possible design, the first indication information is carried in the registration request.

[0038] In one possible design, the second indication information is carried in a paging message.

[0039] In one possible design, the second indication information indicates the working mode supported by the first terminal device, specifically: the second indication information is a first identifier, and the first identifier is used to characterize the working mode of the terminal device. The above design, by predefining the association between the identifier and the working mode, enables the network device to determine the working mode supported by the terminal device based on the first identifier. Moreover, compared with the method of indicating a specific working mode, the above method can save signaling resources.

[0040] In one possible design, the working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflective communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than that in the second mode.

[0041] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the executing subject of the method may be a first terminal device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the first terminal device. Taking the first terminal device as an example, the method may be implemented through the following steps: the first terminal device receives a first message, and the first message is used to indicate switching of the working mode of the first terminal device. The first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0042] This application considers introducing a terminal device with at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device. Since the research on different working modes is independent of each other and the communication methods are different, the network device can flexibly control the working mode of the terminal device through the above method, so that the network device can align the communication method with the terminal device, thereby improving the communication performance.

[0043] In one possible design, the working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflective communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than that in the second mode.

[0044] In one possible design, before receiving the first message, the method also includes: the first terminal device sends at least one of the following: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of power level, indication information of data volume, or service type.

[0045] In one possible design, before receiving the first message, the method also includes: the first terminal device sends at least one of the following: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value.

[0046] Through the above two methods, network equipment can flexibly switch the working mode of terminal equipment according to communication scenarios (such as low signal quality scenarios, high signal quality scenarios, low power scenarios, high power scenarios, etc.), and instruct terminal equipment to adopt different working modes in different scenarios, which is conducive to improving communication quality or saving power consumption of terminal equipment, etc.

[0047] For example, when indoor coverage is good or the first terminal device is close to the network device, the first mode / second mode is used to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device. When outdoor coverage is poor or the first terminal device is far from the network device, the third mode is switched to ensure the coverage requirements of communication. The working mode can also be switched according to business requirements. For example, for sensing services, the amount of data to be transmitted is large and / or the transmission delay requirement is high, then switch to the third mode. For inventory services, the amount of data to be transmitted is not large and / or the transmission delay requirement is not high, then switch to the first mode / second mode. Actively initiated (mobile original, MO) services use the third mode, and passively initiated (mobile terminated, MT) services can use the first mode / second mode. The working mode can also be switched according to the link quality. For example, the first mode / second mode is used when the link quality is good, such as using a coding method with lower complexity (such as adjusting the coding method, adjusting parameters such as bit rate), reducing bandwidth configuration, etc., to save communication resources, reduce terminal power consumption, etc., and the third mode is used when the link is poor to improve communication quality or coverage. The working mode can also be switched according to the power of the first terminal device. The power consumption of the first mode is lower than that of the second mode and lower than that of the third mode, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0048] In one possible design, the method further includes: the first terminal device receives at least one of the following: a first signal quality threshold value, a first power threshold value, or a first data volume threshold value. The above method can further improve the flexibility of switching working modes by configuring threshold values ​​through network devices.

[0049] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first terminal device sends third indication information, and the third indication information indicates an operating mode of the first terminal device.

[0050] In the seventh aspect, a communication method is provided. The executor of the method may be a network device or a chip, chip system or circuit located in the network device. Taking the network device as an example, the method may be implemented by the following steps: the network device sends a first message, and the first message is used to indicate the switching of the working mode of the first terminal device. The first terminal device has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0051] In one possible design, the working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflective communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than that in the second mode.

[0052] In one possible design, before sending the first message, the method also includes: the network device receives at least one of the following: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of power level, indication information of data volume, or service type.

[0053] In one possible design, before sending the first message, the method also includes: the network device receives at least one of the following: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value.

[0054] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends at least one of the following: a first signal quality threshold value, a first power threshold value, or a first data volume threshold value.

[0055] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device receives third indication information, and the third indication information indicates an operating mode of the first terminal device.

[0056] Some possible designs and beneficial effects of the seventh aspect can be referred to the sixth aspect and will not be elaborated here.

[0057] In an eighth aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the execution subject of the method may be a terminal device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the terminal device. Taking the execution subject as the first terminal device as an example, the method may be implemented by the following steps: the first terminal device determines to switch the working mode of the terminal device according to at least one of the following: fourth information, fifth information, sixth information, or service type, the fourth information includes reference signal quality and second signal quality threshold value, the fifth information includes power and second power threshold value, the sixth information includes data volume and second data volume threshold value, and the first terminal device has at least two working modes of environmental Internet of Things terminal devices; the first terminal device sends a second message, and the second message is used to request to switch the working mode.

[0058] In the above manner, the terminal device can switch the working mode according to the demand and request to switch to the working mode in different scenarios, which is beneficial to improve the communication quality or save the power consumption of the terminal device, etc.

[0059] In one possible design, the working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflective communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than that in the second mode.

[0060] In one possible design, the method further includes: the first terminal device receives at least one of the following: a second signal quality threshold value, a second power threshold value, and a second data volume threshold value. The above method can further improve the flexibility of switching working modes by configuring threshold values ​​through network devices.

[0061] In a ninth aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the executing subject of the method may be a network device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit located in the network device. Taking the executing subject being a network device as an example, the method may be implemented through the following steps: the network device receives a second message, and the second message is used to request switching of the working mode of a first terminal device, and the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0062] In one possible design, the working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflective communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than that in the second mode.

[0063] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends at least one of the following: a second signal quality threshold value, a second power threshold value, and a second data volume threshold value.

[0064] Some possible designs and beneficial effects of the ninth aspect can be referred to the eighth aspect and will not be elaborated here.

[0065] In a tenth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a terminal device or a chip in a terminal device. The communication device has the function of implementing any method provided in the first aspect, the second aspect, the sixth aspect, or the seventh aspect. The communication device can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0066] In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processor, which is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the method shown above. The communication device may also include a memory, which can be coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data of the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is used to support communication between the communication device and a network device or other device, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

[0067] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, which are respectively used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0068] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the first aspect, the second aspect, the sixth aspect, or the seventh aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0069] In the eleventh aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a network device or a chip in a network device. The communication device has the function of implementing any method provided in the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the eighth aspect, or the ninth aspect. The communication device can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0070] In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processor, which is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the network device in the method shown above. The communication device may also include a memory, which can be coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is used to support communication between the communication device and a terminal device, a core network device and other devices, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module or other types of communication interfaces.

[0071] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, which are respectively used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0072] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the eighth aspect or the ninth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] In a twelfth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, wherein the device is a core network device or a chip in a core network device. The communication device has the function of implementing any method provided in the fifth aspect. The communication device can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0074] In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processor, which is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the core network device in the method shown above. The communication device may also include a memory, which can be coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is used to support communication between the communication device and a network device or other device, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

[0075] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, which are respectively used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0076] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0077] In the thirteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being used to implement the methods in the aforementioned first aspect, second aspect, sixth aspect, seventh aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0078] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being used to implement the methods in the aforementioned third aspect, fourth aspect, eighth aspect, ninth aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0079] In the fifteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being used to implement the methods in the fifth aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0080] In the sixteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method in any one of the first to ninth aspects and any possible design is implemented.

[0081] In the seventeenth aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method in any one of the first to ninth aspects and any possible design.

[0082] In an eighteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, the chip system includes a processor and may also include a memory, for implementing the method in any aspect of the first to ninth aspects and any possible design. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0083] In the nineteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, wherein the system comprises the apparatus described in the first aspect (such as a terminal device) and the apparatus described in the third aspect (such as a network device).

[0084] In the twentieth aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising the apparatus described in the second aspect (such as a terminal device) and the apparatus described in the fourth aspect (such as a network device).

[0085] In a twenty-first aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising a terminal device, a network device and a core network device, wherein the terminal device sends indication information to the core network device through the network device, the indication information indicating a working mode of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device. After receiving the indication information, the core network device indicates the working mode of the terminal device to the network device.

[0086] In the twenty-second aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising the apparatus described in the sixth aspect (such as a terminal device) and the apparatus described in the eighth aspect (such as a network device).

[0087] In the twenty-third aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising the apparatus described in the seventh aspect (such as a terminal device) and the apparatus described in the ninth aspect (such as a network device).

[0088] In the twenty-fourth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first terminal device and a network device, wherein the network device sends a paging message, the paging message is used to page a first type of terminal device, and the first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; if the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device, the first terminal device sends a random access request.

[0089] In the twenty-fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising a first terminal device and a network device, wherein the first terminal device sends first indication information to the network device, the first indication information indicating an operating mode supported by the first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device has at least two operating modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0090] In the twenty-sixth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first terminal device and a network device, wherein the first terminal device sends first indication information to a core network device, the first indication information indicating a working mode supported by the first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; and the core network device sends second indication information to the network device, the second indication information indicating a working mode supported by the first terminal device.

[0091] In the twenty-seventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first terminal device and a network device, wherein the network device sends a first message, the first message being used to indicate switching of an operating mode of the first terminal device, and the first terminal device having at least two operating modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0092] In the twenty-eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising a first terminal device and a network device, wherein the first terminal device determines to switch the working mode of the terminal device based on at least one of the following: fourth information, fifth information, sixth information, or service type, the fourth information comprises a reference signal quality and a second signal quality threshold value, the fifth information comprises a power level and a second power level threshold value, the sixth information comprises a data volume and a second data volume threshold value, and the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; the first terminal device sends a second message to the network device, and the second message is used to request to switch the working mode.

[0093] The technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions of any of the tenth to twenty-third aspects mentioned above can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions of the first to ninth aspects mentioned above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0094] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a UE sending data in a first mode and a UE sending data in a second mode according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of UE sending data in a third mode of an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] Figure 5 A flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a reporting working mode of an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a reporting working mode of an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a process of switching working modes according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a process of switching working modes according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0106] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be used for communication in an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal, where IoT includes ambient IoT (A-IoT), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. IoT technology is widely used in various industries. For example, IoT technology can be applied to logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, or environmental monitoring, agriculture, animal husbandry, and forestry. For example, logistics management is a typical application, and logistics management is achieved by taking inventory of tags on objects. Taking inventory of tags means that the reader performs an inventory operation on some tags within the coverage range to obtain the identification of the tags within the coverage range of the reader.

[0107] IoT is based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID technology is a contactless communication technology that uses radio frequency communication. Its principle is that data communication is achieved through radio waves without contact between the reader / reader and the tag.

[0108] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to IoT systems, such as A-IoT systems; it can also be applied to communication systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as the long term evolution (LTE) communication system, the sixth generation (5G) mobile communication system, or it can also be applied to other next generation mobile communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) communication system, or other similar communication systems. Other similar communication systems may include wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), vehicle to everything (V2X), and the like.

[0109] See also Figure 1 , is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes at least one terminal device and at least one network device. Figure 1 Take a communication system including a terminal device and a network device as an example. Figure 1 The network architecture shown is only for illustration, and the number of terminal devices and / or network devices may be less or more. Optionally, the communication system of the present application may also include core network devices, such as access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements and application function (AF) network elements. It should be understood that the above communication system may also include other core network devices, which are not limited here.

[0110] The communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems. When the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is applied to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc. in the embodiment can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems without limitation.

[0111] Among them, anything that can communicate data with network equipment can be regarded as a terminal device. Terminal equipment is also called terminal, terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, or mobile terminal. For example, the terminal device can be: a mobile phone, a computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a robotic arm, a camera, a robot, or a smart home device (such as a TV, air conditioner, sweeper, speaker, set-top box), a relay, a customer premise equipment (CPE), and a device with the function of a tag device. For example, the terminal device can be a tag in IoT / A-IoT, etc. Figure 1 For example, the terminal device is an A-IoT terminal. For the convenience of description, the terminal is used as an example for detailed description.

[0112] Tags can be called RFID tags or electronic tags, or A-IoT terminals or A-IoT devices or equipment, and are generally attached to objects to identify target objects. Tags can receive radio frequency signals from readers and writers, and with the energy obtained from the induced current, tags can send out information stored in the chip inside the tag. Alternatively, tags can actively send a signal of a certain frequency to the reader and writer, and the reader and writer reads the information from the tag. The design of the tag is relatively simple, integrating application layer signaling and air interface signaling, and has the characteristics of low power consumption.

[0113] Both the tag device and the reader-writer can be implemented based on the infrastructure in the cellular network, or the tag device and the reader-writer can be devices in the cellular network. For example, the function of the reader-writer can be implemented by a network device or a terminal, and the tag device can be implemented by a terminal in the cellular network. For example, the tag device can be an IoT terminal with extremely low power consumption and extremely low complexity. When the terminal has the function of a tag device, non-contact data communication can be performed between the terminal and the network device or another terminal.

[0114] The various terminals introduced above, if located on the vehicle (for example, placed / installed in the vehicle), can be considered as vehicle-mounted terminals. The vehicle-mounted terminal can be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle-mounted terminal can also be a complete vehicle equipment, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle, an on-board unit (on board unit, OBU), a roadside unit (roadside unit, RSU), a vehicle-mounted system (or a vehicle-mounted sending unit) (telematics box, T-box), a chip or a system on chip (system on chip, SOC), etc. The above chip or SOC can be installed in a vehicle, OBU, RSU or T-box.

[0115] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal may be the terminal itself, or a device that can support the terminal to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination of devices and components that can realize the terminal function, and the device may be installed in the terminal. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal. For example, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal may be in the form of a tag or other terminal forms.

[0116] The network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application are mainly access network devices. Therefore, in the following text, unless otherwise specified, the "network devices" referred to refer to radio access network (RAN) devices, which can be referred to as access network devices for short. RAN may be a cellular system related to 3GPP, for example, an LTE system, a new radio (NR system), or a future-oriented evolution system (for example, a 6G mobile communication system). RAN may also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or a virtualized RAN (virtualized RAN, vRAN), etc. RAN may also be a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are integrated. RAN equipment may also be referred to as a RAN node, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc. For example, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. A RAN node may be a RAN node in a V2X technology, an RSU, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, etc.

[0117] The RAN node may also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the base station; or multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) or a radio unit (RU). In different systems, CU, DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement, and which protocol layers are configured for CU and DU respectively are not limited in the embodiments of this application. Any unit in CU, DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0118] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a built-in reader / writer. When the terminal is a tag, the tag and the network device may communicate via the Uu port. Figure 1 As shown in the figure. The functions of the reader can be further separated, and the reader can be divided into a receiver and an exciter. The receiver is also called a receiving end or a receiving unit, and the exciter is also called an exciter end or an exciter unit. The exciter unit is equivalent to the transmitter in the reader, and the receiving unit is equivalent to the receiver in the reader. When the reader is implemented in a separated architecture, different entities of the reader can be deployed on different network devices, such as Figure 2 shown. Figure 2 In the embodiment, an activator is deployed on the first network device to execute the sending function of the reader / writer; a receiver is deployed on the second network device to execute the receiving function of the reader / writer.

[0119] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or a device that can support the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can realize the function of the network device, and the device can be installed in the network device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0121] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects. For example, the first information and the second information are only used to distinguish different information, and do not indicate the difference in priority or importance of the two information.

[0122] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0123] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof mentioned in the following description of the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device including a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0124] Ambient IoT terminals can be of the following three types: passive terminals: devices without energy storage and independent signal generation, such as devices with backscatter transmission that have this characteristic, such as device A; semi-passive terminals: devices with energy storage but without independent signal generation, such as devices with backscatter transmission that have this characteristic, such as device B, where the use of stored energy may include amplification of reflected signals; active terminals: devices with energy storage and independent signal generation, such as active wireless radio frequency (RF) components for transmission, such as device C.

[0125] The three types of terminals have different communication methods due to many factors, including capabilities (for example, the capability of device C is higher than that of device A and device B), power consumption requirements (for example, the power consumption of device C> the power consumption of device B> the power consumption of device A), costs (for example, the cost of device C> the cost of device B> the cost of device A), hardware complexity (for example, the hardware complexity of device C is higher than the hardware complexity of device A and the hardware complexity of device B), and business requirements (for example, device A and device B are mainly used for inventory services, while device C can support more services such as sensor reporting).

[0126] For example, for device A and device B, the large frequency deviation of the internal crystal oscillator will lead to the inability to accurately synchronize with the network time, so the access process is asynchronous access, while for device C, the crystal oscillator can achieve synchronization with the network time, so the access process can be synchronous access. In addition, there are some other differences. For example, considering the complexity and power consumption differences, device C can support some complex processes, such as measurement, active initiation (mobile original, MO) and passive initiation (mobile terminated, MT) services, while device A and device B do not support more complex measurements (or may support simplified measurements), such as only considering supporting MT services. Or, device C supports system messages, while device A and device B do not support system messages, etc.

[0127] At present, the communication protocol studies device C separately from device A / device B. Most functions and business types of devices A and B are similar, so they are usually studied together. Therefore, the protocol process and technical solutions will be different for different devices. However, the terminal may integrate two capabilities / communication modes of device C, device A and device B at the same time, that is, it has the capabilities of passive devices and active devices, but the existing relevant process design does not take this into account. Therefore, when the terminal integrates two or more capabilities, how to communicate with network devices becomes a problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0128] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and device. The method and device are based on the same concept. Since the method and device solve the problem in a similar principle, the implementation of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0129] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is particularly suitable for communication with A-IoT terminals (such as tags), and is of course also suitable for communication with other types of terminals.

[0130] The following describes the authentication method provided in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0131] For ease of understanding, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0132] 1. Slot Aloha method: The slot Aloha method divides the time domain resources into multiple discrete time slots, each time slot length is equal to or greater than a frame, and the tag can only transmit data at the beginning of the time slot. The time slot used for data transmission is controlled by the reader. Only when the reader allocates all the time slots can the tag use these time slots to transmit data.

[0133] 2. Active communication capability: The ability to send signals directly without relying on energy signals, for example, generating carrier waves to send signals, or actively sending signals without relying on external carrier waves or energy.

[0134] 3. Reflection communication capability: It depends on the ability of energy signal to reflect signal. Optionally, the energy signal can reach a certain threshold when reflecting signal. In the embodiments of the present application, "operating mode" can also be replaced by "communication mode", "operating mode", "communication mode", "operating type", "communication type", "communication capability", etc.

[0135] 4. The working mode of the environmental Internet of Things terminal involved in this application may include but is not limited to: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode.

[0136] Exemplarily, the first mode, the second mode, or the third mode may also have at least one of the following differences:

[0137] 1) The power consumption of the UE in the first mode is less than the power consumption of the UE in the second mode and less than the power consumption of the UE in the third mode. For example, the power consumption of the UE in the first mode is in the microwatt level, the power consumption of the UE in the second mode is in the hundreds of microwatt level, and the power consumption of the UE in the third mode is in the tens of milliwatt level.

[0138] 2) UE in the first mode and UE in the second mode depend on network equipment ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 The continuous wave sent by gNB is used to send data, such as Figure 3 In the third mode, the UE can generate a carrier to send data by itself, such as Figure 4 shown.

[0139] 3) The transmission rate of the UE in the first mode is less than the transmission rate of the UE in the second mode and less than the transmission rate of the UE in the third mode.

[0140] 4) The UE in the first mode and the UE in the second mode support asynchronous time slot Aloha access, and the UE in the third mode supports synchronous random access.

[0141] 5) The UE in the first mode and the UE in the second mode do not support system messages, but the UE in the third mode supports system messages.

[0142] 6) The UE in the first mode and the UE in the second mode do not support measurement, but the UE in the third mode supports measurement.

[0143] 7) The UE in the first mode and the UE in the second mode supports reflected communication, and the UE in the third mode supports active communication.

[0144] 8) The UE in the first mode does not support energy storage, but the UE in the second mode and the UE in the third mode support energy storage.

[0145] Exemplarily, the first mode may correspond to the working mode of device A described in the foregoing background, the second mode may correspond to the working mode of device B described in the foregoing background, and the third mode may correspond to the working mode of device C described in the foregoing background.

[0146] It is understandable that the first mode, the second mode, or the third mode may have other differences, which are not listed here. It should be noted that the first mode and the second mode may also be defined as one mode, and the third mode may be defined as another mode.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present application, the "working mode" can also be described as "mode", "working method", "method", "communication mode", "communication method" and so on.

[0148] 5. Select signaling can be used to paging device A / device B, or it can also be used to paging device C, which is not specifically limited here. Select signaling may include mask information, which is used to filter terminals. For example, the mask carried by the Select signaling is 4-bit "0000", and the mask of a terminal (assuming it is terminal A) is "00001111". Since the first 4 bits of "00001111" are the mask carried by the Select signaling, terminal A meets the selection range of the Select signaling, and terminal A can respond to the Select signaling. Alternatively, the Select signaling may also carry the terminal identifier / group identifier. For example, the Select signaling includes a filter, which is used to filter the terminals to be paged. The filter may be the terminal identifier / group identifier, which is used to paging a certain terminal or a certain group of terminals; or, the filter may also indicate the type of terminal, that is, it is used to paging a class of terminals. It can be understood that the filter is used to filter terminals, and the filter may also be called filtering information. The specific name of the filter is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0149] The paging message can be used to page device C.

[0150] 6. Query signaling can be used to trigger the start of the inventory process, or to indicate the time / time slot resources for random access. In a specific example, Query signaling is used to determine the number of access resources to be allocated, and the access resources are used to receive access information. For example, 8 access resources are allocated. After receiving the Query signaling, the terminal can randomly select one of the access resources and initiate access / send a random access request / send uplink data on the access resource.

[0151] The naming of each message / signaling in this application is only an example. This application does not limit the specific naming of each message / signaling. As long as the function / limitation / meaning / description of the message can be met, it can be understood as the message. For example, pagingmessage and Select signaling are only exemplary names of paging messages. As long as the function / limitation / meaning / description of the paging message in this application can be met, it can be understood as the paging message of this application. In the embodiments of this application, "electricity" can also be described as "energy", "capacitor energy storage", "battery energy storage", etc.

[0152] The following is an example of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application being performed by a core network device, a network device, and a terminal. The steps performed by the network device can be implemented by the RAN device itself, or by a component in the RAN device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processors). For example, the network device can be Figure 1 The network device in the Figure 1 The steps performed by the terminal can be implemented by the terminal itself or by components in the terminal (such as chips, processing units, or processor modules). The terminal can be Figure 1 The terminal shown, or Figure 1 The chip (system) in the terminal in the core network device. The terminal can be a UE or an A-IoT terminal. For example, the terminal can be a tag. The steps performed by the core network device can be implemented by the core network device itself, or by components in the core network device (such as chips, or other processing units or processor modules). The following takes the core network device as an AMF network element as an example. It should be noted that the actions performed by the AMF network element can also be performed by other network elements, such as network elements for managing tags. Among them, the network element for managing tags can be called a tag management function (tag management function, TMF) network element, or it can be called others, which is not specifically limited here.

[0153] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown, wherein the method is used for a network device to obtain a working mode of a terminal.

[0154] S501: A network device sends a paging message, and correspondingly, a first terminal receives the paging message.

[0155] The paging message is used to page the first type of terminal, and the first type of terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal. The working mode of the environmental Internet of Things terminal can be specifically referred to the relevant description of the background technology above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0156] In a possible implementation, the paging message may page the first type of terminal in the following manner: the paging message may page the first type of terminal by carrying a specific identifier / specific bit field / specific field / field-specific value / bit field-specific padding, etc., wherein the above-mentioned specific identifier / specific bit field / specific field / field-specific value / bit field-specific padding, etc., is used to indicate that the first type of terminal is a terminal with more than two environmental Internet of Things terminal working modes. In this manner, if the first terminal supports at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal, the first terminal can be understood as a first type of terminal.

[0157] Furthermore, the paging message may also indicate the working mode that the first type of terminal needs to support. Exemplarily, the paging message may indicate: support for the first mode and the third mode, or, the second mode and the third mode, or, support for the first mode, the second mode and the third mode, or, support for the first mode and the second mode. Alternatively, the paging message may indicate: having reflective communication capability, or, having reflective communication capability and active communication capability. In this manner, if the first terminal supports at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal, and the supported working mode is the working mode indicated by the paging message, the first terminal can be understood as a first type of terminal.

[0158] For example, the paging message can indicate through two fields that the paged terminal needs to have at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal and the working mode of the paged terminal. For example, field 1 in the paging message indicates that the paged terminal (i.e., the first type of terminal) needs to have at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal, and field 2 in the paging message indicates the working mode of the paged terminal (i.e., the first type of terminal).

[0159] In another possible implementation, the paging message may also page the first category terminal in the following manner: the paging message may page the first category terminal by indicating the working mode that the first category terminal needs to support. For example, the paging message may indicate: support for the first mode and the third mode, or, the second mode and the third mode, or, support for the first mode, the second mode and the third mode, or, support for the first mode and the second mode. Alternatively, the paging message may indicate: having reflective communication capability, or, having reflective communication capability and active communication capability. In this manner, if the first terminal supports the working mode indicated by the paging message, the first terminal may be understood as a first category terminal.

[0160] For example, a paging message can indicate the working mode of the first type of terminal through a field. For example, field 3 in the paging message indicates at least two working modes, indicating that the first type of terminal is a terminal with the working mode indicated by field 3. This method implicitly indicates that the first type of terminal needs to have at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal.

[0161] Optionally, the paging message may carry a user identifier (UE ID such as 5g-temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI), S-TMSI, etc.) or a group identifier (such as TMGI) or a mask to indicate. Based on this, the first terminal can match the user identifier or group identifier or mask, etc. when receiving the paging message.

[0162] As a possible application scenario, if the network device does not know the current working mode of the first terminal, for example, the first terminal switches the working mode but does not report it to the network device, or for example, the first terminal does not report the initial working mode to the working mode of the network device after startup, etc., in these scenarios, S501 can be implemented in any of the following three ways:

[0163] Method 1: The network device may first page the terminal through a paging message (e.g., paging message) for paging device C. If the terminal cannot be paged (e.g., the number of times the paging message is sent reaches a threshold) or the paging time reaches a threshold, the network device may page the terminal through a paging message (e.g., Select signaling) for paging device A / B.

[0164] In the above manner, the terminal working in the third mode can be paged by the paging message for paging device C, and the terminal working in the first mode / second mode can be paged by the paging message for paging device A / B. Through two paging stages, the network device can page the terminal even if it does not know the current working mode of the terminal, thereby improving the success rate of paging.

[0165] In the second method, the network device can page the terminal through a paging message (e.g., Select signaling) for paging device A / B. If the terminal cannot be paged (e.g., the number of times the paging message is sent reaches a threshold) or the paging time reaches a threshold, the network device can instruct the first terminal to switch the working mode to the first mode / second mode. Furthermore, the network device can continue to page the terminal through a paging message for paging device A / B.

[0166] Optionally, the network device can instruct the first terminal to switch the working mode to the first mode / second mode under the triggering of the AMF network element.

[0167] The above method can page the terminal working in the first mode / second mode through the paging message used for paging device A / B, and by instructing the terminal to switch to the first mode / second mode, the terminal working in the third mode can be paged, so that the network device can page the terminal without knowing the current working mode of the terminal, thereby improving the success rate of paging.

[0168] In a third approach, the network device may page the terminal simultaneously through a paging message for paging device A / B and a paging message for paging device C. Alternatively, the network device may jointly page the terminal through a paging message for paging device A / B and a paging message for paging device C.

[0169] Optionally, the network device may page the terminal through a paging message for paging device A / B and a paging message for paging device C under the triggering of the AMF network element. Alternatively, the network device may jointly page the terminal through a paging message for paging device A / B and a paging message for paging device C under the triggering of the AMF network element.

[0170] The above method uses two paging messages to page the terminal at the same time, so that the network device can page the terminal even if it does not know the current working mode of the terminal, thereby improving the success rate of paging.

[0171] In method 4, the network device may page the terminal through a paging message capable of paging device A, device B, and device C.

[0172] This method designs a paging message that can page device A, device B and device C at the same time, so that the network device can page the terminal working in the first mode / second mode / third mode through a paging message, so that the network device can page the terminal without knowing the current working mode of the terminal, thereby improving the success rate of paging.

[0173] Optionally, if the first type of terminal is a terminal of the first mode and / or the second mode, the network device may further send Query signaling after sending the paging message. The Query signaling is device A or device B or a passive / semi-passive tag, which is used for asynchronous transmission and indicates the time resources allocated for terminal access. Furthermore, after sending the Query signaling, the network device may further send some signaling that triggers the access of the first terminal, such as QueryRep signaling, which is used to trigger the random access opportunity of the first terminal.

[0174] If the first type of terminal is a terminal of the third mode, the network device may not send Query signaling after sending the paging message.

[0175] S502: If the first terminal has at least two working modes of the environment Internet of Things terminal, the first terminal sends a random access request. Correspondingly, the network device receives the random access request.

[0176] Specifically, the first terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal, which can also be understood as the first terminal belonging to the first category of terminals.

[0177] Optionally, if the paging message indicates the working mode that the first type of terminal needs to support, the first terminal may also determine that it has the working mode indicated by the paging message before sending the random access request.

[0178] In a possible implementation, if the paging message pages the first type of terminal device but does not indicate the working mode that the first type of terminal needs to support, the first terminal may further send information A to the network device after receiving the paging message, where the information A is used to indicate the working mode supported by the first terminal. For example, the first terminal may send information A through the above-mentioned random access request.

[0179] In a possible implementation manner, if the first terminal operates in the third mode, the first terminal may further send a preamble code before sending the random access request.

[0180] Optionally, after receiving the random access request, the network device may send a message to the first terminal for confirming or allowing the terminal to perform random access. Exemplarily, the message may be a random access response or a contention resolution identifier.

[0181] Furthermore, after the random access is successful (for example, after receiving the random access response), the first terminal can perform data transmission with the network device, for example, send uplink data to the network device, and / or receive downlink data from the network device.

[0182] As a possible implementation, the above step S502 can be replaced by, if the first terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal, the first terminal responds to the above paging message, for example, the radio resource control (RRC) layer of the first terminal can forward the identifier in the paging message to the upper layer.

[0183] As another possible implementation, the above step S502 can also be replaced by, if the first terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal, the terminal sends uplink data. Exemplarily, this method can be applied to a single-user random access channel (RACH) process scenario. After the first terminal receives a paging message or other downlink trigger message, it can skip the RACH process and directly send uplink data. Alternatively, this method can also carry uplink data in a random access request, such as short data transmission (SDT).

[0184] The above describes that the network device can obtain the working mode supported by the first terminal, that is, the capability of the first terminal. In a specific implementation, after obtaining the working mode supported by the first terminal, the network device can also obtain the working mode currently used by the first terminal.

[0185] In one implementation, the first terminal may adopt a default mode (such as the third mode, etc.) after initiating random access, so that the network device may determine that the working mode of the first terminal is the default mode after the first terminal initiates random access. For example, assuming that the default mode is the third mode, the first terminal may adopt the third mode after initiating random access, so that the network device may determine that the working mode of the first terminal is the third mode after the first terminal initiates random access. In this way, the communication behavior of the first terminal and the network device can be aligned.

[0186] Optionally, after the first terminal initiates random access, the network device may also instruct the first terminal with multiple working modes to switch working modes according to demand. Alternatively, the first terminal with multiple working modes may also request the network device to switch working modes according to demand. The specific switching method will be described below. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Related introduction of .

[0187] The present application considers introducing a terminal device with at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device. Since the research on different working modes is independent of each other and the communication methods are different, the network device indicates the type of the paged terminal (that is, it has dual mode (or multi-mode)) in the paging message, so that the network device can obtain the capability of the first terminal (that is, obtain the working mode supported by the first terminal), so that the network device has the ability to flexibly switch the working mode of the first terminal, which helps to align the communication methods of the network device and the terminal device, thereby improving communication performance.

[0188] The above describes a method for a network device to obtain the working mode of a terminal. In this method, the network device can obtain the working mode of the paged terminal by paging a terminal with multiple working modes. The following describes another method for a network device to obtain the working mode of a terminal. In this method, a first terminal can actively report its own working mode, so that the network device can obtain the working mode of the paged first terminal. Figure 6 As shown, the method includes:

[0189] S601: The first terminal sends first indication information.

[0190] The first indication information indicates the working mode (or communication capability) supported by the first terminal, wherein the first terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal. The working mode of the environmental Internet of Things terminal can be specifically referred to the relevant description of the background technology above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0191] Exemplarily, the first indication information may indicate: the first mode and the third mode, or the second mode and the third mode, or support the first mode, the second mode and the third mode, or support the first mode and the second mode. Alternatively, the first indication information may indicate: having reflective communication capability, or having reflective communication capability and active communication capability.

[0192] As an example, the first indication information may directly indicate the working mode (or communication capability) supported by the first terminal. For example, when the first indication information is 000, it indicates the first mode; when the first indication information is 001, it indicates the second mode; when the first indication information is 010, it indicates the third mode; when the first indication information is 011, it indicates the first mode and the second mode; when the first indication information is 100, it indicates the first mode and the third mode; when the first indication information is 101, it indicates the second mode and the third mode; when the first indication information is 110, it indicates the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode, and so on. As another example, when the first indication information is 000, it indicates device A; when the first indication information is 001, it indicates device B; when the first indication information is 010, it indicates device C; when the first indication information is 011, it indicates device A and device B; when the first indication information is 100, it indicates device A and device C; when the first indication information is 101, it indicates device B and device C; when the first indication information is 110, it indicates device A, device B, and device C, and so on.

[0193] It should be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative, and the present application does not limit the correspondence between the number of bits, status, and working mode of the first indication information, etc.

[0194] S602: The network device receives second indication information.

[0195] The second indication information indicates the working mode (or communication capability) supported by the first terminal. The form of the second indication information will be described below in conjunction with the specific implementation of S601 and S602.

[0196] In the present application, the first terminal reports its own working mode, so that the network device can obtain the capabilities of the first terminal, so that the network device has the ability to flexibly switch the working mode of the first terminal, or communicate with the first terminal according to the working mode of the first terminal, for example, paging the first terminal according to the working mode of the first terminal, etc.

[0197] Two specific implementations of S601 and S602 are introduced below.

[0198] Implementation method 1:

[0199] The first terminal may send the first indication information to the network device. In this implementation, the first indication information and the second indication information are the same. Figure 7 As shown, the first terminal sends a random access request to the network device, and the random access request carries the above-mentioned first indication information (that is, the second indication information).

[0200] Exemplarily, the random access request may be message 3 (Msg3), where Msg3 may also be referred to as an RRC setup request, an RRC resume request, or an RRC re-establish request. Alternatively, the random access request may also be a random number, such as RN16 / RN8, where RN16 is a 16-bit random number, and RN8 is an 8-bit random number, with no restriction on the number of bits, and is used for contention resolution of device A or device B or a passive tag.

[0201] In the above implementation, before the first terminal sends a random access request, the network device may send a paging message to the first terminal. The paging message may carry a user identifier (UE ID such as 5g-TMSI, S-TMSI, etc.) or a group identifier (such as TMGI) or a mask to indicate. Based on this, the first terminal may match the user identifier or group identifier or mask, etc., upon receiving the paging message.

[0202] If the network device pages a terminal in the first mode or the second mode (i.e., the first terminal is in the first mode or the second mode), the network device may also send a Query signaling after sending the paging message. The Query signaling is device A or device B or a passive tag, used for asynchronous transmission, indicating the time resources allocated for access of the first terminal. Furthermore, after sending the Query signaling, the network device may also send some signaling to trigger access of the first terminal, such as QueryRep credit, to trigger the random access opportunity of the first terminal.

[0203] If the network device pages a terminal in the third mode (ie, the first terminal is in the third mode), the network device may not send a Query signaling after sending a paging message.

[0204] If the first terminal operates in the third mode, the first terminal may further send a preamble code before sending the random access request.

[0205] Optionally, after receiving the random access request, the network device may send a random access response to the first terminal.

[0206] Optionally, after the random access is successful (for example, after receiving the random access response), the first terminal may perform data transmission with the network device, for example, send uplink data to the network device, and / or receive downlink data from the network device.

[0207] The first terminal reports the working mode in the random access request, and the network device can determine the random access method of the first terminal based on the working mode. For example, if the first terminal works in the third mode, a synchronous access method can be adopted, such as receiving system messages, synchronization signals, etc., confirming random access resources, and performing clock synchronization / frame synchronization with the network device. The access method can be based on 2-step or 4-step random access. If the first terminal works in the first mode or the second mode, it does not support system messages, nor does it support precise clock / frame synchronization with the network device. Therefore, it can rely on downlink trigger signals (such as Query signaling, QueryRep signaling) for asynchronous access, such as an asynchronous access method based on Aloha.

[0208] Implementation method 2:

[0209] The first terminal may send the first indication information to the AMF network element. The AMF network element sends the second indication information to the network device after receiving the first indication information. For example, Figure 8 As shown, the first terminal can send a registration request (registration request) to the AMF network element through the network device, and the registration request carries the above-mentioned first indication information. The AMF network element sends the above-mentioned second indication information to the network device. For example, the AMF network element can send the second indication information to the network device through a paging message or an NG application protocol (NG-AP) establishment message or other N2 message.

[0210] In this implementation, the second indication information may indirectly indicate the working mode (or communication capability) of the first terminal. For example, the second indication information may be a first identifier, and the first identifier is used to characterize the working mode of the first terminal. In this example, the network device may determine the working mode of the first terminal according to the first identifier.

[0211] For example, the AMF network element allocates an identifier to device A in the first identifier set, allocates an identifier to device B in the second identifier set, allocates an identifier to device C in the third identifier set, allocates an identifier to the first terminal with the first mode and the second mode in the fourth identifier set, allocates an identifier to the first terminal with the first mode and the third mode in the fifth identifier set, allocates an identifier to the first terminal with the third mode and the second mode in the sixth identifier set, and allocates an identifier to the first terminal with the first mode, the second mode and the third mode in the seventh identifier set. Among them, the first identifier set includes one or more identifiers, the second identifier set includes one or more identifiers, the third identifier set includes one or more identifiers, the fourth identifier set includes one or more identifiers, the fifth identifier set includes one or more identifiers, the sixth identifier set includes one or more identifiers, and the seventh identifier set includes one or more identifiers.

[0212] Optionally, the AMF network element may also allocate an identifier only to the first terminal that supports dual-mode (or multi-mode), that is, only one identifier is allocated to the first terminal with the first mode and the second mode in the fourth identifier set, one identifier is allocated to the first terminal with the first mode and the third mode in the fifth identifier set, one identifier is allocated to the first terminal with the third mode and the second mode in the sixth identifier set, and one identifier is allocated to the first terminal with the first mode, the second mode and the third mode in the seventh identifier set.

[0213] Alternatively, the second indication information may directly indicate the working mode (or communication capability) of the first terminal. Optionally, the second indication information may be the same as the first indication information, or the second indication information may be different from the first indication information but in a form similar to the first indication information, which is not specifically limited here.

[0214] The first terminal reports the working mode in the registration request, and the network device can trigger the downlink service according to the working mode of the first terminal. For example, if the first terminal works in the first mode / second mode, the network device can send a carrier and / or energy signal (or control / trigger other terminals or network devices to send a carrier and / or energy signal) to enable the first terminal working in the first mode / second mode to perform a reflection communication mode. If the first terminal works in the third mode, the network device may not need to send a carrier and / or energy signal (the network device may not need to control / trigger other terminals or network devices to send a carrier and / or energy signal). In addition, if the first terminal works in the first mode / second mode, it may not receive system messages to confirm random access resources, confirm frame number information, cell identification (identification, ID) and other information, and does not need to rely on synchronization signals for synchronization. If the first terminal works in the third mode, it can receive system messages and / or synchronization signals from the network device to confirm random access resources, confirm frame number information, cell ID and other information, and synchronize.

[0215] Optionally, after acquiring the working mode of the first terminal, the network device may perform data transmission with the first terminal, for example, receive uplink data from the first terminal, and / or send downlink data to the first terminal.

[0216] pass Figure 6 to Figure 8 According to the method, the network device can obtain the working mode of the first terminal. Optionally, the first terminal can also report the current working mode to the network device.

[0217] In addition, the network device may also instruct the first terminal with multiple working modes to switch working modes according to demand. Alternatively, the first terminal with multiple working modes may also request the network device to switch working modes according to demand.

[0218] The specific switching method will be described below. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Related introduction of .

[0219] This application considers introducing a terminal device with at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device. Since the research on different working modes is independent of each other and the communication methods are different, the first terminal reports its own working mode through a random access request or a registration request, so that the network device can obtain the capability of the first terminal (that is, obtain the working mode of the first terminal), which helps the network device and the terminal device to align the communication methods, thereby improving communication performance.

[0220] The above describes two methods for a network device to obtain the working mode of a first terminal. The following describes a method for a network device to instruct a first terminal having multiple working modes to switch working modes.

[0221] It should be noted that this method does not rely on Figure 5 and Figure 6 The method is implemented alone or in combination with Figure 6 Combined as a solution. Figure 5 The above methods can be combined by Figure 5 In the method, after the network device obtains the working mode of the first terminal, it can Fig. 9 The method instructs the first terminal to switch the working mode. Figure 6 The above methods can be combined by Figure 6 In the method, after the network device obtains the working mode of the first terminal, it can Fig. 9 In the method, the network device instructs the first terminal to switch the working mode.

[0222] like Fig. 9 As shown, the method in which the network device instructs the first terminal to instruct switching of the working mode includes:

[0223] S901: The network device determines to switch the working mode of the first terminal.

[0224] The first terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal. The working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal can be specifically referred to the relevant description of the background technology above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0225] Optionally, before S901, the first terminal may send third indication information to the network device, where the third indication information indicates a current working mode of the first terminal.

[0226] In a possible implementation, the first terminal may send at least one of the following information to the network device: reference signal quality indication information, power indication information, data volume indication information, or service type. The network device determines to switch the working mode of the first terminal based on the above information. The data volume may be a transport block size (TBS), or a buffer data volume of the first terminal, or a data volume required for transmission by the service. In a specific example, the data volume indication information may be a buffer status report (BSR).

[0227] Exemplarily, the power indication information may be the remaining power value of the first terminal, or may be the result of subtracting a preset power value from the remaining power value of the first terminal.

[0228] Optionally, in the above implementation, the network device may configure the measurement parameters of the reference signal for the first terminal, such as a reporting condition, etc. Exemplarily, the reporting condition may be a reporting threshold, etc. When the quality of the reference signal meets the reporting condition, the first terminal sends the indication information of the reference signal quality to the network device. The above method can reduce the reporting overhead.

[0229] Exemplarily, the indication information of the reference signal quality may be a reference signal received power (reference signal received power, RSRP) / reference signal received quality (reference signal received quality, RSRQ) / reference signal strength indication (reference signal strength indication, RSSI) / signal to interference plus noise ratio (signal to interference plus noise ratio, SINR) / signal to noise ratio (signal to noise ratio, SNR) / block error rate (block error rate, BLER) and other parameters of the reference signal. Alternatively, the indication information of the reference signal quality may also be a dedicated measurement quantity designed for A-IOT low-power devices, etc.

[0230] The reference signal may be an RS (reference signal), a synchronization signal, or other broadcast signals (such as a system message).

[0231] In another possible implementation, the first terminal may also send at least one of the following information to the network device: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value. The network device determines to switch the working mode of the first terminal according to the above information.

[0232] In a specific implementation, the first information may indicate whether the reference signal quality is greater than (or less than) a first signal quality threshold value, for example, when the first information is 0, it indicates that the reference signal quality is greater than (or less than) the first signal quality threshold value, and when the first information is 1, it indicates that the reference signal quality is not greater than (or less than) the first signal quality threshold value. The second information may indicate whether the power is greater than (or less than) the first power threshold value, for example, when the second information is 0, it indicates that the power is greater than (or less than) the first power threshold value, and when the second information is 1, it indicates that the power is not greater than (or less than) the first power threshold value. The third information may indicate whether the data volume is greater than (or less than) the first data volume threshold value, for example, when the third information is 0, it indicates that the data volume is greater than (or less than) the first data volume threshold value, and when the third information is 1, it indicates that the data volume is not greater than (or less than) the first data volume threshold value.

[0233] In another specific implementation method, the first information may be indication information of the reference signal quality. In the implementation method, the first terminal may report the indication information of the reference signal quality when the reference signal quality is greater than (or less than) the first signal quality threshold value, thereby implicitly indicating that the reference signal quality is greater than (or less than) the first signal quality threshold value.

[0234] The second information may be information indicating the power level. In an implementation, the first terminal may report information indicating the power level when the power level is greater than (or less than) the first power level threshold value, thereby implicitly indicating that the power level is greater than (or less than) the first power level threshold value.

[0235] The third information may be information indicating the amount of data. In an implementation, the first terminal may report information indicating the amount of data when the amount of data is greater than (or less than) the first data amount threshold value, thereby implicitly indicating that the amount of data is greater than (or less than) the first data amount threshold value.

[0236] Optionally, in the above two implementations, the first signal quality threshold, the first power threshold, and the first data volume threshold may be indicated by the network device to the first terminal. For example, if the first terminal enters a non-transmission mode (such as an idle state or an inactive state), the network device may send the above thresholds via dedicated signaling or system messages. Alternatively, the above thresholds may also be defined by the protocol.

[0237] In the above implementation, the first terminal may measure the reference signal from the network device to obtain the reference signal quality. Optionally, the first terminal may periodically measure the reference signal. The measurement period may be configured by the network device or defined by the protocol.

[0238] It should be noted that the above implementation is described by taking the first terminal measuring the reference signal as an example. In a specific implementation, the network device may also measure the reference signal from the first terminal to obtain the measurement result of the reference signal.

[0239] In another implementation, the AMF network element may also send a switching indication to the network device according to the service type, and the switching indication is used to instruct the first terminal to switch the working mode. Thus, the network device determines the working mode of the first terminal after receiving the switching indication.

[0240] It should be understood that this application only lists some information that may affect the working mode, such as reference signal quality, power, data volume, service type, etc. In a specific implementation, the network device can also determine whether the first terminal switches the working mode based on other information, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0241] In another implementation, the network device may also determine the working mode of the first terminal according to the uplink signal quality. For example, if the network device determines that the uplink signal quality is poor, it determines that the first terminal switches to the third mode. Exemplary ways in which the network device determines that the uplink signal quality is poor include but are not limited to: the number of uplink signal decoding failures (or errors) reaches a threshold, or the uplink signal is not received within a preset time period, etc. In this way, the coverage and signal quality of the uplink signal can be improved.

[0242] In another implementation, the network device may also determine to switch the working mode according to whether there is an excitation source (helper device). The excitation source may be a device that sends a carrier wave (for example, it may be a first terminal or a network device), or a device that sends a radio frequency signal / wireless charging signal (radio frequency / energy) for wireless charging of the first terminal (for example, it may be a first terminal or a network device).

[0243] If there is no excitation source, the network device may determine that the first terminal switches to the third mode; if there is an excitation source, the network device may determine that the first terminal switches to the first mode / the second mode.

[0244] S902: The network device sends a first message to the first terminal. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the first message from the network device.

[0245] The first message is used to indicate switching of the working mode.

[0246] In one implementation, the first message may instruct the first terminal to perform an action of switching the working mode. In this implementation, the first terminal switches the current working mode to another working mode after receiving the first message, for example, the first terminal currently works in the first mode / second mode and switches to the third mode after receiving the first message.

[0247] In another implementation, the first message may indicate the working mode after switching. For example, the first message may indicate the third mode, and the first terminal switches to the third mode after receiving the first message.

[0248] In another implementation, the first message may indicate the communication capability corresponding to the switched working mode. For example, the first message may indicate the reflective communication capability, and the first terminal switches to the first mode / second mode after receiving the first message. For another example, the first message may indicate the active communication capability, and the first terminal switches to the third mode after receiving the first message.

[0249] Optionally, after receiving the first message, the first terminal may send a response message to the first message to the network device. The response message may be a response message for indicating acceptance of switching / successful switching, or a response message for indicating rejection of switching / failed switching. In this way, the working mode of the first terminal can be aligned on the network side and the first terminal side, which is beneficial to the communication quality between the first terminal and the network device.

[0250] The relationship between the above information and the working mode of the first terminal is described below with reference to specific examples.

[0251] Take business type as an example:

[0252] An example is that if the service type is an inventory type, the working mode of the first terminal can be indicated as the first mode or the second mode; if the service type is a sensing type, the working mode of the first terminal can be indicated as the third mode.

[0253] Another example is that if the service type is an MO service, the working mode of the first terminal may be indicated as the third mode.

[0254] If the service type is MT service, and the service is triggered by select signaling or query signaling, the working mode of the first terminal can be indicated as the first mode or the second mode when the reference signal quality is greater than (or not less than) the first signal quality threshold value, and the working mode of the first terminal can be indicated as the third mode when the reference signal quality is not greater than (or less than) the first signal quality threshold value. If the service type is MT service, and the service is triggered by a paging message, the working mode of the first terminal can be indicated as the third mode.

[0255] Optionally, the number of access resources to be allocated may be related to the number of first terminals.

[0256] Alternatively, if the service type is MT service and the service is triggered by select signaling or query signaling, the first terminal can be instructed to operate in the first mode or the second mode. If the service type is MT service and the service is triggered by paging message, the first terminal can be instructed to operate in the third mode.

[0257] Take the parameter signal quality as an example:

[0258] One example is that if the reference signal quality is greater than (or not less than) the first signal quality threshold value, the working mode of the first terminal may be instructed to switch to the first mode or the second mode. If the reference signal quality is not greater than (or less than) the first signal quality threshold value, the working mode of the first terminal may be instructed to switch to the third mode. The above method helps to ensure the communication quality by switching to the third mode when the reference signal quality is poor (indicating that the channel quality is poor), and switching to the first mode / second mode when the reference signal quality is relatively good (indicating that the channel quality is relatively good) can reduce the power consumption of the first terminal and save power.

[0259] Take electricity as an example:

[0260] One example is that if the power is not greater than (or less than) the first power threshold value, the first terminal may be instructed to switch its operating mode to the first mode or the second mode. If the power is greater than (or not less than) the first power threshold value, the first terminal may be instructed to switch its operating mode to the third mode. The above method can reduce the power consumption of the first terminal and save power by switching to the first mode / second mode when the power is low.

[0261] Take the amount of data as an example:

[0262] An example is that if the amount of data is not greater than (or less than) the first data amount threshold value, the working mode of the first terminal can be instructed to switch to the first mode or the second mode. If the amount of data is greater than (or not less than) the first data amount threshold value, the working mode of the first terminal can be instructed to switch to the third mode. The transmission rate is limited by the first mode / second mode. When the amount of transmitted data is too large, it will result in a long transmission time and waste resources. The third mode has a high transmission rate and can handle a larger amount of data. The above method can increase the transmission rate and save resources by switching to the third mode when the amount of data is large.

[0263] In the above manner, the network device can flexibly switch the working mode of the first terminal, and instruct the first terminal to adopt different working modes in different scenarios, which is conducive to improving communication quality or saving power consumption of the first terminal, etc. For example, when the signal quality is poor, instructing the first terminal to switch to the third mode with better communication capability is conducive to improving the communication quality between the first terminal and the network device. For another example, when the battery is low, instructing the first terminal to switch to the first mode / second mode with lower power consumption can save the power consumption of the first terminal on the one hand, and prevent the first terminal from interrupting communication due to excessive power consumption on the other hand.

[0264] The above describes a method in which a network device instructs a first terminal having multiple working modes to switch working modes. The following describes a method in which a first terminal requests to switch working modes.

[0265] It should be noted that this method does not rely on Figure 5 and Figure 6 The method is implemented alone or in combination with Figure 6 Combined as a solution. Figure 5 The above methods can be combined by Figure 5 In the method, after the network device obtains the working mode of the first terminal, it can Fig.10 The method first terminal requests to switch the working mode. Figure 6 The above methods can be combined by Figure 6 In the method, after the network device obtains the working mode of the first terminal, it can Fig.10 In the method, the first terminal requests to switch the working mode.

[0266] Optionally, before or after the first terminal requests to switch the working mode, the network device may also instruct the first terminal to switch the working mode. For details, see Fig. 9 The method is not specifically limited here.

[0267] like Fig.10 As shown, the method for the first terminal to request to switch the working mode includes:

[0268] S1001: The first terminal determines to switch the working mode.

[0269] The first terminal has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal. The working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal can be specifically referred to the relevant description of the background technology above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0270] In a possible implementation, the first terminal may determine to switch the working mode according to at least one of the following: reference signal quality, power, data volume, or service type, wherein the data volume may be TBS, or data volume in the buffer area of ​​the first terminal.

[0271] Specifically, the first terminal can determine to switch the working mode based on at least one of the following: fourth information, fifth information, sixth information, or service type, the fourth information includes reference signal quality and the second signal quality threshold value, the fifth information includes power limit and the second power limit value, and the sixth information includes data volume and the second data volume threshold value.

[0272] Exemplarily, the indication information of the reference signal quality may be parameters such as RSRP / RSRQ / RSSI / SINR / SNR / BLER of the reference signal.

[0273] It should be understood that this application only lists some information that may affect the working mode, such as reference signal quality, power, data volume, service type, etc. In a specific implementation, the network device can also determine whether the first terminal switches the working mode based on other information, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0274] Optionally, the second signal quality threshold, the second power threshold, and the second data volume threshold may be indicated by the network device to the first terminal. For example, if the first terminal enters a non-transmission mode (such as an idle state or an inactive state), the network device may send the above thresholds via dedicated signaling or system messages. Alternatively, the above thresholds may also be defined by a protocol.

[0275] It should be noted that Fig.10 The second signal quality threshold, the second power threshold and the second data volume threshold in the method are used by the terminal device to decide to switch the working mode. Fig. 9 The first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value and the first data volume threshold value in the method are used for the network device to decide to switch the working mode. The threshold values ​​used by the terminal device to decide to switch the working mode (i.e., the second signal quality threshold value, the second power threshold value and the second data volume threshold value) and the threshold values ​​used by the network device to decide to switch the working mode (i.e., the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value and the first data volume threshold value) may be the same or different, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0276] In one example, the threshold values ​​used by the terminal device to decide to switch the working mode (i.e., the second signal quality threshold value, the second power threshold value, and the second data volume threshold value) are the same as the threshold values ​​used by the network device to decide to switch the working mode (i.e., the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, and the first data volume threshold value), that is, the two schemes of the terminal device decision to switch the working mode and the network device decision to switch the working mode are realized by the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, and the first data volume threshold value. In this example, the network device can configure (or define by protocol) the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, and the first data volume threshold value, and the network device does not need to configure (or define by protocol) the second signal quality threshold value, the second power threshold value, and the second data volume threshold value.

[0277] In the above example, in the scheme in which the terminal device decides to switch the working mode, the terminal device can determine whether to switch the working mode based on the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value and the first data volume threshold value. In the scheme in which the network device decides to switch the working mode, the terminal device can report the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value.

[0278] In the above implementation, the first terminal may measure the reference signal from the network device to obtain the reference signal quality. Optionally, the first terminal may periodically measure the reference signal. The measurement period may be configured by the network device or defined by the protocol.

[0279] In another implementation, the first terminal may also determine to switch the working mode according to whether there is an excitation source (helper device). The excitation source may be a device that sends a carrier wave (for example, it may be the first terminal or a network device), or a device that sends a radio frequency signal / wireless charging signal (radio frequency / energy) for wireless charging of the first terminal (for example, it may be the first terminal or a network device).

[0280] If there is no excitation source, the first terminal may determine to switch to the third mode, and if there is an excitation source, the first terminal may determine to switch to the first mode / the second mode.

[0281] S1002: The first terminal sends a second message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second message.

[0282] The second message is used to request to switch the working mode. The relationship between the above information and the working mode of the first terminal can be found in Fig. 9 The relevant descriptions in the method will not be repeated here.

[0283] Exemplarily, the second message may be a random access request, such as Msg3, wherein Msg3 may refer to Figure 6 Related description in the method. That is, the first terminal can request to switch the working mode through a random access request.

[0284] Or the second message may also be a random number RN16 / RN8. That is, the first terminal may request to switch the working mode through the random number RN16 / RN8.

[0285] Optionally, after receiving the second message, the network device may send a response message to the second message to the first terminal. The response message may be a response message for indicating acceptance of switching / allowance of switching, or a response message for indicating refusal of switching. In this way, the working mode of the first terminal can be aligned on the network side and the first terminal side, which is beneficial to the communication quality between the first terminal and the network device. It can be understood that if the response message is used to indicate acceptance of switching / allowance of switching, the first terminal switches the working mode after receiving the response message. If the response message is used to indicate refusal of switching, the first terminal does not switch the working mode after receiving the response message.

[0286] In one implementation, the second message may request the first terminal to perform an action of switching the working mode. In this implementation, after sending the second message (specifically, after receiving a response message indicating acceptance of switching / permission of switching), the first terminal switches the current working mode to another working mode. For example, the first terminal currently works in the first mode / second mode and switches to the third mode after sending the second message.

[0287] In another implementation, the second message may indicate the working mode after switching. For example, the second message may indicate the third mode, and the first terminal switches to the third mode after sending the second message (specifically, after receiving a response message indicating acceptance of switching / permission of switching).

[0288] In another implementation, the second message may indicate the communication capability corresponding to the switched working mode. For example, the second message may indicate the reflective communication capability, and the first terminal switches to the first mode / second mode after sending the second message (specifically, after receiving a response message indicating acceptance of switching / permission of switching). For another example, the second message may indicate the active communication capability, and the first terminal switches to the third mode after sending the second message (specifically, after receiving a response message indicating acceptance of switching / permission of switching).

[0289] In the above manner, the first terminal can switch the working mode according to demand, and request to switch to the working mode in different scenarios, which is beneficial to improving the communication quality or saving the power consumption of the first terminal, etc. For example, when the signal quality is poor, requesting to switch to the third mode with better communication capability is beneficial to improving the communication quality between the first terminal and the network device. For another example, when the battery is low, requesting to switch to the first mode / second mode with lower power consumption can save the power consumption of the first terminal on the one hand, and prevent the first terminal from interrupting communication due to excessive power consumption on the other hand.

[0290] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiment, the present application embodiment provides a communication device, the structure of which can be as follows: Fig.11 As shown, it includes a communication unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102.

[0291] In one embodiment, the communication device can be used to implement Figure 5 In the embodiment of the method performed by the first terminal device, the device may be the first terminal device itself, or a chip or a chipset in the first terminal device or a part of the chip used to perform the function of the related method. The processing unit 1102 is used to receive a paging message through the communication unit 1101, and the paging message is used to page the first type of terminal device, and the first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device; and, if the communication unit 1101 has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device, a random access request is sent.

[0292] In one embodiment, the communication device can be used to implement Figure 6 In the embodiment of the method executed by the first terminal device, the device may be the first terminal device itself, or a chip or a chipset in the first terminal device or a part of the chip used to execute the function of the related method. The processing unit 1102 is used to send the first indication information through the communication unit 1101, and the first indication information indicates the working mode of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0293] Furthermore, the communication device is used to implement Figure 5 or Figure 6 Based on the method performed by the first terminal device in the embodiment, it is also possible to implement Fig. 9 Specifically, the processing unit 1102 is further configured to receive a first message through the communication unit 1101, wherein the first message is used to indicate switching of the working mode.

[0294] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is further used to, before receiving the first message through the communication unit 1101, send at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of power level, indication information of data volume, or service type.

[0295] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is also used to, before receiving the first message through the communication unit 1101, send at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power amount and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data amount and the first data amount threshold value.

[0296] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is further used to receive at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, or the first data volume threshold value.

[0297] Furthermore, the communication device is used to implement Figure 5 or Figure 6 Based on the method performed by the first terminal device in the embodiment, it is also possible to implement Fig.10 The method executed by the first terminal device in the embodiment of the invention. Specifically, the processing unit 1102 is used to determine the switching working mode according to at least one of the following: fourth information, fifth information, sixth information, or service type, the fourth information includes reference signal quality and second signal quality threshold value, the fifth information includes power and second power threshold value, and the sixth information includes data volume and second data volume threshold value; the communication unit 1101 is used to send a second message, and the second message is used to request the switching working mode.

[0298] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is further used to receive at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: the second signal quality threshold value, the second power threshold value, and the second data volume threshold value.

[0299] In one embodiment, the communication device can be used to implement Figure 5 In the embodiment of the method performed by the network device, the device can be the network device itself, or a chip or a chipset in the network device or a part of the chip used to perform the function of the related method. Among them, the processing unit 1102 is used to send a paging message through the communication unit 1101, and the paging message is used to page the first type of terminal device, and the first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device; and receive a random access request through the communication unit 1101.

[0300] In one embodiment, the communication device can be used to implement Figure 6 In the embodiment of the method executed by the network device, the device can be the network device itself, or a chip or a chipset in the network device or a part of the chip used to execute the function of the related method. The processing unit 1102 is used to receive the second indication information through the communication unit 1101, and the second indication information indicates the working mode of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device.

[0301] Furthermore, the communication device is used to implement Figure 5 or Figure 6 Based on the method performed by the network device in the embodiment, it is also possible to implement Fig. 9 Specifically, the processing unit 1102 is further configured to send a first message through the communication unit 1101, wherein the first message is used to indicate switching of the working mode.

[0302] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is also used to receive at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of battery level, indication information of data volume, or service type; and determine the working mode of the switching terminal device based on at least one of the following: the reference signal quality, the battery level, the data volume, or the service type.

[0303] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is further used to receive at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value; and, determine the working mode of the switching terminal device based on at least one of the following: the first information, the second information, the third information, or the service type.

[0304] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is further used to send at least one of the following through the communication unit 1101: the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, or the first data volume threshold value.

[0305] Furthermore, the communication device is used to implement Figure 5 or Figure 6 Based on the method performed by the network device in the embodiment, it is also possible to implement Fig.10 Specifically, the communication unit 1101 is further configured to receive a second message, wherein the second message is used to request to switch the working mode.

[0306] Optionally, the communication unit 1101 is further used to send at least one of the following: a second signal quality threshold value, a second power threshold value, and a second data volume threshold value.

[0307] In one embodiment, the communication device can be used to implement Figure 6 In the embodiment of the method executed by the core network device, the device can be the core network device itself, or it can be a chip or chipset in the core network device or a part of the chip used to execute the function of the related method. Among them, the processing unit 1102 is used to receive first indication information from the terminal device through the communication unit 1101, and the first indication information indicates the working mode of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device has at least two working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device; and send second indication information to the network device through the communication unit 1101, and the second indication information indicates the working mode of the terminal device.

[0308] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is specifically used to: receive a registration request through the communication unit 1101, where the registration request carries the indication information.

[0309] Optionally, the processing unit 1102 is specifically used to: send a paging message through the communication unit 1101, where the paging message carries the indication information.

[0310] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It is understood that the functions or implementations of each module in the embodiments of the present application may further refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment.

[0311] In one possible approach, the communication device may be as follows Fig.12 As shown, the device can be a communication device or a chip in a communication device, wherein the communication device can be a terminal device in the above embodiment or a core network device in the above embodiment. The device includes a processor 1201 and a communication interface 1202, and can also include a memory 1203. Among them, the processing unit 1102 can be the processor 1201. The communication unit 1101 can be the communication interface 1202. Optionally, the processor 1201 and the memory 1203 can also be integrated together.

[0312] The processor 1201 may be a CPU, or a digital processing unit, etc. The communication interface 1202 may be a transceiver, or an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver chip, etc. The device further includes: a memory 1203, which is used to store the program executed by the processor 1201. The memory 1203 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory 1203 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0313] The processor 1201 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 1203, specifically to execute the actions of the processing unit 1102, which will not be described in detail in this application. The communication interface 1202 is specifically used to execute the actions of the communication unit 1101, which will not be described in detail in this application.

[0314] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 1202, the processor 1201 and the memory 1203 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Fig.12 The memory 1203, the processor 1201 and the communication interface 1202 are connected via a bus 1204. Fig.12 The connections between other components are shown in bold lines, which are only for illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig.12 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0315] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions required to be executed by the above-mentioned processor, which includes a program required to be executed by the above-mentioned processor.

[0316] The present application also provides a communication system, including a Figure 4 In the embodiment of the terminal device function communication device and for realizing Figure 4 The communication device of the core network device function in the embodiment of the present invention may also include Figure 4 The communication device of the network device function in the embodiment.

[0317] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented in one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that include computer-usable program code.

[0318] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0319] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0320] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0321] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first terminal device, the method includes: receiving a paging message, where the paging message is used to page a first type of terminal device, where the first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; If the first terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device, a random access request is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The paging message also indicates the working mode that the first type of terminal equipment needs to support.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflection communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than the power consumption in the second mode.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A first message is received, wherein the first message indicates switching the working mode.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Before receiving the first message, the method further includes: Send at least one of the following: indication information of reference signal quality, indication information of power level, indication information of data volume, or service type.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Before receiving the first message, the method further includes: Send at least one of the following: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate the relationship between the reference signal quality and the first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate the relationship between the power and the first power threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate the relationship between the data volume and the first data volume threshold value.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive at least one of the following: the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, or the first data volume threshold value.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Determine the switching working mode according to at least one of the following: reference signal quality and second signal quality threshold, power and second power threshold, data volume and second data volume threshold, or service type; A second message is sent, where the second message is used to request switching of the working mode.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive at least one of the following: the second signal quality threshold value, the second power threshold value, and the second data volume threshold value.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The method comprises: Send third indication information, where the third indication information indicates an operating mode of the first terminal device.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending a paging message, where the paging message is used to page a first type of terminal device, where the first type of terminal device has at least two working modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; A random access request is received.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The paging message also indicates the working mode that the first type of terminal equipment needs to support.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflection communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than the power consumption in the second mode.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A first message is sent, where the first message indicates switching the working mode.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving at least one of the following: information indicating reference signal quality, information indicating power level, information indicating data volume, or service type; The working mode of the switching terminal device is determined according to at least one of the following: the reference signal quality, the power quantity, the data volume, or the service type.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive at least one of the following: first information, second information, third information, or service type, wherein the first information is used to indicate a relationship between a reference signal quality and a first signal quality threshold value, the second information is used to indicate a relationship between a power amount and a first power amount threshold value, and the third information is used to indicate a relationship between a data amount and a first data amount threshold value; The working mode of the terminal device is switched according to at least one of the following: the first information, the second information, the third information, or the service type.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send at least one of the following: the first signal quality threshold value, the first power threshold value, or the first data volume threshold value.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A second message is received, where the second message is used to request switching of the working mode.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send at least one of the following: a second signal quality threshold value, a second power threshold value, and a second data volume threshold value.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive third indication information, where the third indication information indicates an operating mode of the first terminal device.

21. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receiving first indication information from a terminal device, where the first indication information indicates an operating mode supported by the terminal device, wherein the terminal device has at least two operating modes of an environmental Internet of Things terminal device; Sending second indication information to the network device, wherein the second indication information indicates an operating mode supported by the terminal device.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in the registration request.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The second indication information is carried in a paging message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein: The second indication information is a first identifier, and the first identifier is used to represent the working mode of the first terminal device.

25. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, characterized in that The working modes of the environmental Internet of Things terminal device include: a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode, wherein the first mode and the second mode support reflection communication, the third mode supports active communication, and the power consumption in the first mode is less than the power consumption in the second mode.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 21 to 25.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer storage medium stores computer-readable instructions, and when the computer-readable instructions are executed on the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 21 to 25 is executed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is executed on a device, the device is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

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