Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method comprises the following steps: a first network element transmits sensing data to an NEF network element; correspondingly, the NEF network element sends the sensing data to the AF network element after receiving the sensing data. Namely, in the technical scheme provided by the invention, the first network element can open the sensing data to the AF network element through the NEF network element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of communication technologies, the demand for communication systems with sensing capabilities is gradually emerging. For example, in some scenarios of smart cities and intelligent transportation, the need to obtain sensing data such as the relative positions between objects, the speeds and shapes of objects is gradually emerging. Among them, the sensing data is data indicating a sensing result.

[0003] For a communication system with sensing capabilities, how to transmit the sensing data has become a technical problem to be urgently solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method to achieve the transmission of sensing data.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a NEF network element, including: receiving sensing data from a first network element; sending the sensing data to an Application Function (AF) network element.

[0006] In this embodiment, the sensing data can be understood as the sensing result after the communication system performs sensing.

[0007] It should be noted here that the type of sensing in this embodiment is not limited. For example, the type of sensing includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: intrusion detection type sensing, traffic detection type sensing, path tracking type sensing, collision detection type sensing, positioning type sensing, speed measurement type sensing. In this embodiment, different types of sensing are also referred to as different types of sensing services. For example, intrusion detection type sensing is also referred to as intrusion detection type sensing service, traffic detection type sensing is also referred to as traffic detection type sensing service, and collision detection type sensing is also referred to as collision detection type sensing service.

[0008] In this embodiment, the first network element will send the sensing data to the NEF network element, and correspondingly, the NEF network element will receive the sensing data sent by the first network element. Exemplarily, the sensing data may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: intrusion detection type sensing data, traffic detection type sensing data, path tracking type sensing data, collision detection type sensing data, positioning type sensing data, speed measurement type sensing data.

[0009] In this embodiment, the first network element sends the sensing data to the NEF network element, so that the NEF network element can provide the sensing data to the AF network element. That is, in this embodiment, the sensing data is opened to the NEF network element through the first network element, and then the sensing data is opened to the AF network element through the NEF network element. Or in other words, in this embodiment, the first network element can open the sensing data to the AF network element through the NEF network element.

[0010] In some embodiments, before the first network element in this application sends the sensing data to the NEF network element, the AF network element first sends a first message to the NEF network element, and the first message is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to the sensing data; correspondingly, after receiving the first message, the NEF network element sends a second message to the first network element, and the second message is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to the sensing data.

[0011] Or in other words, in this embodiment, the first network element will only obtain the sensing data from the second network element and send the sensing data to the NEF network element when it receives the second message sent by the NEF network element and used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to the sensing data.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first message and the second message include a first indication message, where the first indication message indicates the sensing service type of the sensing data for which the subscription is requested. For example, the sensing service types indicated by the first indication message include but are not limited to at least one of the following: intrusion detection type sensing service, traffic detection type sensing service, path tracking type sensing service, collision detection type sensing service, positioning type sensing service, speed measurement type sensing service.

[0013] In this embodiment, when the AF network element requests to subscribe to the sensing data, it indicates which type of sensing service's sensing data is requested to be subscribed. In this embodiment, when the AF indicates the sensing service type of the sensing data requested to be subscribed, for the first network element, when sending the sensing data to the NEF network element, it sends the sensing data of the requested sensing service type, that is, the first network element opens the sensing data of the sensing service type requested by the AF network element to the AF network element through the NEF network element.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first message sent by the AF network element further includes a second indication message, where the second indication message is used to indicate the content that the requested sensing data should include.

[0015] In this embodiment, when the AF network element requests to subscribe to perception data, in addition to indicating which type of perception service's perception data is being requested for subscription, it also indicates the content that the requested subscribed perception data should include. For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the intrusion detection type of perception service, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested perception data includes at least one of the following: information for indicating whether there is an intrusion, information for indicating the size of the intrusion target, information for indicating the location of the intrusion target, information for indicating the size of the intrusion target, and information for indicating the speed of the intrusion target.

[0016] In this embodiment, when the AF network element also indicates the content that the requested subscribed perception data should include, for the first network element, when sending the perception data to the NEF network element, it will send the content of the perception data requested by the AF for subscription to the AF network element.

[0017] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the AF network element also sends third information to the NEF network element, and the third information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element; correspondingly, after receiving the second information, the NEF network element sends fourth information to the first network element, and the fourth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

[0018] In this embodiment, the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element is also referred to as the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0019] That is, in this implementation, the NEF network element sends the data transmission method supported by the AF network element to the first network element. So that the first network element can know the data transmission method supported by the AF network element, and thus when opening the perception data to the AF network element through the NEF network element, the perception data requested by the AF network element can be transmitted in the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0020] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, before the NEF network element receives the perception data sent by the first network element, the method further includes: the first network element sends fifth information to the NEF network element, and the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the first network element when sending the perception data, the media type used by the first network element when sending the perception data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending the perception data; correspondingly, after receiving the fifth information, the NEF network element receives the perception data sent by the first network element based on the fifth information.

[0021] In this implementation, when the first network element opens the sensing data to the AF network element through the NEF network element, it also indicates the data transmission method used when transmitting the sensing data, so that the NEF network element and the AF network element use the same data transmission method as the first network element to receive the data.

[0022] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: the NEF network element sends sixth information to the first network element, and the sixth information indicates the transmission path of the sensing data. The transmission path is the first transmission path or the second transmission path. The first transmission path is that the sensing data is sent from the first network element to the NEF network element and then sent to the AF network element through the NEF network element. The second transmission path is that the sensing data is sent from the network element that collects the sensing data to the AF network element; the NEF network element receives the sensing data from the first network element, including: when the transmission path indicated by the sixth information is the first transmission path, receiving the sensing data from the first network element.

[0023] In this implementation, the NEF network element will judge the transmission path of the sensing data, and then when sending the second information to the first network element, it also sends the sixth information to indicate the transmission path to the first network element; correspondingly, for the first network element, it controls the transmission of the sensing data based on the transmission path indicated by the NEF network element.

[0024] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a first network element, including: sending sensing data to a Network Exposure Function (NEF).

[0025] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second information from the NEF network element, and the second information is used to indicate that an Application Function (AF) network element requests to subscribe to the sensing data.

[0026] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the second information includes a first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the sensing service type of the sensing data for which the subscription is requested.

[0027] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the second information includes a second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the sensing data for which the subscription is requested should include.

[0028] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving fourth information from the NEF network element, and the fourth information indicates at least one of the following: the transmission protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending fifth information to the NEF network element, where the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the first network element when sending the sensing data, the media type used by the first network element when sending the sensing data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending the sensing data; sending the sensing data to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, including: based on the fifth information, sending the sensing data to the NEF network element.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: determining a transmission path of the sensing data, where the transmission path is a first transmission path or a second transmission path, the first transmission path is that the sensing data is sent to the NEF network element through the first network element and then sent to the AF network element through the NEF network element, and the second transmission path is that the sensing data is sent from the network element that collects the sensing data to the AF network element; sending the sensing data to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, including: when the transmission path is the first transmission path, sending the sensing data to the NEF network element.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, determining the transmission path of the sensing data includes: receiving sixth information from the NEF network element, where the sixth information indicates the transmission path.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: if it is determined that the transmission path of the sensing data is the second transmission path, sending the sensing data to the AF network element or sending seventh information to the second network element, where the seventh information indicates that the second network element sends the sensing data to the AF network element, and the seventh information includes the identifier of the AF network element.

[0033] For example, the identifier of the AF network element is at least one of the address information and port information of the AF network element.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending eighth information to the second network element, where the eighth information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the second network element when sending the sensing data, the media type used by the second network element when sending the sensing data, or the message format used by the second network element when sending the sensing data.

[0035] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending ninth information to the AF network element through the NEF network element, where the ninth information indicates the identifier of the second network element.

[0036] For example, the identifier of the second network element is at least one of the address information and port information of the second network element.

[0037] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to an Application Function (AF) network element, including: sending first information to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, where the first information is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to perception data; and receiving the perception data sent by the NEF network element.

[0038] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the perception service type of the perception data for which the subscription is requested.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the perception data for which the subscription is requested should include.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a memory configured to execute the method as described in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners thereof.

[0041] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a processor; the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor is used to call the program instructions in the memory to execute the method as described in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners thereof.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a memory configured to execute the method as described in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners thereof.

[0043] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a processor; the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor is used to call the program instructions in the memory to execute the method as described in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners thereof.

[0044] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a memory configured to execute the method as described in the third aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners thereof.

[0045] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a processor; the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor is used to call the program instructions in the memory to execute the method as described in the third aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners thereof.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, including the communication device as described in the second aspect, and / or the communication device as described in the third aspect, and / or the communication device as described in the fourth aspect.

[0047] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable medium storing program code for execution by a computer, the program code including instructions for performing the method described in any one of the first to third aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0048] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor being interconnected by a line, and the at least one processor being configured to run a computer program or instructions to perform the method described in the first to third aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product including computer program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the method described in any one of the first to third aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0050] Among them, for the technical effects brought about by any implementation manner in the second to tenth aspects, reference may be made to the technical effects brought about by the first aspect and any possible implementation method thereof, which will not be elaborated herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 An exemplary schematic diagram for implementing wireless sensing is given;

[0052] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0053] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another communication system provided by the present application;

[0054] Figure 4 A flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0056] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided by the present application;

[0057] Figure 7 A flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8 A flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 9Flowchart of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 10 Flowchart of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 11 Flowchart of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 12 Structural diagram of the communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 13 Structural diagram of the communication system provided by another embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0064] While performing their primary tasks (such as lighting, communication, etc.), the existing wireless signals (such as sound, light, radio frequency signals, etc.) in the environment can also be used to sense the environment "extra". Taking radio frequency signals as an example, the radio waves generated by the signal transmitter will undergo physical phenomena such as direct propagation, reflection, and scattering during the propagation process. In this way, the signals formed at the signal receiver carry information reflecting the signal propagation space. For example: If the wireless connection signal received by the mobile phone is weak, it may be because the mobile phone is far from the wireless router; and if the Wi-Fi signal strength received by the mobile phone drops suddenly, it is very likely that the mobile phone has entered certain specific enclosed spaces such as an elevator.

[0065] Therefore, the perception of the scene can be realized by analyzing the changes in the wireless signals during the propagation process. This technology is usually also called wireless sensing technology or non-sensor scene sensing technology.

[0066] For ease of understanding, Figure 1 An exemplary schematic diagram for realizing wireless sensing is given. As Figure 1 shown, the wireless sensing system includes a first device 101 and a second device 102. The signal received by the second device 102 is a signal after the superposition of the direct signal 104 and the reflected signal 105 reflected by the sensing target 103. When the sensing target 103 moves, the reflected signal 105 will change. In this way, the signal received by the second device 102 will also change accordingly. Therefore, the state of the sensing target 103 can be obtained by the change in the signal received by the second device 102.

[0067] In some embodiments, the wireless sensing technology may be radar-based sensing. The radar includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. The transmitting antenna sends electromagnetic waves, which are reflected when encountering a target, and the reflected waves are received by the receiving antenna. The radar system analyzes the characteristic information of the target, such as position, shape, motion characteristics, and motion route, etc., based on the changes in the received waves through signal processing. Radar sensing has many unique advantages: 1) It is not affected by the brightness of light and has the ability to penetrate obstacles, which can better protect personal privacy; 2) Radar sensing has a longer detection range and will not cause harm to people and animals. 3) For the detection of motion, the Doppler effect of the target echo is used to observe and interpret the motion state of the target, such as the motion direction and motion speed. When using a multi-channel radar sensor, the motion of the target can also be observed from different perspectives. By collecting the motion state of the target from different perspectives and combining instantaneous information and historical information for analysis, the resolution of complex motions can be achieved.

[0068] Currently, the wireless sensing technology can be applied in different scenarios. For example, in the sports scenario, this technology can be used to detect the motion state and motion route of people and balls; in the home environment scenario, it can also be used for human fall detection to prevent the elderly from falling; by processing the channel state information (CSI), the interpretation of the human motion state and route can be achieved; in the field of automotive assisted driving, this technology can be used to detect pedestrians and the vehicle in front to achieve collision warning; in a specific industrial park scenario, this technology can be used to monitor the intrusion of flying objects such as drones; in the traffic scenario, this technology can be used to complete functions such as traffic flow statistics and vehicle navigation.

[0069] With the development of 5G networks, the demand for communication systems with sensing capabilities is gradually emerging. For example, in some scenarios of smart cities and smart transportation, the demand for obtaining sensing data such as the relative positions between objects, the speeds and shapes of objects is gradually emerging. Among them, the sensing data is data indicating the sensing result.

[0070] It should be noted here that the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the architecture of the communication system that requires sensing capabilities.

[0071] Exemplarily, it may be Figure 2 the system architecture (or also referred to as the network architecture) based on the service-oriented architecture as shown. As Figure 2As shown in the figure, the network architecture includes a user equipment (UE) 201, an access network (AN) or a radio access network (RAN) 202, a user plane function (UPF) 203 on the data plane of the core network, a data network (DN) 204, and a core network control plane 205.

[0072] The UE 201 can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, it can be a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The UE can also be referred to as a terminal device, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile equipment, a user terminal, a wireless telecom equipment, a user agent, a user equipment, or a user device. The UE can be a station (STA) in a wireless local area network (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 devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a terminal in a next-generation communication system (e.g., a fifth-generation (5G) communication network) or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). Among them, 5G can also be referred to as a new radio (NR). In a possible application scenario of this application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device that often works on the ground, such as a vehicle-mounted device. In this application, for the convenience of description, the chip deployed in the above device, or the chip can also be referred to as the terminal device.

[0073] (R)AN 202's main function is to control the UE 201 to wirelessly access the mobile communication network. AN 202 is part of the mobile communication system and implements a wireless access technology. Exemplarily, AN 202 can be, for example, any device with wireless transceiver functions. Such devices include, but are not limited to: base station, evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB in a 5G system such as NR, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a base band unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc.; or it can also be a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc.; it can also be a module or unit that completes part of the base station functions. For example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0074] In some deployments, the gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include a radio unit (RU). The CU implements some functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some functions of the gNB. For example, the CU implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers, and the DU implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and physical (PHY) layer. Since the information of the RRC layer will ultimately become the information of the physical layer, or is transformed from the information of the physical layer, therefore, in this architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or sent by the DU + CU. It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be classified as a network device in the radio access network (RAN), or the CU can be classified as a network device in the core network (CN). This application does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0075] The UE 201 and the (R)AN 202 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the AN 202 and the UE 201.

[0076] The UE 201 and the (R)AN 202 can communicate through licensed spectrum, or through unlicensed spectrum, or through both licensed and unlicensed spectrum at the same time; they can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or through spectrum above 6 GHz, or use both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz at the same time. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by modules (such as chips) in the base station, or may be performed by a control subsystem including the functions of the base station. The control subsystem including the functions of the base station here may be a control center in application scenarios of the above terminals such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by modules (such as chips or modems) in the terminal, or may be performed by a device including the functions of the terminal.

[0078] UPF 203 is a user plane functional unit, mainly responsible for forwarding packet data, quality of service (QoS) control, charging information statistics, connecting to external networks, etc., and includes the related functions of the serving gateway (SGW) and the public data network gateway (PDN-GW) of the long term evolution (LTE) technology.

[0079] DN 204 is a network responsible for providing services to UE 201. For example, some DNs provide Internet access functions for UE 201, and some other DNs provide SMS functions for UE 201, etc.

[0080] The core network control plane 206 is mainly responsible for service process interaction, sending packet forwarding policies, QoS control policies, etc. to the user plane. Exemplarily, such as Figure 2As shown in the figure, the control plane network elements in the core network control plane 206 mainly include: Access and Mobility Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Application Function (AF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Repository (UDR), etc. Among them, AMF is mainly responsible for the access and mobility management of UE 201, such as including mobile state management, allocation of user temporary identity identifiers, authentication and authorization of users. SMF is mainly responsible for session management functions, such as managing the creation, deletion, etc. of user Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions, maintaining PDU session context and user plane forwarding pipeline information, UP network element selection, UP network element reselection, IP address allocation, responsible for the establishment, modification and release of bearers, and QoS control. UDM is mainly responsible for managing subscription data and notifying the corresponding network elements when the subscription data is modified. UDR is mainly responsible for storing and retrieving subscription data, policy data, common architecture data, etc. for UDM, PCF and NEF to obtain relevant data. UDR should be able to have different data access authentication mechanisms for different types of data such as subscription data and policy data to ensure the security of data access; UDR should be able to return a failure response with an appropriate cause value for illegal service operation or data access requests. AF is used to provide a certain application layer service to the UE. When providing services to the UE, AF has requirements for Quality of Service (QoS) (Policy) and Charging Policy (Charging) and needs to notify the network. At the same time, AF also needs application-related information fed back by the core network. NSSF is responsible for network slice selection; NRF is responsible for the registration and discovery functions of network elements and maintains the information of network elements, such as the instance identifier, type, PLMN, slice-related identifier, IP address or FQDN, the capabilities of the network element, supported services, etc.

[0081] The PCF is mainly responsible for implementing policy control, similar to the policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element in Long Term Evolution (LTE). It includes generating and managing user, session, and Quality of Service (QoS) flow processing policies, as well as generating QoS and charging rules, and sending the corresponding rules to the UPF network element through the SMF. The AF is mainly responsible for providing various service functions, capable of interacting with the core network through the NEF network element and interacting with the policy management framework for policy management. The NEF is used to provide a framework, authentication, and interfaces related to network capability openness, and to transfer information between 5G system network functions and other network functions. Among them, the detailed descriptions of each network element can be referred to in the relevant technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0082] In Figure 2 In the network architecture shown, the UE 201 communicates with the AMF through the N1 interface, which is used to transmit non-access stratum (NAS) signaling. The AN 202 communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface; the AN 202 communicates with the UPF 203 through the N3 interface, and the N3 interface uses the GPRS tunnelling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) protocol for tunneling user data transmission; the UPF 203 communicates with the SMF through the N4 interface, which is used for policy configuration of the UPF 203, etc. The UPF 203 communicates with the external DN 204 through the N6 interface. In specific scenarios, the N6 interface is required to support dedicated lines or L2 / L3 layer tunnels and can communicate with the DN network based on the Internet Protocol (IP).

[0083] It should be noted here that each network element involved in the embodiments of the present application can be either the network element mentioned in the above embodiments or a network element with the same function as each of the above network elements in future communication systems. For example, the user plane function network element can be the UPF network element or a network element with the same function as the UPF network element in future communication systems; the application function network element can be the AF network element or a network element with the same function as the AF network element; the policy management network element can be the PCF network element or a network element with the same function as the PCF network element.

[0084] Exemplarily, it can also be Figure 3 the network architecture based on the peer-to-peer interface shown. This architecture is the same as Figure 2The main difference of the shown architecture is that the interfaces between individual network elements are point-to-point interfaces instead of service-based interfaces. Among them, the descriptions of the functions of individual network elements in Figure 2 will not be elaborated here. In addition, the concepts and more detailed descriptions of point-to-point interfaces and service-based interfaces can be referred to the descriptions in related technologies, which will not be elaborated here.

[0085] It should be noted again that Figure 2 and Figure 3 are only examples and do not constitute a limitation to the communication system architecture of this application.

[0086] As an implementation manner, a radar-communication integrated base station can be deployed to enable the communication system to have sensing capabilities. Further, precise communication can be achieved based on the precise sensing capabilities of the radar, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0087] In some embodiments, the communication system can perform time-division multiplexing or space-division multiplexing on the resources for communication and the resources for sensing to achieve sensing of the surrounding environment or objects.

[0088] It should be understood that for a communication system with sensing capabilities, there may be a need to request the communication system to feedback sensing data. For this need, the communication system should have the ability to feedback sensing data to the application. In the embodiments of this application, the sensing data specifically refers to the data of the sensing results obtained when the communication system performs sensing based on wireless sensing technology. Therefore, the sensing data in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as sensing results. The following will all describe with sensing data.

[0089] However, no solution for how to feedback sensing data has been given yet. In view of this, this application provides a communication method to implement providing sensing data to the required application, or also referred to as, opening the sensing data to the required application.

[0090] Next, in combination with the accompanying drawings, the communication method provided by this application will be described.

[0091] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of the communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. As Figure 4 shown, the method includes:

[0092] S401, the AF network element sends a first piece of information to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element receives the first piece of information. The first piece of information is used to instruct the AF network element to request to subscribe to sensing data.

[0093] In this embodiment, the AF network element will request to subscribe to sensing data by sending a first piece of information to the NEF network element.

[0094] In one implementation, the first information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of perception service of the perception data requested by the AF network element for subscription.

[0095] It should be noted that the type of perception in this embodiment is not limited. For example, the type of perception includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: perception of intrusion detection type, perception of traffic detection type, perception of path tracking type, perception of collision detection type, perception of positioning type, perception of speed measurement type. In this embodiment, different types of perception are also referred to as different types of perception services. For example, the perception of intrusion detection type is also referred to as the perception service of intrusion detection type, the perception of traffic detection type is also referred to as the perception service of traffic detection type, and the perception of collision detection type is also referred to as the perception service of collision detection type.

[0096] It should be understood that different types of perception services can also be understood as different perception events. For example, the perception service of perceiving vehicle density can also be referred to as the perception event of perceiving vehicle density, and the perception service of perceiving traffic participants can also be referred to as the perception event of perceiving traffic participants. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, different types of perception services can also be described as different perception events. Optionally, the first indication information for indicating the type of perception service of the requested perception data can also be described as: the first indication information is used to indicate the type of perception event of the requested perception data.

[0097] For example, in implementation, the identification (ID) of the perception service type / perception event type can be included in the first information to indicate the perception data of the desired perception service type / perception event type to be requested.

[0098] Furthermore, when the first information includes the first indication information for indicating the type of perception service of the requested perception data, the first information may further include second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the requested perception data for subscription should include, or in other words, the second indication information is used to indicate the information or parameters that the subscribed perception data should include.

[0099] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the perception service of intrusion detection type, the information that the second indication information can indicate the requested perception data should include includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: information for indicating whether there is an intrusion, information for indicating the size of the intrusion target, information for indicating the location of the intrusion target, information for indicating the trajectory of the intrusion target, information for indicating the speed of the intrusion target.

[0100] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the perception service of the traffic detection type, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested perception data includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: information for indicating the traffic flow size, information for indicating the ID of the perception target (e.g., vehicle), information for indicating the characteristics of the perception target (e.g., information such as the color of the perception target), and information for indicating whether to track.

[0101] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the perception service of the path tracking type, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested perception data includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: information for indicating the characteristics of the perceived target to be tracked (e.g., information indicating the shape, size, initial position, etc. of the perception target), information for indicating whether visual inspection of the path is required, and information for indicating whether to draw a path graph.

[0102] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the perception service of the collision detection type, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested perception data includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: information for indicating the characteristics of the perception target, information for indicating the initial position of the perception target, information for indicating whether to track, information for indicating the collision warning distance, and information for indicating the vehicle speed planned to the recommended requirement.

[0103] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the positioning type of perception service, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested perception data includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: information for indicating the characteristics of the perception target (e.g., shape information, size information, and initial position information of the perception target).

[0104] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the speed measurement type of perception service, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested perception data includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: information for indicating the characteristics of the perception target (e.g., shape information, size information, and initial position information of the perception target).

[0105] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the AF network element further includes the identifier of the AF network element, such as the information of the address of the AF network element and the port information.

[0106] S402. The NEF network element sends the second information to the first network element, and the first network element receives the second information. The second information is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to the perception data.

[0107] In this embodiment, after receiving the first information for requesting to subscribe to the perception data sent by the AF network element, the NEF network element will send the second information for indicating that the AF network element requests to subscribe to the perception data to the first network element.

[0108] Or in other words, in this embodiment, the information sent by the AF network element to the NEF network element for indicating that the AF requests to subscribe to sensing data is referred to as the first information, and the information sent by the NEF network element to the first network element for indicating that the AF network element requests to subscribe to sensing data after receiving the first information is referred to as the second information.

[0109] In one implementation, the first information and the second information are the same. In another implementation, the first information and the second information are different.

[0110] In some embodiments, the NEF network element may send the first information to the first network element through the UDM network element. That is, the NEF first sends the first information to the UDM network element, and then the UDM network element sends the first information to the first network element.

[0111] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the address information or port information of the AF network element to inform the first network element of the AF network element that requests to subscribe to sensing data.

[0112] S403, the first network element sends the sensing data subscribed by the AF network element to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element receives the sensing data.

[0113] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network element is a network element capable of sending sensing data to the NEF network element.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first network element may collect sensing data. For example, the first network element may collect sensing data from a sensing device, and the sensing device may be, for example, a sensing base station. Optionally, the first network element may process the sensing data.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a network element capable of controlling a second network element and obtaining sensing data from the second network element. In this embodiment, the second network element is a network element capable of collecting sensing data. For example, the second network element may collect sensing data from a base station with sensing capabilities.

[0116] In this embodiment, after receiving the information sent by the NEF network element for indicating that the AF requests to subscribe to sensing data, the first network element will obtain the sensing data required by the AF network element, and then send the sensing data to the NEF network element.

[0117] For example, if the first network element can collect sensing data, at this time, the first network element will collect the sensing data subscribed by the AF network element from the sensing device and send it to the NEF network element. For another example, if the first network element is a network element that controls a second network element and obtains sensing data from the second network element, at this time, the first network element will obtain the sensing data subscribed by the AF network element from the second network element and send it to the NEF network element, where the SF network element collects the sensing data subscribed by the AF network element from the sensing device.

[0118] For example, when an AF network element requests the sensed data of a sensing service of the intrusion detection type, the second indication information may indicate that the information included in the requested sensed data includes: information for indicating whether there is an intrusion, information for indicating the size of the intrusion target, information for indicating the location of the intrusion target, information for indicating the trajectory of the intrusion target, and information for indicating the speed of the intrusion target. Then, when the sensing service of the intrusion detection type occurs, the first network element obtains, from the second network element, the sensed data 111, the sensed data 112, the sensed data 113, the sensed data 114, and the sensed data 115. Among them, the sensed data 111 is used to indicate whether there is an intrusion, the sensed data 112 is used to indicate the size of the intrusion target, the sensed data 113 is used to indicate the location of the intrusion target, the sensed data 114 is used to indicate the trajectory of the intrusion target, and the sensed data 115 is used to indicate the speed of the intrusion target; then, the sensed data 111, the sensed data 112, the sensed data 113, the sensed data 114, and the sensed data 115 are sent to the NEF network element.

[0119] Take subscribing to the sensing service of the intrusion detection type as another example. For example, the AF network element wants to subscribe to the sensed data of the sensing service of the intrusion type when sensing the first area. Specifically, the content of the sensed data of the subscribed sensing service is whether there is a target intrusion within a period of time. Then, when an event of the intrusion detection type occurs in the first area, if the first network element determines that there is a target intrusion, it sends the sensed data to the NEF. The sensed data is used to indicate that there is a target intrusion.

[0120] For example, when an AF network element requests the sensed data of a sensing service of the traffic detection type, the information included in the requested sensed data indicated by the second indication information includes: information for indicating the traffic flow size, information for indicating the ID of the sensing target (such as a vehicle), information for indicating the characteristics of the sensing target (such as information about the color of the sensing target, etc.), and information for indicating whether to track. Then, when the sensing service of the traffic detection type occurs, the first network element obtains, from the second network element, the sensed data 211, the sensed data 212, the sensed data 213, and the sensed data 214. Among them, the sensed data 211 indicates the traffic flow size, the sensed data 212 is used to indicate the ID of the sensing target (such as a vehicle), the sensed data 213 is used to indicate the characteristics of the sensing target, and the sensed data 214 is used to indicate whether to track; then, the sensed data 211, the sensed data 212, the sensed data 213, and the sensed data 214 are sent to the NEF network element.

[0121] For example, when the AF network element requests the perception data of the perception service of the path tracking type, the information included in the requested perception data indicated by the second indication information includes: information for indicating the characteristics of the perceived target to be tracked (such as information indicating the shape, size, initial position, etc. of the perceived target), information for indicating whether visual inspection of the path is required, and information for indicating whether a path graph needs to be drawn. Then, after the perception service of the path tracking type occurs, the first network element obtains the perception data 311, perception data 312, and perception data 313 from the second network element. Among them, the perception data 311 indicates the characteristics of the perceived target to be tracked, the perception data 312 is used to indicate whether visual inspection of the path is required, and the perception data 313 is used to indicate whether a path graph needs to be drawn; then, the perception data 311, perception data 312, and perception data 313 are sent to the NEF network element.

[0122] For example, when the AF network element performs the perception service of the collision detection type, the information included in the requested perception data indicated by the second indication information includes: information for indicating the characteristics of the perceived target, information for indicating the initial position of the perceived target, information for indicating whether to track, information for indicating the collision warning distance, and information for indicating the vehicle speed planning to the recommended requirements. Then, after the perception service of the collision detection type occurs, the first network element obtains the perception data 411, perception data 412, perception data 413, perception data 414, and perception data 415 from the second network element. Among them, the perception data 411 is used to indicate the characteristics of the perceived target, the perception data 412 is used to indicate the initial position of the perceived target, the perception data 413 is used to indicate whether to track, the perception data 414 is used to indicate the collision warning distance, and the perception data 415 is used to indicate the vehicle speed planning to the recommended requirements; then, the perception data 411, perception data 412, perception data 413, perception data 414, and perception data 415 are sent to the NEF network element.

[0123] For example, when the AF network element performs the perception service of the positioning type, the information included in the requested perception data indicated by the second indication information may include, but is not limited to: information for indicating the characteristics of the perceived target (such as the shape information, size information, and initial position information of the perceived target). Then, after the perception service of the positioning type occurs, the first network element obtains the perception data 511 from the second network element, and the perception data 511 indicates the characteristics of the perceived target. Then, the first network element sends the perception data 511 to the NEF network element.

[0124] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the first network element sends the perception data, it may also indicate the perception service type of the perception data to the first network element.

[0125] S404. The NEF network element sends the sensed data sent by the first network element to the AF network element; the AF network element receives the sensed data sent by the NEF network element.

[0126] Optionally, in this embodiment, the first network element may further determine whether the subscription is successful, and then only execute S403 when the subscription is successful. As Figure 4 shown, the method further includes S405 - S406: S405: The first network element sends a first sensed data subscription response message to the NEF network element, and the first sensed data subscription response message is used to indicate to the NEF network element whether the AF network element's subscription is successful or failed; the NEF network element receives the first sensed data subscription response message; S406: The NEF network element sends a second sensed data subscription response message to the AF network element to indicate whether the subscription is successful to the AF network element.

[0127] It can be seen that in the communication method provided in this embodiment, when the AF network element requests to subscribe to sensed data, the first network element will obtain the sensed data requested by the AF network element and transmit the sensed data to the NEF network element. For example, the first network element collects the sensed data from the sensing device, or the first network element obtains the sensed data from the second network element that collects the sensed data, and then the NEF network element feeds it back to the AF network element. That is, in this embodiment, the sensed data is opened to the NEF network element through the first network element, and then the sensed data is opened to the AF network element through the NEF network element. Or in other words, in this embodiment, the first network element can open the sensed data to the AF network element through the NEF network element. Or in other words, in this embodiment, the transmission mode when the sensed data is fed back to the AF network element is: the first network element - the NEF network element - the AF network element.

[0128] It should be understood that for the end that needs to send the sensed data and the end that receives the sensed data, the same transmission protocol, media type, message format, etc. should be used, otherwise there will be problems with parsing.

[0129] Exemplarily, if the transmission protocol used by the end that sends the sensed data is Protocol A and the message format is Format B, while the transmission protocol used by the end that receives the sensed data is Protocol C and the message format is Format B or other formats, then when the end that sends the sensed data sends the sensed data, for the end that receives the sensed data, it may not be able to parse the information sent by the end that sends the sensed data.

[0130] Therefore, in some embodiments, in S401, when the AF network element of the present application sends the first information to request to subscribe to the sensed data, it may further send a third information to the NEF network element, and the third information indicates at least one of the following: the transmission protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

[0131] Optionally, the NEF network element may send the first information and the third information in the same message to the first network element. For example, in the embodiments of the present application, this same message is referred to as a sensing data subscription message.

[0132] Wherein, in the present application, the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element can all be considered as the data transmission method when transmitting sensing data. Or in other words, the third information can be considered to be used to indicate the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0133] Correspondingly, after receiving the third information, the NEF network element sends the fourth information to the first network element, and the fourth information is used to indicate to the first network element the data transmission method supported by the AF network element. That is, the fourth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

[0134] Or in other words, in this embodiment, the information sent by the AF network element to the NEF network element for indicating the data transmission method supported by AF is referred to as the third information, and the information sent by the NEF network element to the first network element for indicating the data transmission method supported by AF after receiving the third information is referred to as the fourth information.

[0135] In one implementation, the third information and the fourth information are the same. In another implementation, the third information and the fourth information are different.

[0136] Further, in the case where the first network element receives the fourth information, the first network element determines at least one of the following based on the fourth information: the transport protocol used by the first network element when sending sensing data, the media type used by the first network element when sending sensing data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending sensing data; and then sends the sensing data based on the determined transport protocol, media type, or message format.

[0137] In some embodiments, after the first network element determines one or more of the transport protocol, media type, and message format used when sending sensing data based on the fourth information, the first network element may further send the fifth information to the NEF network element, and the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the first network element when sending sensing data, the media type used by the first network element when sending sensing data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending sensing data; correspondingly, the NEF network element receives the sensing data from the first network element based on the fifth information, that is, the NEF network element receives the sensing data based on the data transmission method indicated by the first network element.

[0138] In some embodiments, after determining the data transmission mode to be used when sending sensing data based on the second information, the first network element may also not send the fifth information. For example, when the first network element uses the system default data transmission mode, it may also not send the fifth information.

[0139] As an alternative embodiment, in the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the first information, the NEF network element may first determine the transmission path of the sensing data based on the sensing data subscribed by the AF network element.

[0140] In this embodiment, the transmission path of the sensing data includes: a first transmission path or a second transmission path. The first transmission path is that the sensing data is sent from the first network element to the NEF network element and then from the NEF network element to the AF network element. The second transmission path is that the sensing data is sent from the network element that collects the sensing data to the AF network element. Optionally, the transmission path may also be referred to as a notification method, and its description is not a limitation of this application.

[0141] Further, when the NEF network element determines the transmission path, the NEF network element may also send the sixth information to the first network element. The sixth information indicates the transmission path of the sensing data. Correspondingly, the first network element transmits the sensing data based on the transmission path indicated by the sixth information. Next, two embodiments of the first network element transmitting the sensing data based on the transmission path indicated by the sixth information will be described.

[0142] Next, two embodiments of the method for transmitting sensing data when the NEF network element determines the transmission path will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before introducing these two embodiments, first, in combination with Figure 5 and Figure 6 , two system architectures provided by the present application will be described.

[0143] Referring to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the network elements included in a communication system with sensing capabilities provided by the present application. As shown in Figure 5As shown in the figure, the network elements included in the system architecture are: UE, (R)AN, UPF, AMF, UDM, NWDAF, PCF, the first network element, the second network element, NEF, and AF. The first network element communicates with the AMF through the NS1 interface, with the NEF through the NS2 interface, with the UDM through the NS3 interface, with the NWDAF through the NS4 interface, with the PCF through the NS5 interface, with the second network element through the NS6 interface, and the second network element communicates with the UPF through the NS7 interface. It should be noted that the above interface names are only examples, and the specific interface names are not limited in this application. Specifically, the first network element can provide the control plane function related to the sensing ability. For example, the first network element determines the second network element including the sensing data of the requested sensing service, etc. Specifically, the second network element is responsible for collecting sensing data. For example, obtaining sensing data from the sensing base station. Among them, the detailed description of other network elements can refer to the description in the related technology and will not be elaborated here.

[0144] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the network elements included in a communication system with sensing ability provided by this application. As Figure 6 shown, in this system architecture, the first network element can collect sensing data from the sensing device. For example, obtaining sensing data from the sensing base station. Among them, the detailed description of other network elements can refer to the description in the related technology and will not be elaborated here.

[0145] Next, in combination with Figure 7 , it is described a communication method for transmitting sensing data based on determining the transmission path by the NEF network element under the architecture shown in Figure 5 . As Figure 7 shown, the method includes:

[0146] S701, the AF network element sends the first information and the third information to the NEF network element. The first information is used to request to subscribe to sensing data, and the third information indicates the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0147] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission method, the third information in this embodiment is optional.

[0148] Among them, the data transmission method includes, for example, the transmission protocol supported by the aforementioned AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

[0149] Among them, the description of the first information refers to the description in the aforementioned S401 and will not be elaborated here.

[0150] Among them, the third information can refer to the description about the third information mentioned above and will not be elaborated here.

[0151] In S702, the NEF network element determines a transmission path, which includes a first transmission path or a second transmission path.

[0152] Specifically, the first transmission path is that the sensed data is sent to the NEF network element through the first network element and then sent to the AF network element through the NEF network element; the second transmission path is that the network element that collects the sensed data is sent to the AF network element.

[0153] In this embodiment, the network element that collects the sensed data is the second network element.

[0154] Or in other words, in the embodiments of the present application, the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is either the first transmission path or the second transmission path. Or in other words, the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is one of the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

[0155] It should be noted here that this embodiment does not limit the manner in which the NEF network element determines the transmission path.

[0156] In one implementation, it can be determined according to the latency requirement of the requested sensed data. For example, if the sensed data subscribed by the AF network element has a high latency requirement, then the transmission path can be determined as the second transmission path.

[0157] In one implementation, it can be determined according to the quantity size of the requested sensed data. For example, if the sensed data subscribed by the AF network element has a relatively large data volume, then the transmission path can be determined as the second transmission path.

[0158] In one implementation, it can be determined according to at least one of the sensed service type and sensed event type of the requested sensed data. For example, the corresponding relationship between each sensed service type / sensed event type and the transmission path can be preset in advance, and then the NEF network element determines the transmission path to be used for the requested sensed data based on this corresponding relationship.

[0159] In S703, the NEF network element sends at least one of the second information, the fourth information, and the sixth information to the first network element, and the NEF network element receives at least one of the second information, the third information, and the sixth information, and the sixth information indicates the transmission path determined by the NEF network element.

[0160] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first transmission path can also be preset as the default transmission path for the sensed data. Correspondingly, if the NEF network element determines that the transmission path of the sensed data is the first transmission path in S702, the NEF network element may not send the sixth information to the first network element. At this time, for the first network element, it is determined that the transmission path of the sensed data is the first transmission path. That is to say, the sixth information in this embodiment is optional.

[0161] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second transmission path may also be preset as the default transmission path for the sensed data. Accordingly, if the NEF network element determines in S702 that the transmission path for the sensed data is the second transmission path, the NEF network element may also not send the sixth information to the first network element. In this case, for the first network element, it is determined that the transmission path for the sensed data is the second transmission path. That is to say, the sixth information in this embodiment is optional.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path. At this time, the method for transmitting the sensed data includes S704 to S705. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S701 to S704.

[0163] S704, the first network element obtains the sensed data from the second network element and sends it to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element then sends the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0164] Among them, the second network element obtains the sensed data requested by the AF to subscribe from the sensing device, and then sends the sensed data to the first network element, so that the first network element can learn the sensed data requested by the AF network element to subscribe. Further, the first network element sends the sensed data sent by the second network element to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element then sends the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0165] For example, in one implementation, the first network element sends information for requesting the sensed data subscribed by the AF network element to the second network element. Accordingly, after receiving this information, the second network element sends the sensed data subscribed by the AF network element to the first network element.

[0166] In the embodiments of the present application, if the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the second transmission path, at this time, the method for transmitting the sensed data includes S705 to S706. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the second transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S701, S702, S703, S706.

[0167] S705, the first network element sends the seventh information to the second network element, and the seventh information instructs the second network element to send the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0168] Among them, the second network element is the network element that collects the sensed data.

[0169] In the embodiments of the present application, the seventh information includes the identifier of the AF network element, such as at least one of the address information and port information of the AF network element, so that the second network element can send the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0170] In some embodiments, if the transmission path indicated by the sixth information is the second transmission path, the first network element may further send eighth information to the second network element, and the eighth information indicates at least one of the following: the transmission protocol used by the second network element when sending sensing data, the media type used by the second network element when sending sensing data, or the message format used by the second network element when sending sensing data. In some embodiments, the data transmission method of the sensing data may also be preset. Correspondingly, after the first network element determines the data transmission method, the first network element may also not send the eighth information to the second network element. At this time, for the second network element, the preset data transmission method is used to transmit the sensing data. That is, the eighth information is optional information.

[0171] Optionally, the first network element may further send indication information for indicating the transmission path to the second network element.

[0172] It should be understood that in this embodiment, the first network element also needs to be able to know the data transmission methods supported by the second network element. In one implementation, the first network element may pre-configure the data transmission methods supported by the second network element, so as to ensure that the data transmission method determined by the first network element is a data transmission method that the second network element can support. Alternatively, in another implementation, the second network element may send information for indicating the data transmission methods supported by the second network element to the first network element.

[0173] S706, the second network element sends sensing data to the AF network element.

[0174] Optionally, in Figure 7 the embodiment shown, S707 to S708 may also be included.

[0175] S707, when the first network element receives at least one of the second information, the fourth information, and the sixth information, it sends a first sensing data subscription response message to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element receives the first sensing data subscription response message, which is used to indicate the success or failure of the sensing data / sensing information subscription of the AF network element.

[0176] In some embodiments, when the first network element sends the first sensing data subscription response message to the NEF network element, the first sensing data subscription response message may further include fifth information, and the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: the transmission protocol used by the first network element when sending sensing data, the media type used by the first network element when sending sensing data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending sensing data.

[0177] In some embodiments, the data transmission method for transmitting sensing data may also be negotiated in advance among the network elements. At this time, when the first network element sends the sensing data subscription response message to the NEF network element, the sensing data subscription response message does not include the fifth information; correspondingly, for the NEF network element, the sensing data sent by the first network element is received based on the default transmission method.

[0178] In S708, the NEF network element sends a second perception data subscription response message to the AF network element to indicate the success or failure of the perception data / perception information subscription of the AF network element.

[0179] Optionally, the first perception data subscription response message and the second perception data subscription response message may further include at least one of the address information and port information of the second network element, so that the AF network element can learn about the second network element and thus directly request perception data from the second network element.

[0180] It can be seen that in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the NEF network element determines the transmission path of the perception data and then indicates the transmission path to the first network element so that the first network element controls the transmission of the perception data.

[0181] Next, in combination with Figure 8 , it is described that Figure 6 Under the architecture shown, a communication method for transmitting perception data based on the NEF network element determining the transmission path. As Figure 8 shown, the method includes:

[0182] In S801, the AF network element sends a first message and a third message to the NEF network element. The first message is used to request a subscription to perception data, and the third message indicates the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0183] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission method, the third message in this embodiment is optional.

[0184] In S802, the NEF network element determines the transmission path, and the transmission path includes a first transmission path or a second transmission path.

[0185] In S803, the NEF network element sends at least one of a second message, a fourth message, and a sixth message to the first network element. The NEF network element receives at least one of the second message, the fourth message, and the sixth message, and the sixth message indicates the transmission path determined by the NEF network element.

[0186] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission method, the fourth message in this embodiment is optional.

[0187] In the embodiment of the present application, the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path. At this time, the method of transmitting perception data includes S804. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S801 to S804.

[0188] In S804, the first network element collects the perception data requested by the AF network element and sends it to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element then sends the perception data to the AF network element.

[0189] In the embodiments of the present application, if the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the second transmission path, at this time, the method of transmitting the transmission perception data includes S805. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the second transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S801, S802, S803, S805.

[0190] S805, the first network element sends the perception data to the AF network element.

[0191] In this embodiment, the first network element is the network element that collects the perception data.

[0192] Optionally, in some embodiments, if the transmission path indicated by the sixth information is the second transmission path, the first network element may further indicate at least one of the following to the AF network element: the transmission protocol used by the first network element when sending the perception data, the media type used by the first network element when sending the perception data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending the perception data.

[0193] Optionally, in some embodiments, the data transmission method of the perception data may also be preset. Accordingly, the first network element sends the perception data based on the preset data transmission method, and the AF network element receives the perception data using the preset data transmission method.

[0194] Optionally, the first network element may further indicate at least one of the following information to the AF network element: the address information of the first network element, the port information of the first network element.

[0195] Optionally, in Figure 8 In the embodiments shown, before S804 or S805, S806 to S807 may further be included.

[0196] S806, when the first network element receives at least one of the second information, the fourth information, and the sixth information, it sends the first perception data subscription response information to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element receives the first perception data subscription response information, which is used to indicate the success or failure of the perception data / perception information subscription of the AF network element.

[0197] S807, the NEF network element sends the second perception data subscription response information to the AF network element, which is used to indicate the success or failure of the perception data / perception information subscription of the AF network element.

[0198] Among them, for the detailed description of S806 and S807, reference may be made to Figure 7 S707 and S708 in the embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0199] As an alternative embodiment, the first network element may also determine the transmission path of the perception data. Next, in combination with Figure 9 andFigure 10 , two embodiments for the first network element to determine the transmission mode of the sensing data are described.

[0200] Specifically, Figure 9 When the first network element controls the second network element and obtains the sensing data from the second network element, it is an embodiment for the first network element to determine the transmission path and the transmission method of the sensing data. Figure 10 When the first network element collects the sensing data, it is an embodiment for the first network element to determine the transmission path and the transmission method of the sensing data.

[0201] As Figure 9 shown, the first network element determines the transmission path and the transmission method of the sensing data, including:

[0202] S901, the AF network element sends the first information and the third information to the NEF network element. The first information is used to request to subscribe to the sensing data, and the third information indicates the data transmission mode supported by the AF.

[0203] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission mode, the third information in this embodiment is optional.

[0204] S902, the NEF network element sends the second information and the fourth information to the first network element, and the first network element receives the second information and the fourth information.

[0205] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission mode, the fourth information in this embodiment is optional.

[0206] S903, the first network element determines the transmission path and the data transmission mode.

[0207] In this embodiment, the transmission path includes the first transmission path and the second transmission path. In this embodiment, the transmission path determined by the first network element is either the first transmission path or the second transmission path. Or in other words, the transmission path determined by the first network element is one of the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

[0208] In this embodiment, the data transmission mode includes, for example, the transmission protocol, message format, media type, etc. used when transmitting the sensing data.

[0209] Specifically, the detailed descriptions of the first transmission path, the second transmission path, and the data transmission mode can refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0210] In the embodiments of the present application, different from Figure 7 and Figure 8 the embodiments is that the transmission path is determined by the first network element instead of the NEF network element.

[0211] It should be noted here that this embodiment does not limit the manner in which the first network element determines the transmission path.

[0212] In one implementation, it can be determined according to the latency requirement of the requested sensed data and the size of the data volume of the requested sensed data.

[0213] For example, if the sensed data subscribed by the AF has high real-time requirements, then the transmission path can be determined as the second transmission path, and for those with low real-time requirements, the transmission path can be determined as the second transmission path.

[0214] For example, if the sensed data subscribed by the AF has a relatively large data volume, then the transmission path can be determined as the second transmission path.

[0215] In one implementation, it can be determined according to the sensed service type / event type of the requested sensed data. For example, the corresponding relationship between each sensed service type / sensed event type and the transmission path can be preset in advance, and then the first network element determines the transmission path to be used for the requested sensed data based on this corresponding relationship.

[0216] In the embodiment of the present application, if the transmission path determined by the first network element is the first transmission path, at this time, the manner of transmitting the sensed data includes S904. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S901 to S904.

[0217] S904, the first network element obtains the sensed data from the second network element and sends it to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element then sends the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0218] The description of this step can refer to Figure 7 S704 in the embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0219] In the embodiment of the present application, if the transmission path determined by the first network element is the second transmission path, at this time, the manner of transmitting the sensed data includes S905 to S906. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the second transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S901, S902, S903, S905 and S906.

[0220] S905, the first network element sends the seventh information to the second network element, and the seventh information instructs the second network element to send the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0221] S906, the second network element sends the sensed data to the AF network element.

[0222] Among them, S905 and S906 can refer to Figure 7 S90 in the embodiment. The detailed description of this step can refer to Figure 7The S7056 - S706 in the illustrated embodiment will not be elaborated here again.

[0223] Optionally, in Figure 9 the illustrated embodiment, S907 - S908 may also be included.

[0224] S907, when the first network element receives at least one of the second information, the fourth information, and the sixth information, it sends a first perception data subscription response message to the NEF network element. The NEF network element receives the first perception data subscription response message, which is used to indicate the success or failure of the perception data / perception information subscription of the AF network element.

[0225] S908, the NEF network element sends a second perception data subscription response message to the AF network element, which is used to indicate the success or failure of the perception data / perception information subscription of the AF network element.

[0226] Among them, the detailed description of S907 - S908 can refer to Figure 7 the description of S707 - S708 in the illustrated embodiment, and will not be elaborated here again.

[0227] It can be seen that in Figure 9 the illustrated embodiment, the first network element determines the transmission path of the perception data, and then transmits the perception data based on the determined transmission path.

[0228] Optionally, in Figure 9 the illustrated embodiment, the second perception data subscription response message in step S907 and the second perception data subscription response message in step S908 may also include an identifier for indicating the second network element, such as at least one of the address information and port information of the second network element, so as to enable the AF to know the second network element, so that the AF can directly send other information for requesting to subscribe to perception data to the second network element. Or in other words, through this implementation method, when the AF needs to actively interact with the second network element, the AF network element can directly send information to the second network element.

[0229] Next, in combination with Figure 10 , it is explained that in Figure 6 the illustrated architecture, a communication method for transmitting perception data based on the NEF network element to determine the transmission path. As Figure 10 shown, the method includes:

[0230] S1001, the AF network element sends the first information and the third information to the NEF network element. The first information is used to request to subscribe to perception data, and the third information indicates the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0231] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission method, the third information in this embodiment is optional.

[0232] S1002. The NEF network element sends the second information and the fourth information to the first network element, and the first network element receives the second information and the fourth information.

[0233] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a default data transmission method, the fourth information in this embodiment is optional.

[0234] S1003. The first network element determines the transmission path and the data transmission method.

[0235] Among them, the detailed descriptions of S1001 to S003 can refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0236] In the embodiment of the present application, the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path. At this time, the method of transmitting the perception data includes S1004. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the NEF network element is the first transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S1001 to S1004.

[0237] S1004. The first network element collects the perception data requested by the AF network element and sends it to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element then sends the perception data to the AF network element.

[0238] The detailed description of this step can refer to the detailed description in S804 and will not be elaborated here.

[0239] In the embodiment of the present application, if the transmission path determined by the first network element is the second transmission path, at this time, the method of transmitting the perception data includes S1005. Or in other words, when the transmission path determined by the first network element is the second transmission path, the steps of this embodiment include: S1001, S1002, S1003, S1005.

[0240] S1005. The first network element sends the perception data to the AF network element.

[0241] The detailed description of this step can refer to the detailed description in S805 and will not be elaborated here.

[0242] Optionally, in Figure 8 the embodiments shown, before S804 or S805, S806 to S807 may also be included.

[0243] S1006. When the first network element receives at least one of the second information, the fourth information, and the sixth information, it sends the first perception data subscription response information to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element receives the first perception data subscription response information, which is used to indicate the success or failure of the perception data / information subscription of the AF network element.

[0244] S1007. The NEF network element sends a second sensing data subscription response message to the AF network element to indicate the success or failure of the subscription of the sensing data / sensing information of the AF network element.

[0245] Among them, for the detailed descriptions of S1006 and S1007, refer to Figure 7 S707 and S708 in the illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0246] Above, embodiments provided by the present application for realizing the opening of sensing data to the AF network element are introduced. Next, in combination with Figure 11 , a communication method provided by the present application will be introduced.

[0247] For ease of description, a network element capable of collecting sensing data is referred to as a sensing function (SF) network element.

[0248] It should be understood that the sensing range corresponding to each SF network element is limited. For example, if the target area requested by the AF network element requires data from multiple SF network elements, at this time, if only the sensing data in one SF network element is provided to the AF network element, it is inaccurate. Therefore, in this embodiment, an embodiment of how to feedback sensing data to the AF network element when the target area requested by the AF network element requires sensing data from multiple SFs is described.

[0249] Next, in combination with Figure 11 , when the AF network element requests to subscribe to the sensing data for sensing the target area, it is described by taking the example that the sensing data for sensing the target area requested by this request can be collected by the second network element and the third network element. That is, it is described by taking that a part of the sensing data for sensing the target area is described by the second network element and a part is collected by the third network element.

[0250] As Figure 11 shown, this communication method includes:

[0251] S1101. The AF network element sends a first message to the NEF network element. The first message is used to request to subscribe to sensing data and indicates the information of the target area requested by the AF network element.

[0252] Optionally, the AF network element may further send a second message to the NEF network element, and the second message indicates the data transmission method supported by the AF network element.

[0253] Among them, for the descriptions of the first message and the second message, refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0254] Specifically, in this embodiment, when the AF network element requests to subscribe to sensing data from the NEF network element, it also indicates to the NEF network element that the sensing data requested by the AF network element to subscribe to is the data for sensing the target area.

[0255] S1102, the NEF network element indicates to the first network element to request sensing data from the AF network element and the information on the target area requested by the AF network element.

[0256] S1103, the first network element determines the transmission path and data transmission method, and determines, according to the target area requested by the AF network element, the second network element and the third network element that include the sensing data requested by the AF network element.

[0257] Among them, the transmission path and data transmission method can refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0258] In this embodiment, the second network element and the third network element are network elements that can collect sensing data.

[0259] For example, as Figure 11 shown, assuming that the sensing data requested by the AF network element for subscription is the data when sensing the target area, the sensing data requested by the AF for subscription is provided by the second network element and the third network element.

[0260] It can be understood that in this embodiment, the first network element needs to be able to know the sensing area corresponding to each SF network element.

[0261] S1104, the first network element instructs the third network element to send the sensing data requested by the AF network element for subscription to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the sensing data sent by the third network element.

[0262] In one implementation, when the first network element instructs the third network element to send the sensing data requested by the AF network element for subscription to the second network element, it can send at least one of the address information and port information of the second network element to the third network element so that the third network element knows the receiving end for sending the sensing data.

[0263] In some embodiments, the first network element can also instruct the data transmission method when the third network element sends the sensing data. Among them, the data transmission method can refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0264] Similarly, it can be understood that in this embodiment, the first network element also needs to be able to know the data transmission methods supported by the second network element and the third network element, so as to ensure that the data transmission method determined by the first network element is the data transmission method that the second network element and the third network element can support.

[0265] S1105, the third network element sends the sensing data to the second network element.

[0266] In the embodiment of the present application, if the transmission path determined by the first network element is the first transmission path, then S1106 is executed. If the transmission path determined by the first network element is the second transmission path, then S1107 and S1108 are executed.

[0267] S1106, The first network element obtains sensing data from the second network element and sends it to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element then sends the sensing data to the AF network element.

[0268] It should be understood that for the sensing data obtained by the first network element from the second network element, in addition to the sensing data requested by the AF network element originally included in the second network element, it also includes the sensing data requested by the AF network element included in the third network element.

[0269] S1107, The first network element instructs the second network element to send the sensing data subscribed by the AF network element to the AF network element.

[0270] S1108, The second network element sends the sensing data to the AF network element.

[0271] Similarly, it can be understood that when the second network element sends sensing data to the AF network element, since the second network element has received the sensing data requested by the AF network element sent by the third network element, when the second network element sends the sensing data to the AF network element, the sensing data sent includes, in addition to the sensing data requested by the AF network element collected by the second network element, also the sensing data requested by the AF network element collected by the third network element.

[0272] Optionally, the method may further include:

[0273] S1109, The first network element sends the first sensing data subscription response information to the NEF network element, and the NEF network element receives the sensing data subscription response information, where the sensing data subscription response information is used to indicate whether the AF network element's subscription is successful or failed.

[0274] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sensing data subscription response information is used to indicate that the AF network element's subscription is successful.

[0275] S1110, The NEF network element sends the second sensing data subscription response information to the AF network element.

[0276] Among them, the detailed descriptions of the first sensing data subscription response information and the second sensing data subscription response information in the foregoing embodiments of S1109 to S1110 will not be elaborated here.

[0277] Optionally, the first network element in this application may send the sensing data to the NEF network element through the UDM network element. That is, the first network element first sends the sensing data to the UDM network element, and then the UDM network element sends the sensing data to the NEF network element.

[0278] In the above, in combination with Figures 5 to 11 , the communication method of the embodiments of this application has been described in detail. Next, in combination with Figure 12 and Figure 13 , the communication device provided by this application will be described in detail.

[0279] Figure 12 Structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided for an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, as Figure 12 shown, the device 1200 includes: a receiving module 1201 and a transmitting module 1202.

[0280] In the first embodiment, the communication device is applied to the NEF network element.

[0281] Specifically, in the first embodiment, the receiving module 1201 is configured to receive sensing data from a first network element; the transmitting module 1202 is configured to send the sensing data to an application function AF network element.

[0282] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive first information from the AF network element, where the first information is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to sensing data; the transmitting module 1202 is further configured to send second information to the first network element, where the second information is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to sensing data.

[0283] In a possible implementation, the first information and the second information include first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate the sensing service type of the sensing data for which subscription is requested.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the first information and the second information include second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the sensing data for which subscription is requested should include.

[0285] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive third information from the AF network element, where the third information indicates at least one of the following: the transmission protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element; the transmitting module 1202 is further configured to send fourth information to the first network element, where the fourth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the transmission protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

[0286] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive fifth information from the first network element, where the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: the transmission protocol used by the first network element when sending the sensing data, the media type used by the first network element when sending the sensing data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending the sensing data; the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive the sensing data from the first network element based on the fifth information.

[0287] In a possible implementation, the sending module 1202 is further configured to send sixth information to the first network element, where the sixth information indicates a transmission path of the sensing data, and the transmission path is a first transmission path or a second transmission path. The first transmission path is that the sensing data is sent to the NEF network element through the first network element and then sent to the AF network element through the NEF network element. The second transmission path is that the sensing data is sent from the network element that collects the sensing data to the AF network element; the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive the sensing data from the first network element when the transmission path indicated by the sixth information is the first transmission path.

[0288] In a second embodiment, the communication device is used for a first network element.

[0289] Specifically, in the second embodiment, the sending module 1202 is configured to send sensing data to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element.

[0290] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 1201 is configured to receive second information from the NEF network element, where the second information is used to indicate that an Application Function (AF) network element requests to subscribe to sensing data.

[0291] In a possible implementation, the second information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a sensing service type of the sensing data for which the subscription is requested.

[0292] In a possible implementation, the second information includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the sensing data for which the subscription is requested should include.

[0293] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive fourth information from the NEF network element, where the fourth information indicates at least one of the following: a transport protocol supported by the AF network element, a media type supported by the AF network element, or a message format supported by the AF network element.

[0294] In a possible implementation, the sending module 1202 is further configured to send fifth information to the NEF network element, where the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: a transport protocol used by the first network element when sending the sensing data, a media type used by the first network element when sending the sensing data, or a message format used by the first network element when sending the sensing data; the sending module 1202 is further configured to send the sensing data to the NEF network element based on the fifth information.

[0295] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a processing module 1203, and the processing module 1203 is further configured to: determine a transmission path of the perception data, where the transmission path is a first transmission path or a second transmission path, the first transmission path is that the perception data is sent to the NEF network element through the first network element and then sent to the AF network element through the NEF network element, and the second transmission path is that the perception data is sent from the network element that collects the perception data to the AF network element; a sending module 1202 is further configured to, when the transmission path is the first transmission path, send the perception data to the NEF network element.

[0296] In a possible implementation, a receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive sixth information from the NEF network element, where the sixth information indicates the transmission path.

[0297] In a possible implementation, the sending module 1202 is further configured to, if it is determined that the transmission path of the perception data is the second transmission path, send the perception data to the AF network element or send seventh information to the second network element, where the seventh information indicates that the second network element sends the perception data to the AF network element, and the seventh information includes an identifier of the AF network element.

[0298] In a possible implementation, the sending module 1202 is further configured to: send eighth information to the second network element, where the eighth information indicates at least one of the following: a transmission protocol used by the second network element when sending the perception data, a media type used by the second network element when sending the perception data, or a message format used by the second network element when sending the perception data.

[0299] In a possible implementation, the sending module 1202 is further configured to send ninth information to the AF network element through the NEF network element, where the ninth information indicates an identifier of the second network element.

[0300] In the third embodiment, the communication device is used for an application function AF network element.

[0301] Specifically, in the third embodiment, the sending module 1202 is configured to: send first information to a network exposure function NEF network element, where the first information is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to perception data; the receiving module 1201 is configured to: receive the perception data sent by the NEF network element.

[0302] In a possible implementation, the first information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a perception service type of the perception data for which the subscription is requested.

[0303] In a possible implementation, the first information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the sensed data for which subscription is requested should include.

[0304] Figure 13 It is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided by another embodiment of this application. Figure 13 The illustrated device can be used to execute the method described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0305] As Figure 13 As shown, the device 1300 in this embodiment includes: a memory 1301 and a processor 1302. Optionally, the device 1300 further includes a communication interface 1303 and a bus 1304. Among them, the memory 1301, the processor 1302, and the communication interface 1303 are communicatively connected to each other through the bus 1304.

[0306] The memory 1301 can be a read only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 1301 can store a program, and when the program stored in the memory 1301 is executed by the processor 1302, the processor 1302 is used to execute Figures 4 to 11 each step of the method shown.

[0307] The processor 1302 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits, and is used to execute relevant programs to implement this application Figures 4 to 11 the method shown.

[0308] The processor 1302 can also be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the method of the embodiment of this application Figures 4 to 11 can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor 1302 or by instructions in software form.

[0309] The above-mentioned processor 1302 may also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0310] The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory 1301, and the processor 1302 reads the information in the memory 1301 and combines its hardware to complete the functions required to be executed by the units included in the device of the present application. For example, it can execute Figures 4 to 11 each step / function of the illustrated embodiment.

[0311] The communication interface 1303 may use, but is not limited to, a transceiver device such as a transceiver to implement the communication between the device 1300 and other devices or communication networks.

[0312] The bus 1304 may include a path for transmitting information between the various components of the device 1300 (for example, the memory 1301, the processor 1302, and the communication interface 1303).

[0313] It should be understood that the device 1300 shown in the embodiments of the present application may be an electronic device, or it may also be a chip configured in an electronic device. The device 1300 may be deployed in a terminal device, or it may also be deployed in a network device.

[0314] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments 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 or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are 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 instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that contains one or more collections of available media. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (such as DVDs), or semiconductor media. The semiconductor media can be a solid-state drive.

[0315] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Here, A and B can be singular or plural. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after, but it may also represent an "and / or" relationship, which can be specifically understood by referring to the context before and after.

[0316] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or its similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0317] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above processes do not imply the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0318] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in a hardware or software manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0319] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0320] In several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0321] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0322] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0323] When the above-mentioned functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories, random access memories, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0324] As described above, the above are only specific implementation manners of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, includes: receiving perception data from a first network element; sending the perception data to an Application Function (AF) network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the method further includes: receiving first information from the AF network element, the first information being used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to perception data; sending second information to the first network element, the second information being used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to perception data.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, the first information and the second information include first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the perception service type of the perception data for which the subscription is requested.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, the first information and the second information include second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the content that the perception data for which the subscription is requested should include.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, the method further includes: receiving third information from the AF network element, the third information indicating at least one of the following: the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element; sending fourth information to the first network element, the fourth information being used to indicate at least one of the following: the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, the method further includes: receiving fifth information from the first network element, the fifth information indicating at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the first network element when sending the perception data, the media type used by the first network element when sending the perception data, or the message format used by the first network element when sending the perception data; the receiving the perception data from the first network element includes: receiving the perception data from the first network element based on the fifth information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the method further includes: sending sixth information to the first network element, the sixth information indicating the transmission path of the perception data, the transmission path being a first transmission path or a second transmission path, the first transmission path being that the perception data is sent from the first network element to the NEF network element and then sent from the NEF network element to the AF network element, and the second transmission path being that the perception data is sent from the network element that collects the perception data to the AF network element; the receiving the perception data from the first network element includes: when the transmission path indicated by the sixth information is the first transmission path, receiving the perception data from the first network element.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a first network element, includes: sending perception data to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, the method further includes: Receive second information from the NEF network element, where the second information is used to instruct the Application Function (AF) network element to request to subscribe to awareness data.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, the second information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the awareness service type of the awareness data for which the subscription is requested.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, the second information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the content that the awareness data for which the subscription is requested should include.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein, the method further includes: receiving fourth information from the NEF network element, where the fourth information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol supported by the AF network element, the media type supported by the AF network element, or the message format supported by the AF network element.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, the method further includes: sending fifth information to the NEF network element, where the fifth information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the first network element to send the awareness data, the media type used by the first network element to send the awareness data, or the message format used by the first network element to send the awareness data; Sending the awareness data to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element includes: Based on the fifth information, sending the awareness data to the NEF network element.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein, the method further includes: determining a transmission path for the awareness data, where the transmission path is a first transmission path or a second transmission path. The first transmission path is that the awareness data is sent from the first network element to the NEF network element and then sent from the NEF network element to the AF network element, and the second transmission path is that the awareness data is sent from the network element that collects the awareness data to the AF network element; Sending the awareness data to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element includes: When the transmission path is the first transmission path, sending the awareness data to the NEF network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, determining the transmission path for the awareness data includes: receiving sixth information from the NEF network element, where the sixth information indicates the transmission path.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, the method further includes: if it is determined that the transmission path for the awareness data is the second transmission path, sending the awareness data to the AF network element or sending seventh information to the second network element, where the seventh information instructs the second network element to send the awareness data to the AF network element, and the seventh information includes the identifier of the AF network element.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, the method further includes: Send an eighth piece of information to the second network element, where the eighth piece of information indicates at least one of the following: the transport protocol used by the second network element when sending the sensing data, the media type used by the second network element when sending the sensing data, or the message format used by the second network element when sending the sensing data.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein, the method further includes: sending a ninth piece of information to the AF network element through the NEF network element, where the ninth piece of information indicates the identifier of the second network element.

19. A communication method, wherein, applied to an Application Function (AF) network element, includes: sending a first piece of information to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, where the first piece of information is used to indicate that the AF network element requests to subscribe to sensing data; receiving the sensing data sent by the NEF network element.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, the first piece of information includes a first indication message, and the first indication message is used to indicate the type of sensing service of the sensing data for which subscription is requested.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, the first piece of information includes a second indication message, and the second indication message is used to indicate the content that the sensing data for which subscription is requested should include.

22. A communication device, wherein, includes: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 by executing a computer program and / or through a logic circuit.

23. A communication device, wherein, includes: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 8 to 18 by executing a computer program and / or through a logic circuit.

24. A communication device, wherein, includes: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 19 to 21 by executing a computer program and / or through a logic circuit.

25. A communication system, wherein, includes the communication device according to any one of claims 23 to 24.

26. A computer-readable medium, wherein, the computer-readable medium stores program code for computer execution, and the program code includes instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or claims 8 to 18 or claims 19 to 21.

27. A computer program product, wherein, the computer program product includes computer program code, and when the computer program code runs on a computer, it causes the computer to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or claims 8 to 18 or claims 19 to 21.

28. A chip, wherein, includes at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected by a line, and the at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or claims 8 to 18 or claims 19 to 21.

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