Connection establishment method, first device, first entity and second entity

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection establishment method, first equipment, a first entity and a second entity. The method comprises the following steps: a first device sends a first message to a first entity and then receives a second message sent by the first entity; therefore, the LMF network element is triggered to start the process of establishing the user plane connection through the association request based on the positioning reference unit (PRU), the flexibility of establishing the user plane connection is improved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Description

Connection establishment method, first device, first entity and second entity Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a connection establishment method, a first device, a first entity, and a second entity. Background Art

[0002] In the field of communications technology, a Location Management Function (LMF) network element or User Equipment (UE) may trigger the establishment of a user plane connection and maintain, modify, or terminate the established user plane.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a connection establishment method, a first device, a first entity and a second entity, which to a certain extent solve the problem of how to trigger the LMF network element to establish user plane positioning based on the association request of the positioning reference unit (PRU).

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connection establishment method is provided, which is performed by a first device. The method includes:

[0006] Sending a first message to a first entity, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0007] A second message sent by the first entity is received, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connection establishment method is provided, which is performed by a first entity. The method includes:

[0009] receiving a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0010] Sending a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0011] receiving a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed;

[0012] Send a second message to the first device, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0013] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connection establishment method is provided, which is performed by a second entity. The method includes:

[0014] receiving a third message sent by the first entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association;

[0015] A fourth message is sent to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed.

[0016] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connection establishment method is proposed, which is applied to a communication system. The method includes:

[0017] The first entity receives a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0018] The first entity sends a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association;

[0019] The second entity sends a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association;

[0020] The first entity sends a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity, the second indication information, and the user plane information.

[0021] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first device is provided, including:

[0022] a transceiver module, configured to send a first message to a first entity, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0023] The transceiver module is further used to receive a second message sent by the first entity, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first entity is provided, including:

[0025] a transceiver module, configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0026] The transceiver module is further configured to send a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0027] The transceiver module is further configured to receive a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association;

[0028] The transceiver module is further configured to send a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0029] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a second entity is provided, including:

[0030] a transceiver module, configured to receive a third message sent by the first entity, wherein the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0031] The transceiver module is further used to send a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes the identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established.

[0032] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including:

[0033] one or more processors;

[0034] The processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the processing method described in any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect.

[0035] According to the ninth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, characterized in that it includes a first entity and a second entity, wherein the first entity is configured to implement the connection establishment method described in the second aspect, and the second entity is configured to implement the connection establishment method described in the third aspect.

[0036] According to the tenth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions, and is characterized in that when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the connection establishment method as described in any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG2 is an interactive schematic diagram of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] 3A-3B are flowcharts of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] 4A-4B are flowcharts of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] 5A-5B are flowcharts of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG6 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG7 is an interactive schematic diagram of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG8A is a schematic structural diagram of a first device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG8B is a schematic structural diagram of the first entity proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG8C is a schematic structural diagram of a second entity proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG9A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] FIG9B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a connection establishment method, a first device, a first entity, and a second entity.

[0051] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connection establishment method, which is performed by a first device. The method includes:

[0052] Sending a first message to a first entity, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0053] A second message sent by the first entity is received, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the first device can establish an association and a user plane connection with the second entity based on the second message sent by the first entity, thereby realizing the establishment of a user plane connection triggered by LMF based on the association request of the first device, thereby improving the flexibility of establishing the user plane connection and improving communication efficiency.

[0055] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0056] Based on the user plane information, a user plane connection is established with the second entity, wherein the first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, and the second message further includes the user plane information.

[0057] In the above embodiment, a user plane connection is established between the first device and the second entity based on the user plane information, thereby improving the accuracy and security of establishing the user plane connection.

[0058] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0059] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following items: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and the first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0060] In the above embodiment, based on the first capability information of the first device, the first entity can quickly and accurately determine whether the first device supports the user plane.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier on which user plane positioning is based.

[0062] In the above embodiment, based on the user plane information, the efficiency of establishing the user plane connection between the first device and the second entity is improved.

[0063] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connection establishment method, which is performed by a first entity. The method includes:

[0064] receiving a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0065] Sending a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0066] receiving a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed;

[0067] Send a second message to the first device, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the first entity selects a suitable second entity for the first device based on the association request sent by the first device, and sends the association request to the target second entity, thereby improving the stability of the user plane connection between the first device and the second entity.

[0069] With reference to some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, sending the third message to the second entity includes:

[0070] Verifying whether the first device is a PRU;

[0071] Determine that the first device is a PRU, and send the third message to the second entity.

[0072] In the above embodiment, based on the case where the first device is a PRU, the third message is sent to the second entity, thereby ensuring the security of data transmission.

[0073] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0074] A second entity associated with the PRU is determined.

[0075] In the above embodiment, after the second entity associated with the PRU is determined, the third message is sent to the second entity, thereby improving the accuracy of data transmission.

[0076] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device;

[0077] The third message also includes at least one of the following: the second indication information, the first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0078] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following items: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and the first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0079] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that the PRU association is allowed to be established, and the third message and the fourth message also include user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: the address of the second entity, and the second protocol identifier on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0080] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connection establishment method, which is performed by a second entity. The method includes:

[0081] receiving a third message sent by the first entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association;

[0082] A fourth message is sent to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed.

[0083] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0084] Determine the use of user plane positioning and user plane information.

[0085] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that the PRU association is allowed to be established, and the fourth message includes user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: the address of the second entity, and the second protocol identifier on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0086] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, determining to use user plane positioning includes:

[0087] Determine to use user plane positioning based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, a first policy, a state of the first entity, and a type of positioning plane last used with the first device.

[0088] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0089] Determine the second protocol based on the current user plane positioning based on the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, the second policy, and one or more of the third protocol based on which the first device used user plane positioning last time.

[0090] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device;

[0091] The second capability information includes at least one of the following: whether the second entity supports user plane positioning, whether the second entity supports control plane positioning, and a fourth protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the second entity.

[0092] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0093] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connection establishment method, which is applied to a communication system. The method includes:

[0094] The first entity receives a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0095] The first entity sends a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association;

[0096] The second entity sends a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association;

[0097] The first entity sends a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0098] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a first device, the first device including:

[0099] a transceiver module, configured to send a first message to a first entity, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0100] The transceiver module is further used to receive a second message sent by the first entity, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established.

[0101] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, the second message further includes user plane information, and the first device further includes:

[0102] A processing module is configured to establish a user plane connection with a second entity based on the user plane information.

[0103] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0104] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following items: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and the first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0105] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0106] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a first entity, wherein the first entity includes:

[0107] a transceiver module, configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0108] The transceiver module is further configured to send a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0109] The transceiver module is further configured to receive a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association;

[0110] The transceiver module is further configured to send a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0111] In conjunction with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module further includes:

[0112] a processing module, configured to verify whether the first device is a PRU;

[0113] The transceiver module is configured to determine that the first device is a PRU and send the third message to the second entity.

[0114] In conjunction with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0115] The processing module is used to determine the second entity associated with the PRU.

[0116] In conjunction with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device;

[0117] The third message also includes at least one of the following: the second indication information, the first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0118] In combination with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following items: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and the first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0119] In combination with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that the PRU association is allowed to be established, and the third message and the fourth message also include user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: the address of the second entity, and the second protocol identifier on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0120] In a seventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a second entity, including:

[0121] a transceiver module, configured to receive a third message sent by the first entity, wherein the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0122] The transceiver module is further used to send a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes the identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established.

[0123] With reference to some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the second entity further includes:

[0124] The processing module is used to determine the use of user plane positioning and user plane information.

[0125] In conjunction with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is further configured to:

[0126] Determine to use user plane positioning based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, a first policy, a state of the first entity, and a type of positioning plane last used with the first device.

[0127] In conjunction with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is further configured to:

[0128] Determine the second protocol based on the current user plane positioning based on the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, the second policy, and one or more of the third protocol based on which the first device used user plane positioning last time.

[0129] In conjunction with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device;

[0130] The second capability information includes at least one of the following: whether the second entity supports user plane positioning, whether the second entity supports control plane positioning, and a fourth protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the second entity.

[0131] In combination with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the third message also includes at least one of the following: the third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0132] In combination with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that the PRU association is allowed to be established, and the fourth message also includes user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: the address of the second entity, and the second protocol identifier on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0133] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a first device, which includes: one or more processors; wherein the processors are used to execute an optional implementation of the connection establishment method proposed in the first aspect.

[0134] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a first entity, which includes: one or more processors; wherein the processors are used to execute an optional implementation of the connection establishment method proposed in the second aspect.

[0135] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a second entity, and the second entity includes: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to execute an optional implementation of the connection establishment method proposed in the third aspect.

[0136] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which includes: a first entity and a second entity; wherein the first entity is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the second aspect, and the second entity is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the third aspect.

[0137] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0138] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0139] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect.

[0140] In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect.

[0141] It is understandable that the first device, first entity, second entity, communication system, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip, or chip system described above are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0142] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a connection establishment method. In some embodiments, the terms connection establishment method, measurement report reporting configuration method, configuration method, and connection establishment method are interchangeable; the terms information processing device, information configuration device, and communication device are interchangeable; and the terms information transmission system, information configuration system, and communication system are interchangeable.

[0143] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0144] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0145] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0146] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0148] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0149] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0150] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0151] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0152] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0153] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0154] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0155] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0156] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.

[0157] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments may also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macrocell", "smallcell", "femtocell", "picocell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0158] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station (subscriber station), mobile unit (mobile unit), subscriber unit (subscribe runit), wireless unit (wireless unit), remote unit (remote unit), mobile device (mobile device), wireless device (wireless device), wireless communication device (wireless communication device), remote device (remoted device), mobile subscriber station (mobile subscriber station), access terminal (access terminal), mobile terminal (mobile terminal), wireless terminal (wireless terminal), remote terminal (remote terminal), handset (handset), user agent (user agent), mobile client (mobile client), client (client), etc.

[0159] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0160] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0161] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0162] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0163] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a first device 101 , a first entity 102 , and a second entity 103 .

[0164] In some embodiments, the first device 101 may be a terminal. The terminal includes, for example, at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication capabilities, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0165] In some embodiments, the first device 101 may also be an access network device. The access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home nodeB (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open RAN, a cloud RAN, a base station in other communication systems, and an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0166] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 and the second entity 103 may be core network devices. The first entity 102 and the second entity 103 may be a single device, multiple devices, or a group of devices. The first entity 102 and the second entity 103 may be virtual or physical. The core network, for example, includes at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0168] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 may be, for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.

[0169] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 may be, for example, a location management function (LMF) network element.

[0170] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0171] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0172] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (Ultra Mobile Broadband), and other technologies. Broadband (UMB), IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, Device-to-Device (D2D) system, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) system, Internet of Things (IoT) system, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems using other connection establishment methods, next-generation systems based on them, etc. In addition, multiple systems can also be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G, etc.) for application.

[0173] The location management function (LMF) or the UE may trigger the establishment of a user plane connection. The UE and LMF may maintain the established user plane connection. The LMF may modify or terminate the user plane connection established between the UE and the LMF.

[0174] The UE or access network device (e.g., gNB) may support the functions of the Positioning Reference Unit (PRU): support service-level association, association update, and disassociation with the serving LMF, PRU sending service-level association, association update, or disassociation to the LMF through a Location Services (LCS) supplementary service message, and support association with multiple LMFs. For example, for a PRU in a service area where multiple LMFs overlap, the PRU information included in the PRU association or PRU association update includes one or more of the following aspects: PRU positioning capability, location information (if known), and PRU ON / OFF status indicating the temporary availability of the UE's PRU function at the serving LMF.

[0175] Among them, the first device that accesses the 5G network via NR satellite shall not operate as a PRU.

[0176] FIG2 is an interactive diagram of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method, the method comprising:

[0177] Step S2101 : The first device 101 sends a first message to the first entity 102 .

[0178] In some embodiments, the first device 101 may be a user equipment (UE) or an access network device, such as a gNB, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0179] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 is, for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.

[0180] In some embodiments, terms such as "first entity", "mobile access management function network element", "AMF network element", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terms “positioning reference unit PRU”, “positioning reference unit”, “PRU”, etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0183] In some embodiments, the name of the first message is not limited, and may be, for example, "UL-NAS TRANSPORT".

[0184] In some embodiments, the first message may include at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device 101 is a PRU, first capability information of the first device 101, an identifier of the second entity 103, a reason for PRU association, positioning capability of the first device 101, location information of the first device 101, and a switch status of the first device 101.

[0185] In some embodiments, the number of bits occupied by the second indication information may be one or more. For example, the second indication information occupies one bit, and indicates whether the first device 101 is a PRU through different values. For example, "1" indicates that the first device 101 is a PRU, and "0" indicates that the first device 101 is not a PRU; or, "0" indicates that the first device 101 is a PRU, and "1" indicates that the first device 101 is not a PRU. Alternatively, if the first message contains the second indication information, it indicates that the first device 101 is a PRU; if the first message does not contain the second indication information, it indicates that the first device 101 is not a PRU, and so on. This disclosure is not limited to this.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device 101 may include at least one of the following: whether the first device 101 supports user plane positioning, whether the first device 101 supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device 101.

[0187] In some embodiments, the name of the identifier of the second entity 103 is not limited, and may be, for example, “Routing ID”.

[0188] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity 103 is used to indicate the second entity 103 , for example, the second entity 103 may be a location management function (LMF) network element.

[0189] In some embodiments, terms such as "second entity", "location management function network element", "LMF network element" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0190] In some embodiments, the reason for PRU association may be initial PRU association, or may be PRU association update, etc., which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first protocol identifier is used to indicate the first protocol, and it can be implemented in any form to indicate the first protocol. For example, the identifier of the first protocol can be the name of the first protocol, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0192] In some embodiments, the first protocol may include at least one of a SUPL protocol and an LCS-UPP protocol, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0193] In some embodiments, the terms "SUPL protocol", "Secure User Plane Location protocol", "Secure User Plane Location protocol", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0194] In some embodiments, terms such as “LCS-UPP protocol”, “Location Services-Universal Parallel Port Protocol”, and “Location Services-Universal Parallel Port Protocol” may be used interchangeably.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 receives a first message sent by the first device 101 .

[0196] In step S2102 , the first entity 102 verifies whether the first device 101 is a PRU.

[0197] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 may verify whether the sender of the PRU association request is the PRU based on the subscription information of the first device 101 from the UDM network element.

[0198] In some embodiments, terms such as "UDM network element", "unified data management", and "Unified Data Management network element" can be used interchangeably.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 may verify whether the first device 101 can operate as a fixed PRU based on subscription information of the first device or a local policy.

[0200] In step S2103 , the first entity 102 determines the second entity 103 associated with the first device 101 .

[0201] In some embodiments, if the first message includes an identifier of the second entity 103, the first entity 102 may determine the second entity 103 associated with the first device 101 based on the identifier of the second entity 103, and then further determine whether to associate the first device 101 with the second entity 103 indicated by the identifier of the second entity 103 in the first message. If it is determined that the first device 101 is to be associated with the second entity 103 indicated by the identifier of the second entity 103, the first entity 102 will send an association request for the first device 101 to the second entity 103 indicated in the first message. If it is determined that the second entity 103 indicated by the identifier of the second entity 103 is not to be associated with the first device 101, or if the first message does not include the identifier of the second entity 103, the first entity 102 will select a second entity for the first device 101 and send an association request for the first device 101 to the selected second entity 103.

[0202] For example, if the first message includes the identifier of the second entity, LMF#1, the first entity 102 may determine whether to select LMF#1 based on whether the first device 101 is within the service range of the second entity, LMF#1, and whether the second entity, LMF#1, can meet the positioning requirements of the first device 101, such as Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. If LMF#1 is not selected, a second entity that meets the requirements may be reselected.

[0203] In some embodiments, if the first message does not include the identifier of the second entity 103 , the first entity 102 selects a second entity 103 for the first device 101 and sends an association request to the selected second entity 103 .

[0204] In some embodiments, the name of the identifier of the second entity 103 is not limited, and may be, for example, “Correlation ID”.

[0205] In some embodiments, after determining the second entity 103 associated with the first device 101 , the first entity 102 may send an association request of the first device 101 to the corresponding second entity 1023 .

[0206] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned step S2102 and step S2103 can be executed simultaneously, or step S2103 can be executed first and then step S2102.

[0207] In step S2104 , when the first entity 102 determines that the first device 101 is a PRU, the first entity 102 sends a third message to the second entity 103 .

[0208] In some embodiments, the third message is used to indicate that the first device 101 requests to establish a PRU association.

[0209] In some embodiments, the name of the third message is not limited, and may be, for example, "Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify" or the like.

[0210] In some embodiments, the third message may also include at least one of the following: second indication information, first capability information of the first device 101, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device 101, the location information of the first device 101, and the switch status of the first device 101. The specific implementation method of the third message refers to the relevant description of the optional implementation method of step S2101 and will not be repeated here.

[0211] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 receives the third message sent by the first entity 102 .

[0212] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 sends a third message to the second entity 103 .

[0213] Optionally, the second entity 103 may send a response message to the third message to the first entity 102 to indicate that the second entity 103 has received the third message.

[0214] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 does not send a response message to the third message to the first entity 102 , which implicitly indicates that the second entity 103 agrees with the association request of the first device 101 .

[0215] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 does not send a response message to the third message to the first entity 102 , which implicitly indicates that the second entity 103 rejects the association request of the first device 101 .

[0216] Step S2105 : The second entity 103 determines whether to use user plane positioning.

[0217] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 may determine whether to use user plane positioning when determining that the PRU connection with the first device 101 is allowed to be established.

[0218] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 may determine to use user plane positioning based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device 101, the second capability information of the second entity 103, the first policy, the status of the first entity 102, and the type of positioning plane last used by the first device 101.

[0219] Among them, the specific implementation method of the first capability information of the first device 101 can refer to the relevant description of the optional implementation method of step S2101, which will not be repeated here.

[0220] In some embodiments, the second capability information of the second entity 103 may include at least one of the following: whether the second entity 103 supports user plane positioning, whether the second entity 103 supports control plane positioning, and a fourth protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the second entity 103.

[0221] In some embodiments, the fourth protocol may be at least one of the SUPL protocol and the LCS-UPP protocol. The specific implementation of the fourth protocol refers to the description of the optional implementation of step S2101 and will not be repeated here.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first policy may be a locally preset policy, or may be a policy configured by a PCF network element, etc., which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0223] In some embodiments, terms such as "PCF network element" and "Policy Control Function (PCF) network element" can be used interchangeably.

[0224] In some embodiments, the state of the first entity 102 is used to represent the current load state of the first entity 102. For example, the state of the first entity 102 may be a congestion state, etc., which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0225] In some embodiments, the type of the positioning plane may be a user plane or a control plane, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0226] In some embodiments, if the first capability information of the first device 101 includes that the first device 101 only supports user plane positioning, or the first entity 102 is in a congested state, or the priority of supporting the user plane in the first policy of the second entity 103 is higher, or the type of the positioning plane last used by the first device 101 is the user plane type, then the second entity 103 can determine to use user plane positioning.

[0227] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 can determine whether to use user plane positioning based on multiple items of the first capability information of the first device 101, the second capability information of the second entity 103, the first policy, the status of the first entity 102, and the type of positioning plane last used by PRU101.

[0228] Step S2106: When the second entity 103 determines to use user plane positioning, the second entity 103 determines a protocol based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0229] In some embodiments, when the second entity 103 determines to use user plane positioning, the second entity 103 can determine the second protocol on which the current user plane positioning is based based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device 101, the second capability information of the second entity 103, the second policy, and the third protocol on which the first device 101 last used user plane positioning.

[0230] In some embodiments, the second policy may be a locally preset policy, or may be a policy configured by a PCF network element, etc. It may be the same as the first policy or different from the first policy, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0231] In some embodiments, the third protocol may include at least one of the SUPL protocol and the LCS-UPP protocol. The specific implementation of the third protocol refers to the description of the optional implementation of step S2101, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] In some embodiments, when determining to use user plane positioning, the second entity 103 may further determine a protocol based on which the user plane positioning is based. The second entity 103 may select a protocol based on the capabilities of the first device 101 and the second entity 103, for example, the protocol may be selected based on the capabilities of the first device 101 and the second entity 103 to support the SUPL protocol or the LCS-UPP protocol.

[0233] In some embodiments, the second entity 103 may also determine the protocol based on which the user plane positioning is based based on a local policy or a policy configured by a PCF network element.

[0234] In some embodiments, if the second entity 103 determines to use user plane positioning, the user plane information may be further determined.

[0235] In some embodiments, the user plane information may include at least one of the following: an address of the second entity 103, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0236] Step S2107 : The second entity 103 sends a fourth message to the first entity 102 .

[0237] In some embodiments, the name of the fourth message is not limited, and may be, for example, "Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer" or the like.

[0238] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes the identifier of the second entity 103 and the first indication information.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of PRU association.

[0240] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of PRU association is allowed and that user plane positioning is decided to be used, and the fourth message further includes user plane information.

[0241] In some embodiments, the user plane information may include at least one of the following: an address of the second entity 103, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0242] In some embodiments, the address of the second entity 103 may be an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second entity 103 , or may be a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the second entity 103 , etc., which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0243] In some embodiments, the second protocol identifier is used to indicate the second protocol based on which the user plane positioning determined by the second entity is based. The specific implementation of the second protocol identifier refers to the relevant description of the optional implementation of step S2101 and is not repeated here.

[0244] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity 103 is, for example, a “Correlation ID”.

[0245] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 receives a fourth message sent by the second entity 103 .

[0246] Step S2108 : The first entity 102 sends a second message to the first device 101 .

[0247] In some embodiments, the name of the second message is not limited, and it can be, for example, "DL NAS TRANSPORT message" or the like.

[0248] In some embodiments, the second message includes an identifier of the second entity 103 and the first indication information.

[0249] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, and the second message further includes user plane information.

[0250] In some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity 103 and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane is located. Specific implementations of the user plane information refer to the description of the optional implementations of step S2106 and are not repeated here.

[0251] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity 103 may be, for example, a “Routing ID” or the like.

[0252] In some embodiments, the first device 101 receives the second message sent by the first entity 102 .

[0253] In some embodiments, after receiving the second message, the first device 101 may store the address of the second entity 103 for association update with the PRU of the second entity 103 and overwrite any address of the second entity 103 used in the previous association update.

[0254] Step S2109 : The first device 101 establishes a user plane connection with the second entity 103 based on the user plane information.

[0255] In step S2110 , the first device 101 and the second entity 103 complete PRU association.

[0256] In some embodiments, after receiving the second message sent by the first entity 102 , the first device 101 may establish a user plane connection with the second entity 103 based on the user plane information.

[0257] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2110. For example, step S2101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S2101+S2103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0258] In this embodiment or example, unless there is any contradiction, each step can be independent, arbitrarily combined or exchanged in order, the optional methods or optional examples can be arbitrarily combined, and can be arbitrarily combined with any steps of other embodiments or other examples.

[0259] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first device acts as a PRU and initiates a PRU association request to the second entity through the first entity, the second entity, upon determining that the PRU association can be established and that the PRU uses user plane positioning, can return a PRU association response and user plane information to the first device through the first entity to establish a PRU association and user plane connection with the first device. Thus, during the PRU association process initiated by the first device, the second entity can trigger and establish a user plane connection with the first device, thereby improving communication efficiency and increasing the flexibility of establishing user plane connections.

[0260] FIG3A is a flow chart of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for a first device 101, the method comprising:

[0261] Step S3101: Send a first message to the first entity 102.

[0262] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association.

[0263] In some embodiments, the first device 101 sends a first message to the first entity 102 .

[0264] Step S3102: Receive a second message sent by the first entity 102.

[0265] In some embodiments, the second message includes an identifier of the second entity 103 and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association.

[0266] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the second message includes user plane information.

[0267] In some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity 103 and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane is located. Specific implementations of the user plane information refer to the description of the optional implementations of step S2106 and are not repeated here.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first device 101 receives the second message sent by the first entity 102 .

[0269] Step S3103: Establish a user plane connection with the second entity 103 based on the user plane information.

[0270] For a detailed description of steps S3101-S3103, please refer to the detailed description in the embodiment shown in FIG2, which will not be repeated here.

[0271] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3101 to S3103. For example, steps S3101+S3102 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and step S3103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0272] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0273] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, after initiating PRU association, if the first device receives user plane information returned by the first entity, it can establish a user plane connection with the second entity based on the user plane information, thereby improving the flexibility of establishing the user plane connection and improving the efficiency of information interaction.

[0274] FIG3B is a flow chart of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for a first device 101, the method comprising:

[0275] Step S3201: Send a first message to the first entity 102.

[0276] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device 101 is a PRU, first capability information of the first device 101, an identifier of the second entity 103, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device 101, location information of the first device 101, and a switch status of the first device 101.

[0278] In some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least the following items: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0279] In some embodiments, the first device 101 sends a first message to the first entity 102 .

[0280] Step S3202: Receive a second message sent by the first entity 102.

[0281] In some embodiments, the second message includes an identifier of the second entity 103 and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether the PRU association is allowed to be established.

[0282] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity 103 may be, for example, a “Routing ID”.

[0283] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, the second message includes user plane information, and after receiving the second message sent by the first entity, further includes:

[0284] A user plane connection is established with the second entity based on the user plane information.

[0285] In some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0286] For a detailed description of steps S3201 - S3202 , please refer to the above embodiment description.

[0287] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3201 and S3202. For example, step S3201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S3202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S3201+S3202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0288] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0289] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the PRU association request initiated by the first device can serve as a trigger condition for triggering the second entity to initiate establishment of a user plane connection, thereby improving the flexibility of establishing the user plane connection and enriching the trigger conditions for establishing the user plane connection.

[0290] FIG4A is a flow chart of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for a first entity 102, the method comprising:

[0291] Step S4101: Receive a first message sent by the first device 101.

[0292] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 receives a first message sent by the first device 101 .

[0294] Step S4102: Check whether the first device 101 is a PRU.

[0295] Step S4103 : Determine the second entity 103 associated with the first device 101 .

[0296] Step S4104: When it is determined that the first device 101 is a PRU, a third message is sent to the second entity 103.

[0297] In some embodiments, the third message is used to indicate that the first device 101 requests to establish a PRU association.

[0298] Step S4105: Receive the fourth message sent by the second entity 103.

[0299] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes the identifier of the second entity 103 and the first indication information.

[0300] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity may be, for example, a "Correlation ID".

[0301] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of PRU association.

[0302] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message includes user plane information.

[0303] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 receives a fourth message sent by the second entity 103 .

[0304] Step S4106: Send a second message to the first device 101.

[0305] In some embodiments, the second message includes the identifier of the second entity 103, the first indication information and the user plane information.

[0306] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity may be, for example, a “Routing ID” or the like.

[0307] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the second message includes user plane information.

[0308] In some embodiments, the first entity 102 sends a second message to the first device 101 .

[0309] For a detailed description of steps S4101-S4106, please refer to the detailed description of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0310] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4101 to S4106. For example, step S4101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S4102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S4101+S4102 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0311] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0312] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first entity first receives the association request sent by the first device, and when it is determined that the first device is a PRU, forwards the association request of the first device to the second entity, then receives the PRU association response and user plane information sent by the second entity, and forwards them to the first device. Thus, when it is determined that the first device is a PRU, the first entity forwards the association request of the first device to the second entity, thereby ensuring the security and stability of establishing the user plane connection.

[0313] FIG4B is a flow chart of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for a first entity 102, the method comprising:

[0314] Step S4201: Receive a first message sent by the first device 101.

[0315] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association.

[0316] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device;

[0317] In some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0318] Step S4202: Send a third message to the second entity 103.

[0319] In some embodiments, the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association.

[0320] In some embodiments, sending a third message to the second entity includes:

[0321] Verifying whether the first device is a PRU;

[0322] Determine that the first device is a PRU, and send a third message to the second entity.

[0323] In some embodiments, before sending the third message to the second entity, the method further includes:

[0324] A second entity associated with the PRU is determined.

[0325] The third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information, first capability information of the first device, reason for PRU association, positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and switch status of the first device.

[0326] Step S4203: Receive a fourth message sent by the second entity 103.

[0327] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0328] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of PRU association.

[0329] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message includes user plane information.

[0330] In some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0331] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity may be, for example, a "Correlation ID".

[0332] Step S4204: Send a second message to the first device 101.

[0333] In some embodiments, the second message includes an identifier of the second entity 103 and the first indication information.

[0334] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity 103 may be, for example, a “Routing ID”.

[0335] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the second message includes user plane information.

[0336] For a detailed description of steps S4201-S4204, please refer to the detailed description of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0337] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4201 to S4204. For example, steps S4201+S4202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps S4201+S4202+S4203+S4204 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0338] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0339] In the disclosed embodiment, the first entity first forwards the association request of the first device to the second entity, and then forwards the PRU association response and user plane information from the second entity to the first device. Thus, the security of information exchange is ensured by the first entity forwarding the association request of the first device and the PRU association response and user plane information to the second entity.

[0340] FIG5A is a flow chart of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for a second entity 103, the method comprising:

[0341] Step S5101: Receive a third message sent by the first entity 102.

[0342] Step S5102: Determine whether to use user plane positioning.

[0343] Step S5103: When it is determined to use user plane positioning, the protocol and user plane information based on the user plane positioning are determined.

[0344] Step S5104: Send a fourth message to the first entity 102.

[0345] For a detailed description of steps S5101 - S5104 , please refer to the above embodiment description.

[0346] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S5101 to S5104. For example, step S5101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S5102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S5101+S5105 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0347] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0348] In the disclosed embodiment, after receiving the association request from the first device forwarded by the first entity, the second entity determines the protocol and user plane information based on the user plane positioning, if it determines to use user plane positioning, and finally sends an association response and user plane information to the first entity. As a result, the PRU association request initiated by the first device can serve as a trigger condition for the second entity to initiate the establishment of a user plane connection, thereby improving the flexibility of establishing the user plane connection.

[0349] FIG5B is a flow chart of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for the second entity 103, the method comprising:

[0350] Step S5201: Receive a third message sent by the first entity 102.

[0351] In some embodiments, the third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0352] In some embodiments, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0353] Step S5202: Send a fourth message to the first entity 102.

[0354] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0355] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of PRU association.

[0356] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message includes user plane information.

[0357] In some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0358] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity may be, for example, a "Correlation ID".

[0359] In some embodiments, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0360] In some embodiments, before sending the fourth message to the first entity, the method further includes:

[0361] Determine to use user plane positioning.

[0362] In some embodiments, determining to use user plane positioning includes:

[0363] Determine to use user plane positioning based on one or more of first capability information of the first device, second capability information of the second entity, the first policy, a state of the first entity, and a type of positioning plane last used by the first device.

[0364] In some embodiments, after determining to use user plane positioning, the method further includes:

[0365] The second protocol based on the current user plane positioning is determined based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, the second policy, and the third protocol based on which the first device last used user plane positioning.

[0366] In some embodiments, the second capability information includes at least one of the following: whether the second entity supports user plane positioning, whether the second entity supports control plane positioning, and a fourth protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the second entity.

[0367] For a detailed description of steps S5201 - S5202 , please refer to the above embodiment description.

[0368] The connection establishment method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S5201 and S5202. For example, step S5201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S5202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S5201+S5202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0369] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0370] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second entity is triggered to initiate establishment of a user plane connection based on the PRU association request of the first device, thereby enriching the triggering conditions for establishing the user plane connection.

[0371] FIG6 is an interactive diagram of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a connection establishment method for a communication system including a first device, a first entity, and a second entity, the method comprising:

[0372] Step S6101: The first device 101 sends a first message to the first entity 102.

[0373] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association.

[0374] Step S6102 : The first entity 102 sends a third message to the second entity 103 .

[0375] In some embodiments, the third message is used to indicate that the first device 102 requests to establish a PRU association.

[0376] Step S6103 : The second entity 103 sends a fourth message to the first entity 102 .

[0377] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed.

[0378] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity may be, for example, a "Correlation ID".

[0379] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message includes user plane information.

[0380] Step S6104 : The first entity 102 sends a second message to the first device 101 .

[0381] In some embodiments, the second message includes an identifier of the second entity 103 and second indication information.

[0382] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second entity 103 may be, for example, a “Routing ID”.

[0383] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the second message includes user plane information.

[0384] For a detailed description of steps S6101 - S6104 , please refer to the above embodiment description.

[0385] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first device acts as a PRU and initiates a PRU association request to the second entity through the first entity, the second entity, upon determining that the PRU association can be established and that the PRU uses user plane positioning, can return a PRU association response and user plane information to the first device through the first entity to establish a PRU association and user plane connection with the first device, thereby ensuring the stability and security of the user plane connection establishment.

[0386] The following is an exemplary introduction to the above method.

[0387] The present disclosure is used to solve a method for triggering an LMF network element to establish user plane positioning based on an association request of a Positioning Reference Unit (PRU). The optional implementation schemes are as follows:

[0388] As shown in Figure 7, Figure 7 is an interactive schematic diagram of a connection establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the present disclosure involves a connection establishment method in which the first device is a UE, the first entity is an AMF, and the second entity is an LMF as an example. The method includes:

[0389] It should be noted that in the following steps, Correlation ID and Routing ID are different names (or terms) for the same identifier. "Correlation ID" is the identifier used between the AMF and LMF to identify the LMF, while "Routing ID" is the identifier used to identify the LMF in the Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) message between the PRU and the AMF.

[0390] 1. If the UE as the PRU is in the Connection Management IDLE (CM_IDLE) state, the PRU executes the UE-triggered Service Request. If the UE is in the CM_CONNECTED (CM connected) state, this step is skipped.

[0391] 2. The PRU sends a supplementary services PRU Association Request in an UpLink Non-Access Stratum TRANSPORT (UL NAS TRANSPORT) message to the serving AMF.

[0392] The RRU association request includes a PRU indication and any LMF identifier used for the initial association, such as a pre-configured Routing ID or a Routing ID received during a previous PRU association process. The PRU association request may be included in a NAS-level UL NAS TRANSPORT message. The PRU association request may also include the reason for the PRU association (e.g., initial PRU association or PRU association update), the PRU's positioning capability, location information, and the PRU on / off status.

[0393] 3.AMF uses the subscription information from UDM to verify whether the sender of the PRU association request is the PRU.

[0394] The AMF can also verify whether the PRU can be used as a fixed PRU based on subscription information or local policy.

[0395] 4.AMF selects service LMF.

[0396] The AMF can override the Routing ID in the PRU request based on the selected serving LMF identifier. The AMF uses Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify to transmit the PRU association request and PRU indication to the serving LMF. The Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify may include indication information indicating whether the request is for PRU association and whether the PRU is a fixed PRU. In addition, the Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify may also include the location information of the PRU, such as the Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), Tracking Area ID (TAI), and Cell ID of the PRU.

[0397] 5.LMF receives the PRU association request and PRU indication from the AMF and determines whether to use the user plane or control plane for positioning.

[0398] The LMF determines whether to use the control plane or the user plane based on the capabilities of the PRU and LMF (i.e., whether user plane or control plane positioning is supported, and whether the SUPL protocol and LCS-UPP for user plane positioning are supported), the policy provided by the PCF or the local policy, the AMF status (e.g., AMF congestion status), the previous plane type used for PRU positioning, and other conditions.

[0399] If the LMF decides to use the user plane for positioning, the LMF further determines the user plane protocol (e.g., SUPL or LCS-UPP) for user plane positioning. The LMF may determine the protocol for user plane positioning based on the capabilities of the PRU and the LMF (e.g., the capability to support SUPL or the capability to support LCS-UPP), the policy provided by the PCF or the local policy, and the previous protocol selected for user plane positioning of the PRU. The LMF is triggered to perform the LMF-initiated user plane connection establishment process and send user plane information to the PRU.

[0400] 6. If the AMF indicates in step 4 that the request corresponds to a PRU (e.g., PRU indication), and if the LMF can accept PRU association, the serving LMF returns a PRU Association Results to the AMF as a supplementary services message, for example, by returning PRU Association Acceptance and the LMF's identifier (e.g., Correlation ID) to the AMF via Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer. The Correlation ID is assigned by the serving LMF to identify the serving LMF and the PRU. If the LMF decides to use user plane positioning and there is no available user plane connection between the PRU and the LMF, the LMF further sends user plane information in the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer message. The user plane information includes the address of the LMF (e.g., the IP address or FQDN address of the LMF) and security-related information, and indicates the protocol selected by the LMF for user plane positioning. PRU association includes PRU Association Rejection and PRU Association Acceptance.

[0401] 7. The serving AMF forwards the PRU Association Response, the Routing ID corresponding to the Correlation ID, and the user plane information (if the LMF determines to use user plane positioning) to the PRU in a downlink non-access layer transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message. The PRU association accept / reject message may be included in the Location Services (LCS) container of the DL NAS TRANSPORT message, the Routing ID may be included in the Additional Information Information Element (IE), and the user plane information may be included in the User Plane Positioning Information container of the DL NAS TRANSPORT message. The PRU then stores the Routing ID, which may be used for subsequent PRU association updates with the serving LMF. This Routing ID will overwrite the Routing ID used in the previous association update (if any).

[0402] 8. If the PRU receives user plane information from the LMF, it executes the steps initiated by the LMF to establish a user plane connection.

[0403] 9. If the PRU receives the user plane information through the user plane, the PRU and LMF perform user plane positioning. Otherwise, the PRU and LMF perform control plane positioning.

[0404] 10. The PRU and LMF complete the association operation.

[0405] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a first entity (e.g., a RAN) in any of the above methods.

[0406] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0407] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0408] FIG8A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8A , the first device 8100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 8101 and a processing module 8102 .

[0409] The transceiver module 8101 is configured to send a first message to the first entity, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0410] The transceiver module 8101 is further configured to receive a second message sent by the first entity, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of a PRU association.

[0411] Optionally, the first device 8100 further includes:

[0412] The processing module 8102 is configured to establish a user plane connection with the second entity based on the user plane information, wherein the first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, and the second message includes the user plane information.

[0413] Optionally, the first message includes at least one of the following: the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device.

[0414] Optionally, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0415] Optionally, the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0416] FIG8B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first entity proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8B , the first entity 8200 may include at least one of a transceiver module 8201 and a processing module 8202 .

[0417] The transceiver module 8201 is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, where the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association;

[0418] The transceiver module 8201 is further configured to send a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is configured to instruct the first device to request to establish a first entity association;

[0419] The transceiver module 8201 is further configured to receive a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association;

[0420] The transceiver module 8201 is further configured to send a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

[0421] Optionally, the first entity 8200 further includes:

[0422] The processing module 8202 is configured to verify whether the first device is a PRU;

[0423] The transceiver module 8201 is further configured to determine that the first device is a PRU and send a third message to the second entity.

[0424] Optionally, the processing module 8202 is further configured to determine a second entity associated with the PRU.

[0425] Optionally, the first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device;

[0426] The third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information, first capability information of the first device, reason for PRU association, positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and switch status of the first device.

[0427] Optionally, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

[0428] Optionally, the first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message and the second message also include user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier on which user plane positioning is based.

[0429] FIG8C is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second entity proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8B , the second entity 8300 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 8301 and a processing module 8302 .

[0430] The transceiver module 8301 is configured to receive a third message sent by the first entity, where the third message is used to instruct the first device to request to establish a PRU association;

[0431] The transceiver module 8301 is further configured to send a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of a PRU association.

[0432] Optionally, the processing module 8302 is configured to determine to use user plane positioning.

[0433] Optionally, the processing module 8302 is further configured to:

[0434] Determine to use user plane positioning based on one or more of first capability information of the first device, second capability information of the second entity, the first policy, a state of the first entity, and a type of positioning plane last used by the first device.

[0435] Optionally, the processing module 8302 is further configured to:

[0436] The second protocol based on the current user plane positioning is determined based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, the second policy, and the third protocol based on which the first device last used user plane positioning.

[0437] Optionally, the first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device;

[0438] The second capability information includes at least one of the following: whether the second entity supports user plane positioning, whether the second entity supports control plane positioning, and a fourth protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the second entity.

[0439] Optionally, the third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

[0440] Optionally, the first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message includes user plane information, wherein the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier on which the user plane positioning is based.

[0441] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0442] In some embodiments, the processing module can be a single module or can include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be interchangeable with the processor.

[0443] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 9100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 9100 can be a first device, a first entity, or a second entity. It can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first device to implement any of the above methods. It can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first entity to implement any of the above methods. It can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the second entity to implement any of the above methods. Communication device 9100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0444] As shown in Figure 9A, the communication device 9100 includes one or more processors 9101. The processor 9101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 9100 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0445] In some embodiments, the communication device 9100 further includes one or more memories 9102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 9102 may be located outside the communication device 9100.

[0446] In some embodiments, the communication device 9100 further includes one or more transceivers 9103. When the communication device 9100 includes one or more transceivers 9103, the transceiver 9103 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step S2101, step S2104, step S2107, step S2108, but not limited thereto), and the processor 9101 performs the other steps (for example, step S2102, step S2103, step S2105, step S2106, step S2109).

[0447] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0448] In some embodiments, the communication device 9100 may include one or more interface circuits 9104. Optionally, the interface circuit 9104 is connected to the memory 9102. The interface circuit 9104 may be configured to receive signals from the memory 9102 or other devices, and may be configured to send signals to the memory 9102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 9104 may read instructions stored in the memory 9102 and send the instructions to the processor 9101.

[0449] The communication device 9100 described in the above embodiments may be a terminal or a first entity or a second entity, but the scope of the communication device 9100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 9100 may not be limited by FIG. 9A . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0450] 9B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 9200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 9100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 9200 shown in FIG9B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0451] The chip 9200 includes one or more processors 9201 , and the chip 9200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0452] In some embodiments, the chip 9200 further includes one or more interface circuits 9202. Optionally, the interface circuit 9202 is connected to the memory 9203. The interface circuit 9202 can be used to receive signals from the memory 9203 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 9203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 9202 can read instructions stored in the memory 9203 and send the instructions to the processor 9201.

[0453] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 9202 executes at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step S2101, step S2104, step S2107, step S2108, but not limited to this), and the processor 9201 executes other steps (for example, step S2102, step S2103, step S2105, step S2106, step S2109).

[0454] In some embodiments, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver may be used interchangeably.

[0455] In some embodiments, the chip 9200 further includes one or more memories 9203 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 9203 may be located outside the chip 9200.

[0456] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on the communication device 9100, causes the communication device 9100 to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0457] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 9100, enables the communication device 9100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0458] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A connection establishment method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a first device, and includes: Sending a first message to a first entity, wherein the first message is used to request establishment of a PRU association; A second message sent by the first entity is received, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether establishment of the PRU association is allowed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Based on the user plane information, a user plane connection is established with the second entity, wherein the first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, and the second message further includes user plane information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier based on which the user plane positioning is based.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of a second entity, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

6. A connection establishment method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a first entity, and comprises: Receiving a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request to establish a PRU association; Sending a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association; receiving a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association; Send a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The sending a third message to the second entity includes: Verifying whether the first device is a PRU; Determine that the first device is a PRU, and send the third message to the second entity.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second entity associated with the PRU is determined.

9. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The first message includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, an identifier of the second entity, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch state of the first device; The third message also includes at least one of the following: the second indication information, the first capability information of the first device, the reason for PRU association, the positioning capability of the first device, the location information of the first device, and the switch status of the first device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: The first indication information indicates that establishment of the PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message and the third message also include user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the second entity, and a second protocol identifier on which user plane positioning is based.

12. A connection establishment method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a second entity, and the method includes: receiving a third message sent by the first entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association; A fourth message is sent to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association. The second entity does not directly receive or send to the first entity, so it is not recommended to write "receive" "sent by the first entity" or "send to the first entity" to directly describe receiving the third message and sending the fourth message.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine to use user plane positioning.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The determining to use user plane positioning includes: Determine to use user plane positioning based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, a first policy, a state of the first entity, and a type of positioning plane last used with the first device.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine the second protocol based on which the current user plane positioning is based based on one or more of the first capability information of the first device, the second capability information of the second entity, a second policy, and a third protocol based on which the first device last used user plane positioning.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The first capability information of the first device includes at least one of the following: whether the first device supports user plane positioning, whether the first device supports control plane positioning, and a first protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the first device; The second capability information includes at least one of the following: whether the second entity supports user plane positioning, whether the second entity supports control plane positioning, and a fourth protocol identifier of user plane positioning supported by the second entity.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The third message also includes at least one of the following: second indication information for indicating that the first device is a PRU, first capability information of the first device, a reason for PRU association, a positioning capability of the first device, location information of the first device, and a switch status of the first device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that: The first indication information indicates that establishment of a PRU association is allowed, and the fourth message also includes user plane information, and the user plane information includes at least one of the following: an address of the third entity, and a second protocol identifier based on user plane positioning.

19. A connection establishment method, characterized in that: Applied to a communication system, the method comprises: The first entity receives a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request to establish a PRU association; The first entity sends a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association; The second entity sends a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow establishment of the PRU association; The first entity sends a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

20. A first device, characterized in that: The first device comprises: A transceiver module, configured to send a first message to a first entity, wherein the first message is used to request to establish a PRU association; The transceiver module is further used to receive a second message sent by the first entity, where the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established.

21. A first entity, characterized in that: The first entity comprises: A transceiver module, configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first message is used to request to establish a PRU association; The transceiver module is further used to send a third message to the second entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association; The transceiver module is further used to receive a fourth message sent by the second entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established; The transceiver module is further used to send a second message to the first device, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the second entity and the first indication information.

22. A second entity, characterized in that: The second entity comprises: A transceiver module, configured to receive a third message sent by the first entity, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the first device requests to establish a PRU association; The transceiver module is further used to send a fourth message to the first entity, wherein the fourth message includes an identifier of the second entity and first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether to allow the PRU association to be established.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The processor is used to execute the connection establishment method described in any one of claims 1-18.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a first entity and a second entity, wherein the first entity is configured to implement the connection establishment method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, and the second entity is configured to implement the connection establishment method according to any one of claims 12 to 18.

25. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the connection establishment method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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