Positioning method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a positioning method and equipment, and the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment obtains the position of an electronic tag according to a first positioning request of the electronic tag; according to the embodiment of the invention, the electronic tag can be positioned.

Description

Positioning method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a positioning method and device. Background Art

[0002] Electronic tags can be used in a variety of scenarios, such as warehousing and logistics, and item retrieval. These scenarios all require the location of the tag. The integration of electronic tags into mobile communication networks allows for remote location tracking, enabling third parties to accurately determine the tag's location. However, how to use mobile communication networks to locate electronic tags remains an unresolved issue.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and device that can locate an electronic tag.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, including: a terminal device obtains a position of an electronic tag according to a first positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0006] An embodiment of the present application further provides a positioning method, including: a first network device acquiring a position of the electronic tag according to a first positioning response of the electronic tag.

[0007] An embodiment of the present application further provides a positioning method, comprising: a second network device verifying the electronic tag and / or a terminal device associated with the electronic tag according to a second positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0008] The embodiment of the present application further provides a positioning method, comprising: a sixth network device receiving a second positioning response of the electronic tag from the first network device, the second positioning response carrying the position of the electronic tag;

[0009] The sixth network device sends a third positioning response of the electronic tag to the second network device, where the third positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

[0010] An embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal device, including: a first acquisition module, configured to acquire a position of an electronic tag according to a first positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, including: a second acquisition module, configured to acquire a position of the electronic tag according to a first positioning response of the electronic tag.

[0012] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, including: a verification module, configured to verify the electronic tag and / or a terminal device associated with the electronic tag according to a second positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0013] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, comprising: a fourth receiving module, configured to receive a second positioning response of the electronic tag from the first network device, the second positioning response carrying the position of the electronic tag;

[0014] The fourth sending module is configured to send a third positioning response of the electronic tag to the second network device, where the third positioning response carries the position of the electronic tag.

[0015] The present application also provides a communication device including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory and control the transceiver so that the device performs the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0016] The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip for implementing the above positioning method.

[0017] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0018] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0019] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above positioning method.

[0020] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0021] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device obtains the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning request of the electronic tag, thereby achieving the positioning of the electronic tag. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic diagram 1 of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG2 is a second schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG3 is a third schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method 400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart according to the first embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart according to the second embodiment of the present application.

[0031] FIG10 is a schematic flow chart according to the third embodiment of the present application.

[0032] FIG11 is a schematic flow chart according to the fourth embodiment of the present application.

[0033] FIG12 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 1500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG22 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0045] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and claims of the embodiments of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or precedence. The objects described by the terms "first" and "second" may be the same or different.

[0046] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wireless Fidelity) system. Fidelity, WiFi), fifth-generation communication (5th-Generation, 5G) system or other communication systems, etc.

[0047] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0048] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0049] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, wherein the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0050] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0051] The terminal device can be a station (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0054] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in WLAN, a base station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0056] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0058] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates a communication system 100. The communication system includes a network device 110 and two terminal devices 120. In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices 110, and each network device 110 may include a different number of terminal devices 120 within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0059] In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may further include other network entities such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0060] Among them, the network equipment may include access network equipment and core network equipment. That is, the wireless communication system also includes multiple core networks for communicating with the access network equipment. The access network equipment can be an evolutionary base station (evolutional node B, abbreviated as eNB or e-NodeB) macro base station, micro base station (also called "small base station"), pico base station, access point (AP), transmission point (TP) or new generation base station (new generation Node B, gNodeB), etc. in a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a next-generation (mobile communication system) (next radio, NR) system or an authorized auxiliary access long-term evolution (LAA-LTE) system.

[0061] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, a device having a communication function in a network / system may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system shown in Figure 1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device and a terminal device having a communication function. The network device and the terminal device may be specific devices in the embodiments of the present application and will not be described in detail here. The communication device may also include other devices in the communication system, such as a network controller, a mobility management entity, and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0062] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0063] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0064] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0065] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] 1. 5G network system architecture:

[0067] The 5G network system architecture is shown in Figure 2. The UE establishes an access layer connection with the AN through the Uu interface, exchanging access layer messages and wireless data transmission. The UE establishes a non-access layer (NAS) connection with the AMF through the N1 port, exchanging NAS messages. The AMF is the mobility management function in the core network, and the SMF is the session management function in the core network. In addition to managing the mobility of the UE, the AMF is also responsible for forwarding session management-related messages between the UE and the SMF. The PCF is the policy management function in the core network, responsible for formulating policies related to UE mobility management, session management, and billing. The UPF is the user plane function in the core network, which transmits data with the external data network through the N6 interface and with the AN through the N3 interface. After the UE accesses the 5G network through the Uu port, it establishes a PDU session under the control of the SMF for data transmission.

[0068] 2. Electronic tags:

[0069] In a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, a reader / writer is a device that reads or writes information from an electronic tag. During operation, the reader / writer transmits radio frequency energy within an area, creating an electromagnetic field. The size of this area depends on the transmission power. Electronic tags within the reader / writer's coverage area are triggered to transmit stored data or modify it according to the reader / writer's instructions. The reader / writer uses radio frequency (RF) to conduct contactless, two-way data communication with the electronic tag, reading and writing to the tag, thereby achieving target identification and data exchange. Electronic tags generally consume little power and may not even require a power source or battery. For example, passive electronic tags can receive microwave signals from the reader / writer and obtain energy through electromagnetic induction coils to temporarily power themselves and complete information exchange. RFID has a short transmission range and is suitable for local management and communication of items, such as inventory management within warehouses, file management, access card management, and electronic highway toll payment.

[0070] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network is also considering designing a new type of electronic tag, called a Passive IoT tag or Ambient IoT tag. Unlike RFID, this electronic tag can use the frequency resources of the 3GPP network for communication. The electronic tags in the present invention include but are not limited to RFID tags, Passive IoT (Passive Internet of Things) tags, and Ambient IoT tags based on ambient energy.

[0071] Electronic tags can be used in a variety of scenarios, such as warehousing and logistics, and item retrieval. These scenarios all require the location of the tag. When electronic tags are integrated into 3GPP networks, they can be remotely located using the 3GPP network, allowing third parties to accurately determine the tag's location. However, how to use the 3GPP network to locate electronic tags remains an unresolved issue.

[0072] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application. The electronic tag is connected to the network via indirect mode. The indirect mode architecture is shown in Figure 3. The electronic tag is connected to the base station through a terminal. The electronic tag data is exchanged through the terminal, the base station, the core network, and the corresponding server. The terminal can be equipped with an electronic tag reader / writer function. The terminal can send the electronic tag information it can collect to the core network. A network element with storage function in the core network, or a dedicated network element, can store the association between the UE identifier and the electronic tag identifier.

[0073] The present invention provides a positioning method for locating an electronic tag. FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method can be applied to any of the systems shown in FIG1-3, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0074] S410: The terminal device obtains the location of the electronic tag according to the first positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0075] The terminal device obtains the location of the electronic tag according to the first positioning request, and can realize the positioning of the electronic tag by the mobile network (such as 5G network).

[0076] The terminal device may receive a first positioning request from the first network device. The first positioning request may carry the identifier (ID) of the electronic tag and the ID of the terminal device. The identifier (ID) of the electronic tag may be recorded as the Tag ID, and the ID of the terminal device may be recorded as the UE ID. The location of the electronic tag may also be referred to as the location information of the electronic tag (Tag location information), the location of the Tag ID, or the location information of the Tag ID.

[0077] The terminal device has the reader / writer function of the electronic tag, so it can read and write the electronic tag connected to it and determine the location of the electronic tag connected to it; and because the first positioning request carries the identifier of the electronic tag, the terminal device can determine the location of the electronic tag based on the identifier of the electronic tag.

[0078] The first positioning request carries a UE ID, so the terminal device that receives the first positioning request can compare the UE ID with its own ID to determine whether the first positioning request is the first positioning request sent to itself, thereby avoiding errors in message transmission and other processes that may lead to erroneous operation of electronic tag positioning. For example, if the UE ID carried in the first positioning request is consistent with the terminal device's own ID, it means that the first positioning request is the first positioning request sent to the terminal device, and the terminal device can determine the location of the electronic tag based on the first positioning request; if the UE ID carried in the first positioning request is inconsistent with the terminal device's own ID, it means that the first positioning request is not the first positioning request sent to the terminal device, and the terminal device will not locate the electronic tag.

[0079] In some implementations, the first network device may be a Location Management Function (LMF), a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), an AMF, or other network elements.

[0080] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application, which illustrates the message interaction process between the terminal device and the first network device, and the related process of the terminal device and the first network device obtaining the electronic tag location. It includes:

[0081] S510: The terminal device receives a first positioning request from the first network device. The first positioning request may carry a Tag ID and / or a UE ID.

[0082] S520: The terminal device determines the position of the electronic tag (eg, the absolute position of the electronic tag and / or the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device) based on the identifier of the electronic tag.

[0083] Specifically, the terminal device can determine the absolute location of the electronic tag based on the Tag ID;

[0084] Alternatively, the terminal device can determine the relative position of the electronic tag based on the tag ID and then use the relative position of the electronic tag and the absolute position of the terminal device to determine the absolute position of the electronic tag. The terminal device can trigger a positioning process to obtain the absolute position of the terminal device, for example, by triggering positioning based on the Uu port or other positioning methods to obtain the absolute position of the terminal device.

[0085] The relative or absolute position of an electronic tag can be determined by a terminal device. For example, a terminal device sends a signal to an electronic tag and receives a return signal from the electronic tag. Based on information such as the phase difference between the transmitted and received signals, the terminal device can determine the relative position of the electronic tag. Alternatively, the terminal device can collaborate with one or more nearby terminal devices to send signals to the electronic tag and calculate the relative position of the electronic tag relative to each terminal device. The absolute position of the electronic tag can then be determined based on the calculated relative positions.

[0086] The absolute position of an electronic tag can also be referred to as the exact position of the electronic tag, the absolute position of the tag ID, or the exact position of the tag ID. The relative position of an electronic tag can also be referred to as the relative position of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device, the relative position of the tag ID, or the relative position of the tag ID relative to the terminal device.

[0087] S530: The terminal device sends a first positioning response for the electronic tag to the first network device. The first positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag. Specifically, the first positioning response may carry the absolute location of the electronic tag and / or the relative location of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device. In some embodiments, the first positioning response may also carry a tag ID and / or a UE ID.

[0088] Specifically, if the terminal device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag in S520, the first positioning response carries the absolute position of the electronic tag;

[0089] Alternatively, if the terminal device determines the relative position of the electronic tag in S520, the first positioning response carries the relative position of the electronic tag.

[0090] S540: The first network device obtains the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning response of the electronic tag.

[0091] Specifically, if the first positioning response carries the absolute position of the electronic tag, the first network device may directly obtain the absolute position of the electronic tag from the first positioning response;

[0092] Alternatively, if the first positioning response carries the relative position of the electronic tag, the first network device may use the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device to determine the absolute position of the electronic tag.

[0093] After determining or obtaining the location of the electronic tag, the first network device can send the location of the electronic tag to other network elements in the core network. After obtaining the location of the electronic tag, the core network can provide it to a third-party application (such as AF), thereby making the accurate location of the electronic tag available to the third party.

[0094] In the embodiment of the present application, the electronic tag may be an RFID tag, a passive IoT device (Passive IoT) tag, or an ambient energy-based IoT device (Ambient IoT) tag, etc.

[0095] As can be seen from the embodiment shown in FIG5 , there are at least two ways to locate the electronic tag. The first way is that the terminal device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag, and the second way is that the first network device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag.

[0096] The present invention provides a positioning method for locating an electronic tag. FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method can be applied to any of the systems shown in FIG1-3, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0097] S610: The first network device obtains the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning response of the electronic tag.

[0098] For example, the first network device may be a LMF.

[0099] The electronic tag may include at least one of an RFID tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient IoT tag.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first positioning response of the electronic tag may carry the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device and / or the absolute position of the electronic tag.

[0101] In the case where the first positioning response carries the relative position of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device, the first network device may determine the absolute position of the electronic tag using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device;

[0102] In the case that the first positioning response carries the absolute position of the electronic tag, the first network device may directly extract the absolute position from the first positioning response.

[0103] In some embodiments, before receiving the first positioning response, the first network device may send a first positioning request for the electronic tag to the terminal device, and the first positioning request carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag; thereafter, the first network device receives the first positioning response of the electronic tag from the terminal device, and the first positioning response may carry the position of the electronic tag and may also carry at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0104] After obtaining the location of the electronic tag, the first network device may send the location of the electronic tag, thereby opening the location of the electronic tag to a third party.

[0105] In some embodiments, before locating the electronic tag, the privacy of the UE and / or the electronic tag can be verified, that is, whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be opened to a third party. If the verification is passed, the positioning of the electronic tag is initiated. In this way, the security of the electronic tag can be guaranteed; when a third party initiates a positioning request for the electronic tag, the location of the electronic tag can only be obtained and opened to the third party if the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be opened to the third party; and whether the location of the electronic tag is open to the third party can also be set by the terminal device or the core network element. For example, the configuration of "whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be opened to a third party" is adjustable or modifiable. The configuration can be saved in the UDM and adjusted or modified by the terminal device or the core network element in different situations.

[0106] The present invention provides a positioning method. FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method 700 according to the present invention. The method can be applied to any of the systems shown in FIG1-3, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0107] S710: The second network device verifies the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag according to the second positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0108] For example, the second network device verifies whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be disclosed to a third party.

[0109] In some implementations, the second network device may include a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), a Location Management Function (LMF), an AMF, or other network elements.

[0110] The second network device may receive a second positioning request of the electronic tag from the fifth network device, where the second positioning request may carry an identifier (Tag ID) of the electronic tag.

[0111] For example, the fifth network device may include a network exposure function (NEF) or an application function (AF). If the second network device receives a second positioning request of the electronic tag from the AF, the second network device may also authorize the request of the AF, that is, determine whether the AF is allowed to request the location information. In the previous embodiment, verifying the privacy of the UE and / or the electronic tag is to directly configure the privacy of the UE and / or the electronic tag, and protect the privacy of one or more UEs and / or electronic tags; in this embodiment, authorizing the request of the AF is to protect the privacy of the UE and / or electronic tags involved in the network based on the configuration of the AF. For example, one or some AFs may be configured to allow requests for the location of electronic tags, and one or some AFs may be configured not to allow requests for the location of electronic tags, and the request of the AF may be authorized based on the configuration. When the second request is received from the AF, the pre-configuration for the AF is searched. If the AF is pre-configured to allow requesting the location of the electronic tag, the authorization of the AF is passed, and then the privacy of the UE and / or the electronic tag is further verified, or the location of the electronic tag is directly obtained; if the AF is pre-configured not to allow requesting the location of the electronic tag, the authorization of the AF is not passed, and there is no need to obtain the location of the electronic tag.

[0112] Taking the second network device as a GMLC as an example, there are at least two ways to verify the second network device:

[0113] Method 1: GMLC interacts with a third network device to verify the electronic tag.

[0114] The third network device may be a unified data management function (UDM), in which the privacy information of multiple electronic tags may be stored in advance.

[0115] For example, GMLC verifies Tag 1 by interacting with UMD. If GMLC finds that UDM stores information indicating that Tag 1 allows location information to be disclosed to a third party, GMLC passes the verification of Tag 1.

[0116] If the electronic tag allows its location information to be disclosed to a third party, the GMLC can obtain information about the terminal device associated with the electronic tag from a fourth network device. Based on the information about the terminal device associated with the electronic tag, the GMLC can send (e.g., to the AMF) a third positioning request for the electronic tag, requesting the electronic tag's location information. The third positioning request for the electronic tag can carry at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag. The fourth network device can be a network function (NF), which can store the association between the terminal device and the electronic tag.

[0117] In the case that the electronic tag does not allow the location information to be disclosed to a third party, the GMLC may return a message rejecting the positioning request to the fifth network device (such as NEF or AF).

[0118] In the second method, the GMLC interacts with a third network device to verify the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0119] After receiving the second positioning request carrying the Tag ID, the GMLC first needs to determine the terminal device associated with the Tag in order to verify the terminal device associated with the Tag. For example, the second network device can obtain information about the terminal device associated with the electronic tag from the fourth network device.

[0120] After determining the terminal device associated with the tag, the GMLC can interact with a third network device (such as a UMD) to verify the terminal device associated with the electronic tag. The UDM can pre-store the privacy information of multiple UEs and their associated electronic tags. For example, the GMLC verifies UE 1 associated with Tag 1. By interacting with the UMD, if the GMLC queries the UDM and finds that "UE 1 allows the location information of the associated Tag 1 to be disclosed to a third party," the GMLC verifies UE 1 successfully.

[0121] If UE 1 allows the location information of the associated Tag 1 to be made available to a third party, the GMLC may send (e.g., to the AMF) a third location request for the electronic tag to request the location information of the electronic tag. The third location request for the electronic tag may carry at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0122] In the case that UE 1 does not allow the location information of the associated Tag 1 to be disclosed to a third party, the GMLC may return a message rejecting the positioning request to the fifth network device (such as NEF or AF).

[0123] Method 1 above enables unified management of electronic tag privacy. Network elements such as the UDM can pre-store the privacy configuration of multiple electronic tags. Method 2 above enables the UE to manage the privacy of its associated electronic tags. The UE can pre-interact with network elements such as the UMD to allow the location of one or more of its associated electronic tags to be disclosed to a third party.

[0124] In the above-mentioned methods 1 and 2, the fourth network device may be a network function (NF), which may store the association between the terminal device and the electronic tag. The GMLC may send a query request to the NF, the query request carrying the electronic tag identifier (Tag ID); the GMLC receives a query response from the NF, the query response carrying the identifier (UE ID) of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag. Furthermore, the query response may also carry the electronic tag identifier (Tag ID).

[0125] In one example, the second network device verifies the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag based on the second positioning request of the electronic tag. For example, the second network device may be a GMLC, LMF or other network element. The second network device may receive a second positioning request from an AF or NEF, etc., and the second positioning request may include an identifier of the electronic tag for which positioning is requested; based on the identifier of the electronic tag, the second network device may verify the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag, such as verifying whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be opened to a third party. The verification method has been introduced in the above example and will not be repeated here.

[0126] If the location information of the electronic tag is allowed to be disclosed, the second network device may further transmit the location request of the electronic tag, such as sending a third location request of the electronic tag. The third location request may carry the identifier of the electronic tag and / or the identifier of the terminal device.

[0127] After the positioning request is transmitted to the first network device, the first network device may transmit the positioning request to the terminal device, which then determines the relative or absolute position of the electronic tag. For example, the first network device may send a first positioning request for the electronic tag to the terminal device, and the first positioning request may include the identifier of the electronic tag and / or the identifier of the terminal device. The first network device may be an LMF, AMF, or other network element.

[0128] After receiving the first positioning response fed back by the terminal device (the first positioning response carries the absolute position and / or relative position of the electronic tag), the first network device can directly obtain the absolute position of the electronic tag carried in the first positioning response; or, the first network device can obtain the relative position of the electronic tag carried in the first positioning response and determine the absolute position of the terminal device. Using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device, the first network device can determine the absolute position of the electronic tag.

[0129] In the above example, before determining the location of the electronic tag, the electronic tag or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag is first verified. If the verification is successful, the location of the electronic tag is allowed to be obtained, thereby protecting the privacy of the electronic tag and improving information security.

[0130] Example 1:

[0131] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of the first embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the GMLC verifies the privacy of the Tag ID and the LMF calculates the accurate location of the Tag ID. As shown in FIG8 , this embodiment includes:

[0132] Step 1: When a third-party AF wants to obtain the location of a tag, the AF sends a positioning request to the GMLC through the NEF. The positioning request includes the tag ID.

[0133] Step 2: The NEF authorizes the AF's request and determines whether the AF can request the Tag ID location service. If the NEF authorizes the request, the process continues with step 3.

[0134] Step 3: The NEF sends a tag location request to the GMLC. The location request includes the tag ID to be located. Then, proceed to step 4.

[0135] The above steps 1 to 3 are optional. This embodiment can also adopt other methods to replace the above steps 1 to 3. For example, when a third-party AF wants to obtain the location of a certain tag, it can directly send a positioning request to the GMLC, and the positioning request includes the tag ID; the GMLC authorizes the AF's request and determines whether the AF can request the service of the tag ID location. If the GMLC is authorized, proceed to step 4.

[0136] In step 4, the GMLC interacts with the UDM to verify the privacy of the Tag ID, such as whether the Tag ID allows the location information to be disclosed to a third party. If the verification is successful, that is, the Tag ID allows the location information to be disclosed to a third party, then proceed to step 5.

[0137] In step 5, the GMLC interacts with a network element (NF) that specifically stores the mapping between UE ID and Tag ID to query the UE associated with the Tag ID, i.e., the serving UE corresponding to the Tag ID. For example, the GMLC sends a serving UE query request to the NF, which carries the Tag ID.

[0138] Step 6: NF obtains the UE corresponding to the Tag ID through local query.

[0139] Step 7: The NF returns the UE ID and / or Tag ID to the GMLC. For example, the NF returns a serving UE query response to the GMLC, which carries the Tag ID and UE ID.

[0140] In step 8, the GMLC selects the serving AMF of the UE according to the UE ID carried in the serving UE query response, and sends the Tag positioning request to the serving AMF. The Tag positioning request may carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID.

[0141] In step 9, the AMF sends the Tag location request to the LMF. The Tag location request may carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID.

[0142] In step 10, the LMF determines whether there is the location information of the UE based on the UE ID carried in the positioning request of the tag. If the LMF does not have the location information of the UE before, the LMF can trigger the existing positioning method (such as the positioning method based on the Uu port or other methods) to obtain the accurate location of the UE.

[0143] Step 11: LMF sends the Tag positioning request to the UE according to the UE ID in the positioning request. The Tag positioning request may carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID.

[0144] Step 12: The UE obtains the location information of the Tag according to the Tag ID carried in the Tag location request. In this embodiment, the UE can obtain the relative position of the Tag (ie, the relative position of the Tag relative to the UE).

[0145] Step 13: The UE sends a Tag positioning response to the LMF. The Tag positioning response may carry the relative position of the Tag.

[0146] In step 14, the LMF calculates the absolute position (ie, accurate position) of the Tag ID by combining the absolute position of the UE and the relative position of the UE and the Tag (ie, the relative position of the Tag relative to the UE).

[0147] In step 15, the LMF sends a Tag positioning response to the AMF. The Tag positioning response may carry the Tag ID and the absolute position of the Tag, and may also carry the UE ID.

[0148] In step 16, the AMF sends a tag positioning response to the GMLC. The tag positioning response may carry the tag ID and the absolute position of the tag, and may also carry the UE ID.

[0149] Step 17: GMLC sends a Tag location response to AF via NEF. The Tag location response may carry the Tag ID, the absolute location of the Tag, and the UE ID. Alternatively, GMLC may send a Tag location response directly to AF.

[0150] Example 2:

[0151] Figure 9 is a schematic flow chart of the second embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the GMLC verifies the privacy of the Tag ID and the LMF calculates the accurate location of the Tag. As shown in Figure 9, this embodiment includes:

[0152] Step 1: When a third-party AF wants to obtain the location of a tag, the AF sends a positioning request to the GMLC through the NEF. The positioning request includes the tag ID.

[0153] Step 2: The NEF authorizes the AF's request and determines whether the AF can request the Tag ID location service. If the NEF authorizes the request, the process continues with step 3.

[0154] Step 3: The NEF sends a tag location request to the GMLC. The location request includes the tag ID to be located. Then, proceed to step 4.

[0155] The above steps 1 to 3 are optional. This embodiment can also adopt other methods to replace the above steps 1 to 3. For example, when a third-party AF wants to obtain the location of a certain tag, it can directly send a positioning request to the GMLC, and the positioning request includes the tag ID; the GMLC authorizes the AF's request and determines whether the AF can request the service of the tag ID location. If the GMLC is authorized, proceed to step 4.

[0156] Step 4: The GMLC interacts with a network element (NF) that specifically stores the mapping between UE IDs and Tag IDs to query the UE associated with the Tag ID, i.e., the serving UE corresponding to the Tag ID. For example, the GMLC sends a serving UE query request to the NF, which carries the Tag ID.

[0157] Step 5: NF obtains the UE corresponding to the Tag ID through local query.

[0158] Step 6: The NF returns the UE ID and / or Tag ID to the GMLC. For example, the NF returns a serving UE query response to the GMLC, which carries the Tag ID and UE ID.

[0159] In step 7, the GMLC verifies the UE's privacy, that is, verifies whether the UE allows the corresponding tag location to be disclosed to a third party. For example, the GMLC interacts with the UDM to verify the UE's privacy. If the verification is successful, that is, the UE allows the location information of the tag ID to be disclosed to a third party, then the process proceeds to step 8.

[0160] In step 8, the GMLC selects the serving AMF of the UE and sends a Tag location request to the serving AMF. The Tag location request may carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID.

[0161] In step 9, the AMF sends the Tag location request to the LMF. The Tag location request may carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID.

[0162] In the subsequent process, the LMF calculates the accurate position of the Tag ID. For details, please refer to steps 10 to 17 of the first embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0163] Unlike the first embodiment, in this embodiment, when the GMLC receives a location request from a tag, it first queries the NF for the UE corresponding to the tag ID. After receiving the serving UE ID, the GLMC verifies the UE's privacy, that is, whether the UE allows the location information corresponding to the tag ID to be disclosed to a third party. If the verification is successful, the tag is positioned again.

[0164] Example 3:

[0165] FIG10 is a schematic flow chart of the third embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the GMLC verifies the privacy of the Tag ID (the privacy verification method is the same as that in the first embodiment), and the UE calculates the accurate location of the Tag ID. As shown in FIG10 , this embodiment includes:

[0166] In steps 1 to 9, the GMLC verifies the privacy of the Tag ID. If the verification is successful, the GMLC queries the UE corresponding to the Tag ID and determines the serving AMF for the UE. The serving AMF then sends the Tag location request to the LMF. The Tag location request can carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID. Steps 1 to 9 of Example 3 can refer to steps 1 to 9 of Example 1 and are not repeated here.

[0167] Step 10: LMF sends the Tag positioning request to the UE according to the UE ID in the Tag positioning request. The Tag positioning request may carry the Tag ID and / or UE ID.

[0168] Step 11: If the UE does not have its own accurate location before, the UE can request to trigger a positioning process (such as a positioning process based on the Uu interface or other methods) to obtain the accurate location of the UE.

[0169] Step 12: The UE obtains the location information of the Tag according to the Tag ID carried in the Tag location request. In this embodiment, the UE can obtain the relative position (ie, the relative position of the Tag relative to the UE) or the absolute position of the Tag.

[0170] Step 13. If the relative position of the Tag is obtained in step 12, then in this step, the UE calculates the absolute position of the Tag based on its own absolute position and the relative position of the Tag obtained in step 12, and continues to execute step 14; or, if the absolute position of the Tag is obtained in step 12, directly execute step 14.

[0171] In step 14, the UE sends a Tag positioning response to the LMF. The Tag positioning response may carry the Tag ID and the absolute position of the Tag, and may also carry the UE ID.

[0172] In steps 15 to 17, LMF sends a Tag positioning response to AMF, AMF sends a Tag positioning response to GMLC, and GMLC sends a Tag positioning response to AF. The specific method can refer to steps 15 to 17 of Example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0173] In this embodiment, the UE is responsible for obtaining and calculating the absolute location of the tag. The UE can directly locate the absolute location of the tag; alternatively, the UE can calculate the absolute location of the tag by collecting the relative position of the tag relative to the UE and its own absolute location. The tag location response sent by the UE to the LMF carries the absolute location of the tag.

[0174] Example 4:

[0175] FIG11 is a schematic flow chart of the fourth embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the GMLC verifies the privacy of the Tag ID (the privacy verification method is the same as that in the second embodiment), and the UE calculates the accurate location of the Tag. As shown in FIG11, this embodiment includes:

[0176] In steps 1 to 9, the GMLC verifies the UE's privacy. If the verification is successful, the GMLC determines the UE's serving AMF and sends the tag's location request to the LMF through the serving AMF. The tag's location request may carry the tag ID and / or UE ID. Steps 1 to 9 of Example 4 can refer to steps 1 to 9 of Example 2 and are not repeated here.

[0177] The subsequent process continues to locate the Tag. For specific positioning methods, please refer to steps 10 to 17 in the third embodiment.

[0178] Similar to Example 3, in this embodiment, the UE is responsible for obtaining and calculating the absolute location of the tag. The UE can directly locate the absolute location of the tag; alternatively, the UE can calculate the absolute location of the tag by collecting the relative position of the tag relative to the UE and its own absolute location. The tag's absolute location is included in the tag location response sent by the UE to the LMF.

[0179] This application also proposes a positioning method. FIG12 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method 1200 according to an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to any of the systems shown in FIG1-3, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents. It includes:

[0180] S1210: The sixth network device receives a second positioning response of the electronic tag from the first network device, where the second positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

[0181] S1220: The sixth network device sends a third positioning response of the electronic tag to the second network device, where the third positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

[0182] For example, the sixth network device may be an AMF, the second network device may be a GMLC, and the first network device may be an LMF.

[0183] In some implementations, the second positioning response may further carry at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0184] In some implementations, the third positioning response may further carry at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0185] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the sixth network device receiving a third positioning request of the electronic tag from the second network device, the third positioning request carrying at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag;

[0186] The sixth network device sends a fourth positioning request of the electronic tag to the first network device, where the fourth positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0187] For other details of the positioning method of the sixth network device (such as AMF), please refer to the relevant introduction of AMF in the aforementioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0188] The positioning method of the embodiment of the present application uses a core network element (such as a GMLC) to select the corresponding UE based on the Tag ID, authorize the AF's positioning request (or other network elements, such as an NEF, authorize the AF's positioning request), and verify the privacy of the UE and the Tag. The core network element (LMF) sends a Tag ID positioning request to the UE, triggering the UE to locate the Tag. The UE obtains the Tag information and obtains the accurate location of the Tag ID through local calculation or reporting the relative position to the LMF side for calculation. The core network opens the accurate location of the Tag ID to a third party.

[0189] The present application also provides a terminal device. FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application, including:

[0190] The first obtaining module 1310 is configured to obtain the position of the electronic tag according to a first positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0191] In some implementations, the first positioning request of the electronic tag carries an identifier of the electronic tag.

[0192] In some implementations, the first acquisition module 1310 is configured to determine the location of the electronic tag according to the identifier of the electronic tag.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first acquisition module 1310 is configured to determine the absolute position of the electronic tag and / or the relative position of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device according to the identifier of the electronic tag.

[0194] In some implementations, the first acquisition module 1310 is configured to:

[0195] Determine the relative position of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device based on the identification of the electronic tag;

[0196] The absolute position of the electronic tag is determined using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device.

[0197] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 1400 includes one or more features of the above-mentioned terminal device 1300 embodiment. In one possible implementation, in the embodiment of the present application, it further includes:

[0198] The determination module 1420 is used to trigger positioning and determine the absolute position of the terminal device.

[0199] In some embodiments, the positioning includes Uu port-based positioning.

[0200] In some implementations, the first positioning request of the electronic tag also carries an identifier of the terminal device.

[0201] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0202] The first receiving module 1430 is configured to receive a first positioning request of an electronic tag from a first network device.

[0203] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0204] The first sending module 1440 is configured to send a first positioning response of the electronic tag to the first network device, where the first positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

[0205] In some embodiments, the first network device comprises a location management function LMF.

[0206] In some embodiments, the electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

[0207] It should be understood that the above and other operations and / or functions of the modules in the terminal device according to the embodiment of the present application are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the terminal device in method 400 of Figure 4. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0208] The present application also provides a network device. FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 1500 according to an embodiment of the present application, including:

[0209] The second acquiring module 1510 is configured to acquire the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning response of the electronic tag.

[0210] In some embodiments, the first positioning response of the electronic tag carries the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device and / or the absolute position of the electronic tag.

[0211] In some implementations, the second acquisition module 1510 is configured to determine the absolute position of the electronic tag using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device.

[0212] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1600 includes one or more features of the above-mentioned network device 1500 embodiment. In one possible implementation, in the embodiment of the present application, it also includes:

[0213] The second sending module 1620 is configured to send a first positioning request of the electronic tag to the terminal device, where the first positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag;

[0214] The second receiving module 1630 is configured to receive a first positioning response of the electronic tag from the terminal device.

[0215] In some embodiments, the first positioning response of the electronic tag carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0216] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0217] The location sending module 1640 is used to send the location of the electronic tag.

[0218] In some embodiments, the network device includes a LMF.

[0219] In some embodiments, the electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

[0220] It should be understood that the above and other operations and / or functions of the modules in the network device according to the embodiment of the present application are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the first network device in method 600 of Figure 6. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0221] The present application also provides a network device. FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present application, including:

[0222] The verification module 1710 is configured to verify the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag according to the second positioning request of the electronic tag.

[0223] In some embodiments, the verification module 1710 verifies whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be disclosed to a third party.

[0224] In some implementations, the verification module 1710 interacts with a third network device to verify the electronic tag.

[0225] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1800 includes one or more features of the above-mentioned network device 1700 embodiment. In one possible implementation, in the embodiment of the present application, it also includes:

[0226] A third obtaining module 1820 is configured to obtain information of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag from a fourth network device when the electronic tag allows the location information to be disclosed to a third party;

[0227] The third sending module 1830 is configured to send a third positioning request of the electronic tag according to information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0228] In some implementations, the verification module 1710 interacts with a third network device to verify the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0229] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0230] The fourth obtaining module 1840 is configured to obtain information of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag from a fourth network device.

[0231] In some implementations, obtaining information of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag from the fourth network device includes:

[0232] Sending a query request to the fourth network device, where the query request carries the identifier of the electronic tag;

[0233] A query response is received from the fourth network device, where the query response carries an identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0234] In some implementations, the query response also carries the identification of the electronic tag.

[0235] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0236] The third receiving module 1850 is configured to receive a second positioning request of the electronic tag from the fifth network device.

[0237] In some embodiments, the fifth network device includes a network exposure function NEF.

[0238] In some embodiments, the fifth network device includes an application function AF.

[0239] In some implementations, the method further includes: an authorization module 1860 configured to determine whether the AF is allowed to request location information.

[0240] In some implementations, the second positioning request of the electronic tag carries an identifier of the electronic tag.

[0241] In some implementations, the third positioning request of the electronic tag carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0242] In some embodiments, the network device includes a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC).

[0243] In some implementations, the third network device includes a unified data management (UDM).

[0244] In some implementations, the fourth network device includes a network function NF, and the NF stores an association relationship between the terminal device and the electronic tag.

[0245] In some embodiments, the electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

[0246] It should be understood that the above and other operations and / or functions of the modules in the network device according to the embodiment of the present application are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the second network device in method 700 of Figure 7. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0247] The present application also provides a network device. FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application, including:

[0248] The fourth receiving module 1910 is configured to receive a second positioning response of the electronic tag from the first network device, where the second positioning response carries the position of the electronic tag;

[0249] The fourth sending module 1920 is configured to send a third positioning response of the electronic tag to the second network device, where the third positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

[0250] In some embodiments, the second positioning response further carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0251] In some embodiments, the third positioning response further carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0252] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 2000 includes one or more features of the above-mentioned network device 1900 embodiment. In one possible implementation, in the embodiment of the present application, it also includes:

[0253] A fifth receiving module 2030 is configured to receive a third positioning request of the electronic tag from the second network device, where the third positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag;

[0254] The fifth sending module 2040 is configured to send a fourth positioning request of the electronic tag to the first network device, where the fourth positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

[0255] In some implementations, the second network device includes a GMLC.

[0256] In some implementations, the first network device includes a LMF.

[0257] In some embodiments, the network device includes an access and mobility management function AMF.

[0258] In some embodiments, the electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient IoT tag.

[0259] It should be understood that the above and other operations and / or functions of the modules in the network device according to the embodiment of the present application are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the sixth network device in method 1200 of Figure 12. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0260] It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (submodules, units, or components, etc.) in the communication device of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by different modules (submodules, units, or components, etc.) or by the same module (submodule, unit, or component, etc.). For example, the first receiving module and the second receiving module can be different modules or the same module, and both can implement their corresponding functions in the embodiment of the present application. In addition, the sending module and the receiving module in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by the transceiver of the device, and some or all of the other modules can be implemented by the processor of the device.

[0261] Figure 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2100 shown in Figure 21 includes a processor 2110, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0262] In some implementations, as shown in FIG21 , the communication device 2100 may further include a memory 2120. The processor 2110 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2120 to implement the communication device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0263] The memory 2120 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2110 , or may be integrated into the processor 2110 .

[0264] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 21 , the communication device 2100 may further include a transceiver 2130 , and the processor 2110 may control the transceiver 2130 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 2130 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0265] The transceiver 2130 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 2130 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0266] In some embodiments, the communication device 2100 may be the communication device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2100 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the communication device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0267] Figure 22 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 2200 shown in Figure 22 includes a processor 2210, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0268] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG22 , the chip 2200 may further include a memory 2220. The processor 2210 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2220 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0269] The memory 2220 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2210 , or may be integrated into the processor 2210 .

[0270] In some embodiments, the chip 2200 may further include an input interface 2230. The processor 2210 may control the input interface 2230 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0271] In some embodiments, the chip 2200 may further include an output interface 2240. The processor 2210 may control the output interface 2240 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0272] In some embodiments, the chip can be applied to the communication equipment in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network equipment in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0273] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0274] The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0275] The memory mentioned above may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM).

[0276] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0277] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. The computer instruction can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instruction can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0278] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0279] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0280] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A positioning method, comprising: The terminal device obtains the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning request of the electronic tag.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first positioning request of the electronic tag carries the identifier of the electronic tag.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The terminal device obtains the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning request of the electronic tag, including: The terminal device determines the location of the electronic tag according to the identifier of the electronic tag.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The terminal device determines the position of the electronic tag according to the identifier of the electronic tag, including: The terminal device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag and / or the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device according to the identification of the electronic tag.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The terminal device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag according to the identifier of the electronic tag, including: The terminal device determines the relative position of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device according to the identifier of the electronic tag; The terminal device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag by using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising: the terminal device triggering positioning to determine the absolute position of the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The positioning includes positioning based on the Uu interface.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein: The first positioning request of the electronic tag also carries the identifier of the terminal device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: the terminal device receiving a first positioning request of the electronic tag from a first network device. 10 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising: the terminal device sending a first positioning response of the electronic tag to the first network device, wherein the first positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The first network device comprises a location management function LMF.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

13. A positioning method, comprising: The first network device obtains the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning response of the electronic tag.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The first positioning response of the electronic tag carries the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device and / or the absolute position of the electronic tag.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The first network device acquiring the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning response of the electronic tag includes: The first network device determines the absolute position of the electronic tag using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, further comprising: The first network device sends a first positioning request for the electronic tag to the terminal device, where the first positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag; The first network device receives a first positioning response of the electronic tag from the terminal device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The first positioning response of the electronic tag carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, further comprising: the first network device sending the location of the electronic tag.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein: The first network device includes LMF.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

21. A positioning method, comprising: The second network device verifies the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag according to the second positioning request of the electronic tag.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The second network device verifies whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be disclosed to a third party.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein The second network device interacts with the third network device to verify the electronic tag.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: In a case where the electronic tag allows the location information to be disclosed to a third party, the second network device obtains information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag from the fourth network device; The second network device sends a third positioning request for the electronic tag according to the information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

25. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein The second network device interacts with the third network device to verify the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: The second network device obtains information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag from the fourth network device.

27. The method according to claim 24 or 26, wherein The second network device obtains information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag from the fourth network device, including: The second network device sends a query request to the fourth network device, where the query request carries the identifier of the electronic tag; The second network device receives a query response from the fourth network device, where the query response carries an identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The query response also carries the identifier of the electronic tag.

29. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 28, further comprising: the second network device receiving a second positioning request for the electronic tag from a fifth network device.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The fifth network device comprises a network exposure function NEF.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein The fifth network device includes an application function AF.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the second network device determining whether the AF is allowed to request location information.

33. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 32, wherein: The second positioning request of the electronic tag carries the identifier of the electronic tag.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein: The third positioning request of the electronic tag carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

35. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 34, wherein: The second network device includes a Gateway Mobile Location Center GMLC.

36. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, wherein: The third network device includes a unified data management (UDM).

37. The method of claim 24, 26 or 27, wherein The fourth network device includes a network function NF, and the NF stores an association relationship between the terminal device and the electronic tag.

38. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 37, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

39. A positioning method, comprising: The sixth network device receives a second positioning response of the electronic tag from the first network device, where the second positioning response carries the position of the electronic tag; The sixth network device sends a third positioning response of the electronic tag to the second network device, where the third positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein The second positioning response further carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein The third positioning response further carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

42. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 41, further comprising: The sixth network device receives a third positioning request of the electronic tag from the second network device, where the third positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag; The sixth network device sends a fourth positioning request of the electronic tag to the first network device, where the fourth positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

43. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 42, wherein: The second network device includes a GMLC.

44. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 43, wherein: The first network device includes LMF.

45. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 44, wherein: The sixth network device includes an access and mobility management function AMF.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 39 to 45, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

47. A terminal device comprising: The first acquiring module is configured to acquire the position of the electronic tag according to a first positioning request of the electronic tag.

48. The terminal device according to claim 47, wherein: The first positioning request of the electronic tag carries the identifier of the electronic tag.

49. The terminal device according to claim 48, wherein: The first acquisition module is used to determine the position of the electronic tag according to the identifier of the electronic tag.

50. The terminal device according to claim 49, wherein: The first acquisition module is configured to determine, based on the identifier of the electronic tag, the absolute position of the electronic tag and / or the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device.

51. The terminal device according to claim 50, wherein: The first acquisition module is used for: Determining a relative position of the electronic tag relative to the terminal device according to the identification of the electronic tag; The absolute position of the electronic tag is determined using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device.

52. The terminal device according to any one of claims 47 to 51, further comprising: The determination module is used to trigger positioning and determine the absolute position of the terminal device.

53. The terminal device according to claim 52, wherein: The positioning includes positioning based on the Uu interface.

54. The terminal device according to any one of claims 48 to 53, wherein: The first positioning request of the electronic tag also carries the identifier of the terminal device.

55. The terminal device according to any one of claims 47 to 54, further comprising: The first receiving module is configured to receive a first positioning request of the electronic tag from a first network device.

56. The terminal device according to claim 55, further comprising: A first sending module is configured to send a first positioning response of the electronic tag to the first network device, where the first positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

57. The terminal device according to any one of claims 47 to 56, wherein: The first network device comprises a location management function LMF.

58. The terminal device according to any one of claims 47 to 57, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

59. A network device comprising: The second acquisition module is configured to acquire the position of the electronic tag according to the first positioning response of the electronic tag.

60. The network device according to claim 59, wherein The first positioning response of the electronic tag carries the relative position of the electronic tag with respect to the terminal device and / or the absolute position of the electronic tag.

61. The network device according to claim 60, wherein: The second acquisition module is configured to determine the absolute position of the electronic tag using the relative position and the absolute position of the terminal device.

62. The network device according to any one of claims 59 to 61, further comprising: A second sending module is configured to send a first positioning request of the electronic tag to a terminal device, where the first positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag; The second receiving module is configured to receive a first positioning response of the electronic tag from the terminal device.

63. The network device according to claim 62, wherein: The first positioning response of the electronic tag carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

64. The network device according to any one of claims 59 to 63, further comprising: The location sending module is used to send the location of the electronic tag.

65. The network device according to any one of claims 59 to 64, wherein: The network device includes LMF.

66. The network device according to any one of claims 59 to 65, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

67. A network device comprising: The verification module is configured to verify the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag according to the second positioning request of the electronic tag.

68. The network device according to claim 67, wherein: The verification module verifies whether the electronic tag and / or the terminal device associated with the electronic tag allows the location information of the electronic tag to be disclosed to a third party.

69. The network device according to claim 67 or 68, wherein: The verification module interacts with the third network device to verify the electronic tag.

70. The network device according to claim 69, further comprising: a third acquisition module, configured to acquire information of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag from a fourth network device when the electronic tag allows the location information to be disclosed to a third party; The third sending module is configured to send a third positioning request of the electronic tag according to information of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

71. The network device according to claim 67 or 68, wherein: The verification module interacts with the third network device to verify the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

72. The network device according to claim 71, further comprising: The fourth acquisition module is used to obtain information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag from a fourth network device.

73. The network device according to claim 70 or 72, wherein: The acquiring, from the fourth network device, information of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag includes: Sending a query request to the fourth network device, where the query request carries the identifier of the electronic tag; A query response is received from the fourth network device, where the query response carries an identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

74. The network device according to claim 73, wherein: The query response also carries the identifier of the electronic tag.

75. The network device according to any one of claims 67 to 74, further comprising: The third receiving module is configured to receive a second positioning request of the electronic tag from a fifth network device.

76. The network device according to claim 75, wherein The fifth network device comprises a network exposure function NEF.

77. The network device according to claim 75, wherein The fifth network device includes an application function AF.

78. The network device according to claim 77, further comprising: The authorization module is used to determine whether the AF is allowed to request location information.

79. The network device according to any one of claims 67 to 78, wherein: The second positioning request of the electronic tag carries the identifier of the electronic tag.

80. The network device according to claim 70, wherein: The third positioning request of the electronic tag carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

81. The network device according to any one of claims 67 to 80, wherein: The network device includes a Gateway Mobile Location Center GMLC.

82. The network device according to any one of claims 69 to 74, wherein: The third network device includes a unified data management (UDM).

83. The network device according to claim 70, 72 or 73, wherein: The fourth network device includes a network function NF, and the NF stores an association relationship between the terminal device and the electronic tag.

84. The network device according to any one of claims 67 to 83, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

85. A network device comprising: A fourth receiving module is configured to receive a second positioning response of the electronic tag from the first network device, where the second positioning response carries the position of the electronic tag; The fourth sending module is configured to send a third positioning response of the electronic tag to the second network device, where the third positioning response carries the location of the electronic tag.

86. The network device according to claim 85, wherein The second positioning response further carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

87. The network device according to claim 85, wherein The third positioning response further carries at least one of the identifier of the electronic tag and the identifier of the terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

88. The network device according to any one of claims 85 to 87, further comprising: a fifth receiving module, configured to receive a third positioning request of the electronic tag from the second network device, wherein the third positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag; The fifth sending module is configured to send a fourth positioning request of the electronic tag to the first network device, where the fourth positioning request carries at least one of an identifier of the electronic tag and an identifier of a terminal device associated with the electronic tag.

89. The network device according to any one of claims 85 to 88, wherein: The second network device includes a GMLC.

90. The network device according to any one of claims 85 to 89, wherein: The first network device includes LMF.

91. The network device according to any one of claims 85 to 90, wherein: The network device includes an access and mobility management function AMF.

92. The network device according to any one of claims 85 to 91, wherein: The electronic tag includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a passive IoT tag, and an ambient energy-based IoT tag.

93. A communication device comprising: A processor, a memory, and a transceiver, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory and control the transceiver to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, 13 to 20, 21 to 38, or 39 to 46.

94. A chip comprising: A processor, configured to call and execute a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, 13 to 20, 21 to 38, or 39 to 46.

95. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, the computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, 13 to 20, 21 to 38, or 39 to 46.

96. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, 13 to 20, 21 to 38, or 39 to 46.

97. A computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, 13 to 20, 21 to 38, or 39 to 46.

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