Communication method, terminal, network element, network device, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, a terminal, a network element, network equipment, a communication system and a storage medium. The communication method is executed by a first network element. The communication method comprises the steps that first information is received, the first information is used for requesting a first network element to carry out privacy verification on a first terminal, and a sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided for a second terminal; according to the embodiment of the invention, privacy verification for sidelink positioning can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular, to a communication method, a terminal, a network element, a network device, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Range measurement / sidelink positioning services are provided in a communication system. Through range measurement / sidelink positioning services, one or more terminals can be positioned. The positioning results of these terminals can be provided to another terminal. This can also be understood as exposing the positioning results of these terminals to another terminal. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network element, a network device, a communication system, and a storage medium, so as to implement privacy verification for sidelink positioning.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. This communication method is executed by a first network element. The above communication method includes: receiving first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification on a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. This communication method is executed by a second network element. The above communication method includes: sending third information, where the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result of a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. This communication method is executed by a third network element. The above communication method includes: receiving third information, where the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result of a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. This communication method is executed by a second terminal. The above communication method includes: sending seventh information, where the seventh information is used to request the sidelink positioning result of a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. This communication method is executed by a first terminal. The above communication method includes: receiving ninth information, where the ninth information is used to request the sidelink positioning result of a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal; sending tenth information, where the tenth information is used to request the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The communication method includes: a first terminal sending fifth information to a network device, where the fifth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The communication method is performed by a network device. The above communication method includes: receiving fifth information, where the fifth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0011] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first network element is provided. The first network element includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to receive first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0012] According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a second network element is provided. The second network element includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to send third information, where the third information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0013] According to a tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a third network element is provided. The third network element includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to receive third information, where the third information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0014] According to an eleventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a second terminal is provided. The second terminal includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to send seventh information, where the seventh information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0015] According to a twelfth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first terminal is provided. The first terminal includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive ninth information, where the ninth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal; send tenth information, where the tenth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal.

[0016] According to a thirteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive fifth information, where the fifth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0017] According to a fourteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first network element is provided. The first network element includes one or more processors. The first network element is used to execute the communication method as described in the first aspect.

[0018] According to a fifteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a second network element is provided. The second network element includes one or more processors. The second network element is used to execute the communication method as described in the second aspect.

[0019] According to a sixteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a third network element is provided. The third network element includes one or more processors. The third network element is used to execute the communication method as described in the third aspect.

[0020] According to a seventeenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a second terminal is provided. The second terminal includes one or more processors. The second terminal is used to execute the communication method as described in the fourth aspect.

[0021] According to an eighteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first terminal is provided. The first terminal includes one or more processors. The first terminal is used to execute the communication method as described in the fifth aspect.

[0022] According to a nineteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes one or more processors. The network device is used to execute the communication method as described in the seventh aspect.

[0023] According to a twentieth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a first terminal and a network device. The first terminal is used to implement the communication method as described in the fifth aspect. The network device is used to implement the communication method as described in the seventh aspect.

[0024] According to a twenty-first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided. The storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions run on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method as described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0025] According to a twenty-second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a program product is provided. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method as described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0026] According to the twenty-third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0027] According to the twenty-fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a chip or a chip system is provided. The chip or the chip system includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0028] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to implement privacy verification for the exposure of the sidelink positioning of a terminal to another terminal in a direct connection manner such as a PC5 connection.

[0029] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present invention, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 2A It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 2B It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 3 It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 4A It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4B It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5A It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 5B It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 6A It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 6B is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 6C is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 6D is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 7 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 8A is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 8B is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 8C is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 8D is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 9 is an interaction diagram of an exemplary implementation manner of a communication process provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 10 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 11A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 11B is a schematic structural diagram of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specific embodiments

[0052] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network element, a network device, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0053] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. The communication method is executed by a first network element. The communication method includes: receiving first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification on a first terminal, and a sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first network element may receive first information for requesting privacy verification for a first terminal, and the first network element may perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the first information. In this way, the first network element may perform privacy verification on the exposure of the sidelink positioning of the terminal to another terminal.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0056] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first information may include at least one of the information of the first terminal, the information of the second terminal, and the first service type. The first network element may perform privacy verification on the exposure of the sidelink positioning based on at least one of the information of the first terminal, the information of the second terminal, and the first service type.

[0057] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may further include: sending second information, where the second information is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0058] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the verification result may be failure, and the reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in the second information.

[0059] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second information may carry the reason for the failure of the privacy verification. In this way, the first network element may return the reason for the failure of the privacy verification.

[0060] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method is executed by a second network element. The above communication method includes: sending third information, where the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, through the third information, the second network element may request the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal, so as to expose the sidelink positioning of the terminal to another terminal.

[0062] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0063] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second network element may support triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal; where the above method may further include: sending first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal; receiving second information, where the second information is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second network element may send a first message to request privacy verification for the first terminal and receive the returned verification result when it supports triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal. In this way, the second network element may trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the exposure of the sidelink positioning of the terminal to another terminal.

[0065] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first message may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0066] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the operation of sending the third message may include: sending the third message when the verification result is successful, where the third message includes information of the first terminal.

[0067] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the verification result may be failure, and the reason for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in the second message.

[0068] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second network element may not support triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; where the third message may include information of the first terminal and information of the second terminal.

[0069] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may further include: receiving a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification is failure.

[0070] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the reason for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in the fourth message.

[0071] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may further include: receiving a fifth message, where the fifth message is used to request the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal; sending a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate that the verification result is failure or includes the sidelink positioning result.

[0072] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second network element may receive a fifth message for requesting privacy verification for the first terminal and send a first message according to the fifth message, so that the first network element performs privacy verification for the first terminal. In this way, the second network element may perform privacy verification on the exposure of the sidelink positioning of the terminal to another terminal.

[0073] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. The communication method is executed by a third network element. The communication method includes: receiving third information, where the third information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0074] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0075] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method may further include: determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the third information.

[0076] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the operation of determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the third information may include: when the third information includes the information of the first terminal and does not include the information of the second terminal, determining not to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal.

[0077] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the third network element may determine that the second network element has triggered privacy verification according to the third information. In this case, the third network element may then determine that it does not trigger privacy verification and directly perform the sidelink positioning operation.

[0078] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the operation of determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the third information may include: when the third information includes the information of the first terminal and the information of the second terminal, determining to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal.

[0079] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the third network element may determine that the second network element has not triggered privacy verification according to the third information. In this case, the third network element may then determine that it triggers privacy verification and perform the sidelink positioning operation after the privacy verification is successful.

[0080] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method may further include: sending first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal; receiving second information, where the second information is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0081] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the verification result may be a failure; where the method may further include: sending fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate that the verification result is a failure.

[0082] In some embodiments in combination with the third aspect, the reasons for the failure of privacy verification may be carried in at least one of the following: the second information, the fourth information.

[0083] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. This communication method is executed by a second terminal. The above communication method includes: sending a seventh piece of information, where the seventh piece of information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal.

[0084] In some embodiments in combination with the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may further include: receiving an eighth piece of information, where the eighth piece of information is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is a failure or includes the sidelink positioning result.

[0085] In some embodiments in combination with the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the eighth piece of information may indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is a failure, and the reasons for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in the eighth piece of information.

[0086] In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. This communication method is executed by a first terminal. The above communication method includes: receiving a ninth piece of information, where the ninth piece of information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal; sending a tenth piece of information, where the tenth piece of information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal.

[0087] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal may receive the ninth piece of information to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and send the tenth piece of information according to the ninth piece of information to request the sidelink positioning result. In this way, the exposure of the sidelink positioning of the first terminal can be achieved.

[0088] In some embodiments in combination with the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the ninth piece of information may be sent by the second terminal, and the tenth piece of information may be sent to another first terminal.

[0089] In some embodiments in combination with the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the ninth piece of information may be sent by another first terminal.

[0090] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second terminal may request the sidelink positioning result from the first terminal through the ninth piece of information. The first terminal may send the tenth piece of information to another first terminal according to the ninth piece of information, so that the other first terminal requests the sidelink positioning result from the network. On the other hand, the ninth piece of information received by one first terminal may be sent by another first terminal. In this way, as long as one of the multiple first terminals has a network connection, the sidelink positioning result can be requested from the network.

[0091] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the above method may further include: receiving sixth information, where the sixth information is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is a failure or includes a sidelink positioning result; sending eighth information, where the eighth information is used to indicate that the verification result is a failure or includes a sidelink positioning result.

[0092] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. The communication method includes: a first terminal sending fifth information to a network device, where the fifth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0093] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. The communication method is executed by a network device. The above communication method includes: receiving fifth information, where the fifth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0094] In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first network element. The first network element includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to receive first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0095] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the eighth aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0096] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the eighth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module may further be configured to: send second information, where the second information is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0097] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the eighth aspect, in some embodiments, the verification result may be a failure, and the reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in the second information.

[0098] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second network element. The second network element includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to send third information, where the third information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0099] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0100] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, the second network element may support triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; wherein, the transceiver module may further be configured to: send a first message, where the first message is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; receive a second message, where the second message is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0101] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the first message may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0102] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module may be configured to: in the case where the verification result is successful, send a third message, where the third message includes information of the first terminal.

[0103] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the verification result may be failure, and the reason for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in the second message.

[0104] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the second network element may not support triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; wherein, the third message may include information of the first terminal and information of the second terminal.

[0105] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module may further be configured to: receive a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification is failure.

[0106] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the reason for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in the fourth message.

[0107] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the ninth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module may further be configured to: receive a fifth message, where the fifth message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal; send a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate that the verification result is failure or includes the sidelink positioning result.

[0108] In the tenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a third network element. The third network element includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to receive a third message, where the third message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal.

[0109] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, in some embodiments, the third message may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal; information of the second terminal; the first service type.

[0110] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the third network element may further include a processing module. The processing module is configured to: determine whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the third information.

[0111] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the processing module may be configured to: when the third information includes information of the first terminal and does not include information of the second terminal, determine not to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal.

[0112] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the processing module may be configured to: when the third information includes information of the first terminal and information of the second terminal, determine to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal.

[0113] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the transceiver module may further be configured to: send a first message, where the first message is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal; receive a second message, where the second message is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0114] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the verification result may be failure; where the transceiver module may further be configured to: send a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the verification result is failure.

[0115] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the reason for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in at least one of the following: the second message, the fourth message.

[0116] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a second terminal. The second terminal includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to send a seventh message, where the seventh message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal.

[0117] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the transceiver module may further be configured to: receive an eighth message, where the eighth message is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is failure or includes a sidelink positioning result.

[0118] In some embodiments in combination with some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the eighth message may indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is failure, and the reason for the failure of the privacy verification may be carried in the eighth message.

[0119] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first terminal. The first terminal includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive ninth information, where the ninth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal; send tenth information, where the tenth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal.

[0120] In combination with some embodiments of the twelfth aspect, in some embodiments, the ninth information may be sent by the second terminal, and the tenth information may be sent to another first terminal.

[0121] In combination with some embodiments of the twelfth aspect, in some embodiments, the ninth information may be sent by another first terminal.

[0122] In combination with some embodiments of the twelfth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module may further be configured to: receive sixth information, where the sixth information is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal fails or includes the sidelink positioning result; send eighth information, where the eighth information is used to indicate that the verification result fails or includes the sidelink positioning result.

[0123] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network device. The network device includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive fifth information, where the fifth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

[0124] In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first network element. The first network element includes one or more processors. The first network element is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of the first aspect and its possible embodiments.

[0125] In a fifteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second network element. The second network element includes one or more processors. The second network element is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of the second aspect and its possible embodiments.

[0126] In a sixteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a third network element. The third network element includes one or more processors. The third network element is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of the third aspect and its possible embodiments.

[0127] In a seventeenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second terminal. The second terminal includes one or more processors. The second terminal is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of the fourth aspect and its possible embodiments.

[0128] In an eighteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a first terminal. The first terminal includes one or more processors. The first terminal is used to execute the communication method described in any one of the fifth aspect and its possible embodiments.

[0129] In a nineteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device. The network device includes one or more processors. The network device is used to execute the communication method described in any one of the seventh aspect and its possible embodiments.

[0130] In a twentieth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system. The communication system includes a first terminal and a network device. The first terminal is used to implement the communication method described in the fifth aspect. The network device is used to implement the communication method described in the seventh aspect.

[0131] In a twenty-first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium. The storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions run on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect and their possible embodiments.

[0132] In a twenty-second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect and their possible embodiments.

[0133] In a twenty-third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect and their possible embodiments.

[0134] In a twenty-fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system. The chip or the chip system includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect and their possible embodiments.

[0135] It can be understood that the above-mentioned first terminal, second terminal, first network element, second network element, third network element, network device, communication system, storage medium, computer program, computer program product, chip, and chip system are all used to execute the method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0136] Embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, terminal, network element, network device, communication system, and storage medium. In some embodiments, terms such as communication method, information processing method, and information transmission method can be mutually replaced, terms such as communication device and information processing device, information transmission device, etc. can be mutually replaced, and terms such as communication system and information processing system can be mutually replaced.

[0137] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive. They are only schematic illustrations of some embodiments and do not constitute specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. Without contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily. For example, the solution after removing some steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily. In addition, the optional implementation manners in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; furthermore, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, and an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments.

[0138] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, without special instructions and logical conflicts, the terms and / or descriptions among the embodiments are consistent and can be cited from each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0139] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0140] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a", "an", "one kind", "the", "above-mentioned", "said", "aforementioned", "this", etc., can mean "one and only one", or can also mean "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, in the case of using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English translation, the noun after the article can be understood as a singular expression form or a plural expression form.

[0141] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0142] In some embodiments, terms such as "at least one (at least one of, at least one item, at least one)", "one or more" can be replaced with each other.

[0143] In some embodiments, notations such as "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another case", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions according to the circumstances: In some embodiments, A (performing A independently of B); in some embodiments, B (performing B independently of A); in some embodiments, select to perform from A and B (A and B are selectively performed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are performed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc., it is similar to the above.

[0144] In some embodiments, notations such as "A or B" may, depending on the circumstances, include the following technical solutions: In some embodiments, A (executing A independently of B); in some embodiments, B (executing B independently of A); in some embodiments, selecting to execute from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0145] Prefix words such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different described objects and do not impose limitations on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the described objects. For the statements of the described objects, refer to the description in the claims or the context of the embodiments. There should be no redundant limitations due to the use of prefix words. For example, when the described object is "field", the ordinal numbers before "field" in "the first field" and "the second field" do not limit the position or order between the "fields", and "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". Another example, when the described object is "level", the ordinal numbers before "level" in "the first level" and "the second level" do not limit the priority between the "levels". Another example, the quantity of the described object is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "the first device" as an example, the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different. For example, when the described object is "device", "the first device" and "the second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; another example, when the described object is "information", "the second information" and "the first information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0146] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "used to indicate A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A or as indirectly indicating A.

[0147] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or the frequency domain.

[0148] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "when...", "while...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0149] 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 lower than", "above", etc. may be interchangeable with each other; 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", "below", etc. may be interchangeable with each other.

[0150] In some embodiments, a device or the like can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and its name is not limited to the name recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc. may be interchangeable with each other.

[0151] In some embodiments, a "network" can be interpreted as the devices included in the network (for example, access network devices, core network devices, etc.). For example, network devices may include at least one access network device. Additionally, for example, network devices may include at least one core network device. Moreover, for example, network devices may include at least one access network device and at least one core network device.

[0152] In some embodiments, a core network device may include at least one network element. Then, the fact that network devices include core network devices means that network devices may include at least one network element.

[0153] In some embodiments, terms such as "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0154] In some embodiments, terms such as "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0155] In some embodiments, an access network device, a core network device, or a network device may be replaced by a terminal. For example, for a structure in which communication between an access network device, a core network device, or a network device and a terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.), the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied. In this case, it may also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "side"). For example, an uplink channel, a downlink channel, etc. may be replaced by a side channel, and an uplink, a downlink, etc. may be replaced by a side link.

[0156] In some embodiments, a terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, it may also be configured such that the access network device, the core network device, or the network device has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0157] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where it is located.

[0158] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained after obtaining the user's consent.

[0159] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the tables of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column may also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0160] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 1 shown, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101, an access network device 102, and a core network device 103.

[0161] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes, for example, at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an internet of things (IoT) device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical 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.

[0162] In some embodiments, the number of terminals 101 may be one or more.

[0163] In some embodiments, communication may be performed between multiple terminals 101.

[0164] In some embodiments, communication may be performed between multiple terminals 101 through a PC5 port.

[0165] In some embodiments, the access network device 102 may be, for example, a node or device that connects the terminal 101 to a wireless network. The access network device 102 may include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a 5G communication system, a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a NodeB (NB), a home NodeB (HNB), a home evolved NodeB (HeNB), a radio 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 satellite base station, 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 terminal 101 and the core network device 103 may interact through the access network device 102. In some embodiments, the terminal 101 and the core network device 103 may directly interact. In this regard, the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations.

[0167] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure is applicable to an Open RAN architecture. At this time, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may become the internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0168] In some embodiments, the access network device 102 may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). Among them, the CU may also be referred to as a control unit. The CU-DU structure can split the protocol layer of the access network device 102. The functions of some protocol layers are centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all protocol layers are distributed in the DU. The DU is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited thereto.

[0169] In some embodiments, the core network device 103 may be a single device, including a first network element 1031, a second network element 1032, a third network element 1033, a fourth network element 1034, etc. In some embodiments, the core network device 103 may be multiple devices or a group of devices, respectively including all or part of the first network element 1031, the second network element 1032, the third network element 1033, the fourth network element 1034, etc. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network includes at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0170] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may be, for example, a gateway mobile location centre (GMLC).

[0171] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may be used to provide support for a location service (LCS), and its name is not limited to this.

[0172] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may be, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0173] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may be used to manage the positioning of a terminal related to a positioning request, and its name is not limited to this.

[0174] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may be, for example, a location management function (LMF).

[0175] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may be used to calculate or verify the final location and any speed estimate values for a terminal related to a jealousy positioning request, and its name is not limited to this.

[0176] In some embodiments, the fourth network element 1034 may be, for example, a unified data management (UDM) function.

[0177] In some embodiments, the fourth network element 1034 is used to manage the relevant data and / or information of the terminal 101, and its name is not limited to this.

[0178] A communication system may have the feature of sidelink positioning. This feature enables the communication system to provide ranging / sidelink positioning services.

[0179] In some embodiments, a terminal that requests ranging / sidelink positioning services may be referred to as a client UE. The client UE may send a ranging / sidelink positioning service request through the PC5 interface to obtain the positioning result of the ranging / sidelink positioning service for a target UE.

[0180] In some embodiments, in order to be able to expose the positioning result to the client UE, privacy verification may be performed on the target UE to be measured (or measured). In the case where the privacy verification indicates that the positioning result can be exposed to the client UE, the positioning result may be provided to the client UE.

[0181] In some embodiments, privacy verification may include UE authorization and privacy check.

[0182] In some embodiments, the privacy verification of the target UE may be implemented based on the privacy profile of the target UE. In some embodiments, the privacy profile of the target UE may be stored in the core network.

[0183] Then, in order to implement the ranging / sidelink positioning service, it is necessary to obtain the privacy configuration from the core network and perform privacy verification based on the privacy configuration.

[0184] Figure 2A It is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method applied to a communication system 100. As Figure 2A shown, the method includes steps S2101 to S2112.

[0185] In step S2101, the second terminal 1012 establishes a connection with the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0186] In some embodiments, a PC5 connection may be established between the second terminal 1012 and the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0187] In some embodiments, the PC5 connection may be used for direct communication between the second terminal 1012 and the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0188] In some embodiments, the first terminals 1011A and 1011B may have ranging / sidelink positioning capabilities.

[0189] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may be a client terminal.

[0190] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may be a terminal that requests ranging / sidelink positioning services. Correspondingly, the first terminals 1011A and 1011B may be terminals that provide ranging / sidelink positioning services.

[0191] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may discover the first terminals 1011A and 1011B through a discovery procedure and then establish a connection with the discovered first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0192] In some embodiments, after establishing the connection, the second terminal 1012 may exchange information with the first terminals 1011A and 1011B respectively and determine at least one of the first terminals 1011A and 1011B as the terminal to be measured according to the exchanged information.

[0193] It should be noted that, for simplicity, only two first terminals 1011A and 1011B are taken as examples in this embodiment. In an actual scenario, the number of first terminals may be any value, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations thereon.

[0194] In step S2102, the second terminal 1012 sends the seventh information to the first terminal 1011A.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011 may receive the seventh information.

[0196] In some embodiments, the seventh information may be used to request the provision of sidelink positioning services.

[0197] In some embodiments, the seventh information may be used to request the sidelink positioning result for at least one of the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0198] In some embodiments, the name of the seventh information is not limited, and it may be, for example, sidelink positioning service request information, sidelink positioning result request information, etc.

[0199] In some embodiments, the sidelink positioning results of the first terminals 1011A and 1011B may be requested to be provided to the second terminal 1012.

[0200] In some embodiments, the sidelink positioning result of the seventh information request by the second terminal 1012 can be for the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0201] In some embodiments, the seventh information can include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B, and information of the second terminal 1012.

[0202] In some embodiments, the requested sidelink positioning result includes an absolute positioning result for the first terminal 1011A. In one example, the absolute positioning result can include the absolute position of the first terminal 1011A. In one example, the absolute positioning result can include the absolute speed of the first terminal 1011A.

[0203] In some embodiments, when the requested sidelink positioning result includes an absolute positioning result for the first terminal 1011A, the seventh information can include the information of the first terminal 1011A.

[0204] In some embodiments, the requested sidelink positioning result includes an absolute positioning result for the first terminal 1011B. In one example, the absolute positioning result can include the absolute position of the first terminal 1011B. In one example, the absolute positioning result can include the absolute speed of the first terminal 1011B.

[0205] In some embodiments, when the requested sidelink positioning result includes an absolute positioning result for the first terminal 1011B, the seventh information can include the information of the first terminal 1011B.

[0206] In some embodiments, the requested sidelink positioning result includes a relative positioning result between the first terminals 1011A and 1011B. In one example, the relative positioning result can include the relative position between the first terminals 1011A and 1011B. In one example, the relative positioning result can include the relative speed between the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0207] In some embodiments, when the requested sidelink positioning result includes a relative positioning result between the first terminals 1011A and 1011B, the seventh information can include the information of the first terminal 1011A and the information of the first terminal 1011B.

[0208] In some embodiments, the name of the information of the first terminal 1011A is not limited, and it can be, for example, subscription information, subscription information, user information, device information, etc. related to the first terminal 1011A.

[0209] In some embodiments, the name of the information of the first terminal 1011B is not limited, and it may be, for example, subscription information, subscription information, user information, device information, etc. related to the first terminal 1011B.

[0210] In some embodiments, the name of the information of the second terminal 1012 is not limited, and it may be, for example, subscription information, subscription information, user information, device information, etc. related to the second terminal 1012.

[0211] In some embodiments, the seventh information may include a first service type.

[0212] In some embodiments, the first service type may be the type of ranging / sidelink positioning service requested by the second terminal 1012.

[0213] In some embodiments, the first service type may be positioning exposure for the second terminal 1012. That is, the first service type is to expose the positioning results of the ranging / sidelink positioning services of the first terminals 1011A and 1011B to the second terminal 1012. It can be understood that the first service type may also be other service types, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0214] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 sends the seventh information to the first terminal 1011A. In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may also send the seventh information to the first terminal 1011B, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0215] In some embodiments, the seventh information may be carried in a sidelink positioning service request (SL positioning service request).

[0216] In step S2103, the first terminal 1011A sends the fifth information to the second network element 1032.

[0217] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the fifth information.

[0218] In some embodiments, the fifth information may be used to request the provision of a sidelink positioning service.

[0219] In some embodiments, the fifth information may be used to request sidelink positioning results for the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0220] In some embodiments, the name of the fifth information is not limited, and it may be, for example, sidelink positioning service request information, sidelink positioning result request information, etc.

[0221] In some embodiments, the fifth information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B, information of the second terminal 1012, and the first service type.

[0222] In some embodiments, the content of the fifth information may be the same as the content of the seventh information.

[0223] In some embodiments, the fifth information may be carried in a sidelink mobile originated location request (SL-MO-LR) request.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011 may have a non-access stratum (NAS) connection. In this case, the first terminal 1011 may send the fifth information.

[0225] In some embodiments, the fifth information may be carried in an uplink non-access stratum transport (UL NAS TRANSPORT) message.

[0226] In step S2104, the second network element 1032 sends the first information to the first network element 1031.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may receive the first information.

[0228] In some embodiments, the second network element may forward an SL-MO-LR request from the first terminal 1011 to the first network element 1031.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to request the first network element 1031 to perform privacy verification for the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0230] In some embodiments, the name of the first information is not limited, and it may be, for example, verification request information, privacy verification request information, privacy check request information, etc.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B, information of the second terminal 1012, and the first service type.

[0232] In some embodiments, the content of the first information may be the same as the content of the seventh information.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first information may be sent through the service-based interface Ngmlc.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request message.

[0235] In some embodiments, before sending the first information, the second network element 1032 may determine whether it supports triggering privacy verification.

[0236] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may determine whether it supports triggering privacy verification based on at least one of the following: the first information, the function configuration of the second network element 1032.

[0237] In some embodiments, when it is determined that privacy verification is supported, the second network element 1032 may send the first information.

[0238] In some embodiments, before sending the first information, the second network element 1032 may determine the first network element 1031.

[0239] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may select the first network element 1031.

[0240] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may determine the first network element 1031 by querying. In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may determine the first network element 1031 through a Network Repository Function (NRF) query.

[0241] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may determine the first network element 1031 according to local configuration. In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may save a list of the first network element 1031. In this case, the second network element 1032 may select the first network element 1031 from the list.

[0242] In step S2105, the fourth network element 1034 sends privacy information to the first network element 1031.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may receive the privacy information.

[0244] In some embodiments, the privacy information may be associated with the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0245] In some embodiments, the privacy information may include at least one of the following: privacy information associated with the first terminal 1011A, privacy information associated with the first terminal 1011B.

[0246] In some embodiments, the privacy information may be used to indicate whether to allow the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A to be exposed to the second terminal 1012.

[0247] In some embodiments, the privacy information may include the privacy configuration of the first terminal 1011A.

[0248] In some embodiments, the privacy configuration of the first terminal 1011A may be included in the user's subscription information.

[0249] In some embodiments, the privacy configuration of the first terminal 1011A may be configured by the operator for the user of the first terminal 1011A.

[0250] In some embodiments, the privacy information may be used to indicate whether to allow the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B to be exposed to the second terminal 1012.

[0251] In some embodiments, the privacy information may include the privacy configuration of the first terminal 1011B.

[0252] In some embodiments, the privacy configuration of the first terminal 1011B may be included in the user's subscription information.

[0253] In some embodiments, the privacy configuration of the first terminal 1011B may be configured by the operator for the user of the first terminal 1011B.

[0254] In some embodiments, step S2105 may be implemented as: the first network element 1031 may send a request message to the fourth network element 1034; the fourth network element 1034 may send a response message to the first network element 1031. In some embodiments, the request message may be used to request privacy information from the fourth network element 1034.

[0255] In some embodiments, the request message may be used to obtain privacy information from the fourth network element 1034.

[0256] In some embodiments, the request message may carry at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B.

[0257] In some embodiments, the response message may carry the privacy information.

[0258] In some embodiments, if the request message only carries the information of the first terminal 1011A, the response message may carry the privacy information of the first terminal 1011A. In some embodiments, if the request message only carries the information of the first terminal 1011B, the response message may carry the privacy information of the first terminal 1011B. In some embodiments, if the request message carries the information of the first terminal 1011A and the information of the first terminal 1011B, the response message may carry the privacy information of the first terminal 1011 and the privacy information of the first terminal 1011B.

[0259] In some embodiments, the privacy information may be sent through the service-based interface Nudm.

[0260] In some embodiments, the privacy information may be sent through the Nudm_SDM_Get procedure. In one example, the first network element 1031 may send a Nudm_SDM_Get request message to the fourth network element 1034; the fourth network element 1034 may send a Nudm_SDM_Get response message to the first network element 1031. The privacy information may be carried in the Nudm_SDM_Get response message.

[0261] In step S2106, the first network element 1031 sends second information to the second network element 1032.

[0262] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the second information.

[0263] In some embodiments, the second information may be used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

[0264] In some embodiments, the verification result of the privacy verification may include one of the following: verification success, verification failure. Verification success indicates that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011 is allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012. Verification failure indicates that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011 is not allowed (prohibited) to be exposed to the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the second information may be used to indicate successful privacy verification. In some embodiments, the second information may be used to indicate failed privacy verification.

[0265] In some embodiments, the second information may include at least one of the following: indication information, reason for verification failure.

[0266] In some embodiments, the indication information may be used to indicate the verification result.

[0267] In some embodiments, the indication information may include 1 bit. Different values of the indication information may be used to represent different verification results. In one example, "0" may be used to indicate verification success, and "1" may be used to indicate verification failure. In one example, "1" may be used to indicate verification success, and "0" may be used to indicate verification failure.

[0268] In some embodiments, the indication information may include predefined characters or strings. Different characters or strings may be used to represent different verification results. In one example, "SUCCESS" may be used to indicate verification success, and "FAILURE" may be used to indicate verification failure.

[0269] In some embodiments, in the case of verification failure, the second information may include the reason for verification failure.

[0270] In some embodiments, in the case of a verification failure, the second information may include only the reason for the verification failure. In this case, the indication information of the reason for the verification failure may implicitly indicate that the verification result is a verification failure.

[0271] In some embodiments, the second information may be sent via the service-based interface Ngmlc.

[0272] In some embodiments, the second information may be carried in the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization response message.

[0273] In some embodiments, the verification result may be determined by the first network element 1031 based on the first information and the privacy information.

[0274] In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is allowed to be exposed to other terminals. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is allowed to be used for the exposure of the first service type.

[0275] In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is not allowed to be exposed to other terminals. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is not allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is not allowed to be used for the exposure of the first service type.

[0276] In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is allowed to be exposed to other terminals. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is allowed to be used for the exposure of the first service type.

[0277] In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is not allowed to be exposed to other terminals. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is not allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the privacy information may indicate that the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is not allowed to be used for the exposure of the first service type.

[0278] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may perform privacy verification for the first terminal 1011A based on the information of the first terminal 1011A and the privacy information of the first terminal 1011A. In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may perform privacy verification for the first terminal 1011A based on the information of the first terminal 1011A, the privacy information of the first terminal 1011A, and the information of the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may perform privacy verification for the first terminal 1011A based on the information of the first terminal 1011A, the privacy information of the first terminal 1011A, the information of the second terminal 1012, and the first service type.

[0279] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may perform privacy verification for the first terminal 1011B based on the information of the first terminal 1011B and the privacy information of the first terminal 1011B. In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may perform privacy verification for the first terminal 1011B based on the information of the first terminal 1011B, the privacy information of the first terminal 1011B, and the information of the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may perform privacy verification for the first terminal 1011B based on the information of the first terminal 1011B, the privacy information of the first terminal 1011B, the information of the second terminal 1012, and the first service type.

[0280] In some embodiments, the reasons for verification failure may include at least one of the following: the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is not allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012; the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is not allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012; the second terminal 1012 does not support the first service type. It can be understood that there may be other reasons for verification failure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0281] In some embodiments, when the privacy verification of the first terminal 1011A and / or the first terminal 1011B is successful, it may be determined that the privacy verification is successful.

[0282] In step S2107, the second network element 1032 sends the sixth information to the first terminal 1011A.

[0283] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may receive the sixth information.

[0284] In some embodiments, the sixth information may be used to indicate that the verification result is a failure.

[0285] In some embodiments, when the privacy verification fails, the second network element 1032 may send the sixth information to notify the first terminal 1011A that the privacy verification has failed.

[0286] In some embodiments, the sixth information may include at least one of the following: indication information, reason for verification failure.

[0287] In some embodiments, the indication information may be used to indicate that the privacy verification fails.

[0288] In some embodiments, the sixth information may only include the reason for verification failure. In this case, the indication information of the reason for verification failure may implicitly indicate that the verification result is verification failure.

[0289] In some embodiments, the sixth information may be carried in the SL-MO-LR response.

[0290] In some embodiments, the sixth information may be carried in a downlink non-access stratum transport (DL NAS TRANSPORT) message.

[0291] In step S2108, the second network element 1032 sends the third information to the third network element 1033.

[0292] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may receive the third information.

[0293] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to request to provide a sidelink positioning service.

[0294] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to request sidelink positioning results for the first terminals 1011A, 1011B.

[0295] In some embodiments, the name of the third information is not limited, and for example, it may be sidelink positioning service request information, sidelink positioning result request information, etc.

[0296] In some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B.

[0297] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in the SL-MO-LR request.

[0298] In some embodiments, the third information may be sent through the service-based interface Nlmf.

[0299] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request.

[0300] In step S2109, the third network element 1033 performs sidelink positioning.

[0301] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may interact with the terminal to be measured to implement sidelink positioning. Through sidelink positioning, a positioning result can be obtained.

[0302] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may interact with the first terminals 1011A and 1011B to implement sidelink positioning. In this case, the third network element 1033 may obtain the positioning results of the first terminal 1011A and / or the first terminal 1011B.

[0303] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may interact with the first terminals 1011A and 1011B to implement sidelink positioning. In this case, the third network element 1033 may obtain the positioning results of the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0304] In some embodiments, before performing sidelink positioning, the third network element 1033 may perform the following operations: determine whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal according to the third information. Here, according to the received third information, it is determined that the privacy verification is successful. In one example, when the third information does not include information about the second terminal 1012, the third network element 1033 may determine that the privacy verification is successful. In one example, when the third information includes information about the first terminals 1011A and 1011B and does not include information about the second terminal 1012, the third network element 1033 may determine that the second network element 1032 supports triggering privacy verification and has obtained a successful privacy verification result. At this time, the third network element 1033 does not need to trigger privacy verification.

[0305] In some embodiments, when it is determined that the privacy verification is successful, the third network element 1033 may perform sidelink positioning.

[0306] In step S2110, the third network element 1033 may send positioning information to the second network element 1032.

[0307] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the positioning information.

[0308] In some embodiments, the positioning information may be used to indicate the positioning results of the first terminals 1011 and 1011B. The positioning result may be a sidelink positioning result. In one example, the positioning information may include the absolute positioning result of the first terminal 1011A. In one example, the positioning information may include the absolute positioning result of the first terminal 1011B. In one example, the positioning information may include the relative positioning results of the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0309] In some embodiments, the positioning information may be sent through the service-based interface Nlmf.

[0310] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response.

[0311] In step S2111, the second network element 1032 sends the sixth information to the first terminal 1011A.

[0312] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may receive the sixth information.

[0313] In some embodiments, the sixth information may include a sidelink positioning result.

[0314] In some embodiments, the sixth information may be carried in the SL-MO-LR response.

[0315] In some embodiments, the sixth information may be carried in the DL NAS TRANSPORT message.

[0316] In step S2112, the first terminal 1011A sends the eighth information to the second terminal 1012.

[0317] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may receive the eighth information.

[0318] In some embodiments, the eighth information may be sent by the first terminal 1011A according to the sixth information.

[0319] In some embodiments, the eighth information may be used to indicate that the verification result is a failure.

[0320] In some embodiments, when the sixth information is received in step S2107, the eighth information may be used to indicate that the verification result is a failure. In some embodiments, the eighth information may include at least one of the following: indication information, reason for privacy verification failure.

[0321] In some embodiments, when the sixth information is received in step S2111, the eighth information may include a sidelink positioning result.

[0322] It should be noted that in step S2106, it is determined whether the privacy verification is successful according to the second information. In the case of a privacy verification failure, steps S2107 and S212 may be continued; in the case of a privacy verification failure, steps S2108 to S2112 may be continued.

[0323] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2112. For example, step S2102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2104 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2108 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of steps S2102 and S2103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S2102, S2103, and S2104 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0324] In some embodiments, steps S2101, S2103 to S2112 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0325] In some embodiments, steps S2101 and S2102, S2104 to S2112 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0326] In some embodiments, steps S2101 and S2103, S2105 to S2112 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0327] In some embodiments, steps S2101 and S2107, S2109 to S2112 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0328] In some embodiments, reference may be made to Figure 2A other optional implementation manners described before or after the corresponding specification.

[0329] Figure 2B is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method applied to a communication system 100. As Figure 2B shown, the method includes steps S2201 to S2213.

[0330] In step S2201, the second terminal 1012 establishes a connection with the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0331] The optional implementation manner of step S2201 may refer to Figure 2A the optional implementation manner of step S2101 and Figure 2A other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0332] In step S2202, the second terminal 1012 sends the seventh information to the first terminal 1011A.

[0333] For the optional implementation manners of step S2202, reference may be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of step S2102 of Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not described herein again.

[0334] In step S2203, the first terminal 1011A sends the eleventh information to the first terminal 1011B.

[0335] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B may receive the eleventh information.

[0336] In some embodiments, the eleventh information may be used to request to provide sidelink positioning services.

[0337] In some embodiments, the eleventh information may be used to request sidelink positioning results for the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0338] In some embodiments, the name of the eleventh information is not limited, and for example, it may be sidelink positioning service request information, sidelink positioning result request information, etc.

[0339] In some embodiments, the eleventh information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B, information of the second terminal 1012, and the first service type.

[0340] In some embodiments, the content of the eleventh information may be the same as the content of the seventh information.

[0341] In some embodiments, the fifth information may be carried in an SL-MO-LR request.

[0342] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may not have a NAS connection, while the first terminal 1011B may have a NAS connection. In this case, the first terminal 1011A may send the eleventh information to the first terminal 1011B so that the first terminal 1011B sends the fifth information.

[0343] In some embodiments, the eleventh information may be carried in a UL NAS TRANSPORT message.

[0344] In step S2204, the first terminal 1011B sends the fifth information to the second network element 1032.

[0345] For the optional implementation manners of step S2204, reference may be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of step S2103 ofFigure 2A For other related parts in the embodiments involved, they will not be elaborated here.

[0346] In step S2205, the second network element 1032 sends the third information to the third network element 1033.

[0347] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may receive the third information.

[0348] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to request the provision of sidelink positioning services.

[0349] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to request sidelink positioning results for the first terminals 1011A and 1011B.

[0350] In some embodiments, the name of the third information is not limited, and it may be, for example, sidelink positioning service request information, sidelink positioning result request information, etc.

[0351] In some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: information of the first terminal 1011A, information of the first terminal 1011B.

[0352] In some actual cases, the third information may include information of the second terminal 1012.

[0353] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in the SL-MO-LR request.

[0354] In some embodiments, the third information may be sent through the service-based interface Nlmf.

[0355] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request.

[0356] In some embodiments, before sending the third information, the second network element 1032 may determine whether to support triggering privacy verification.

[0357] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may determine whether to support triggering privacy verification based on at least one of the following: the first information, the function configuration of the second network element 1032.

[0358] In some embodiments, when it is determined that privacy verification triggering is not supported, the second network element 1032 may send the third information.

[0359] In step S2206, the third network element 1033 sends the first information to the first network element 1031.

[0360] For optional implementation manners of step S2206, reference can be made toFigure 2A Alternative implementation methods of step S2104, and Figure 2A other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0361] In some embodiments, before sending the first information, the third network element 1033 may perform the following operations: determine whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the third information. Here, the third network element 1033 may determine that the privacy verification has not been performed according to the received third information. In one example, when the third information includes information of the second terminal 1012, the third network element 1033 may determine that the privacy verification has not been performed. In one example, when the third information includes information of the second terminal 1012, the third network element 1033 may determine that the second network element 1032 does not support triggering privacy verification. At this time, the third network element 1033 determines that it is necessary to trigger privacy verification.

[0362] In step S2207, the fourth network element 1034 sends privacy information to the first network element 1031.

[0363] Alternative implementation methods of step S2207 can be referred to Figure 2A Alternative implementation methods of step S2105, and Figure 2A other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0364] In step S2208, the first network element 1031 sends the second information to the third network element 1033.

[0365] Alternative implementation methods of step S2208 can be referred to Figure 2A Alternative implementation methods of step S2106, and Figure 2A other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0366] In step S2209, the third network element 1033 sends the fourth information to the second network element 1032.

[0367] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the fourth information.

[0368] In some embodiments, the fourth information may be used to indicate that the verification result is a failure.

[0369] In some embodiments, in the case of a privacy verification failure, the third network element 1033 may send the fourth information to notify the first terminal 1011B of the privacy verification failure.

[0370] In some embodiments, in the case where the third network element 1033 does not support triggering privacy verification, the third network element 1033 may send the fourth information to notify the first terminal 1011B of the privacy verification failure.

[0371] In some embodiments, the fourth information may include at least one of the following: indication information, reason for verification failure.

[0372] In some embodiments, the indication information may be used to indicate that the privacy verification fails.

[0373] In some embodiments, the fourth information may only include the reason for verification failure. In this case, the indication information of the reason for verification failure may implicitly indicate that the verification result is verification failure.

[0374] In some embodiments, the reason for verification failure may include at least one of the following: the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A is not allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012; the positioning result of the first terminal 1011B is not allowed to be exposed to the second terminal 1012; the second terminal 1012 does not support the first service type; the third network element 1033 does not support triggering privacy verification. It can be understood that there may be other reasons for verification failure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0375] In some embodiments, the fourth information may be sent through the service-based interface Nlmf.

[0376] In some embodiments, the fourth information may be carried in the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response.

[0377] In step S2210, the second network element 1032 sends the sixth information to the first terminal 1011B.

[0378] For the optional implementation manners of step S2210, reference may be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of step S2107 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0379] In step S2211, the third network element 1033 performs sidelink positioning.

[0380] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may interact with the terminal to be measured to implement sidelink positioning. Through sidelink positioning, a positioning result can be obtained.

[0381] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may interact with the first terminal 1011B to implement sidelink positioning. In this case, the third network element 1033 may obtain the positioning result of the first terminal 1011A and / or the first terminal 1011B.

[0382] In step S2212, the third network element 1033 may send positioning information to the second network element 1032.

[0383] For the optional implementation of step S2212, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0384] In step S2213, the second network element 1032 sends the sixth information to the first terminal 1011B.

[0385] For the optional implementation of step S2213, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2111 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0386] In step S2214, the first terminal 1011B sends the eighth information to the second terminal 1012.

[0387] For the optional implementation of step S2214, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2112 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0388] It should be noted that in step S2106, it is determined whether the privacy verification is successful according to the second information. In the case of a privacy verification failure, steps S2107 and S212 can be continued; in the case of a privacy verification failure, steps S2108 to S2112 can be continued.

[0389] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2201 to S2214. For example, step S2202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2206 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of steps S2203 and S2204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of steps S2205 and S2206 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0390] In some embodiments, steps S2201, S2203 to S2214 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0391] In some embodiments, steps S2201 and S2202, steps S2204 to S2214 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0392] In some embodiments, steps S2201 and S2203, and steps S2205 to S2214 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0393] In some embodiments, steps S2201 and S2204, and steps S2206 to S2214 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0394] In some embodiments, steps S2201 and S2205, and steps S2207 to S2214 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0395] In some embodiments, reference may be made to Figure 2B other optional implementation manners described before or after the corresponding specification.

[0396] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", "chip", etc. may be replaced with each other.

[0397] In some embodiments, terms such as "uplink", "uplink link", "physical uplink" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "downlink", "downlink link", "physical downlink" can be replaced with each other. Terms such as "side", "sidelink", "sidelink communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct connection link", "direct connection communication", "direct connection link communication", etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0398] In some embodiments, terms such as "radio", "wireless", "radio access network (RAN)", "access network (AN)", "RAN-based" can be used interchangeably.

[0399] In some embodiments, terms such as "acquire", "obtain", "get", "receive", "transmit", "two-way transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably, which can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, self-processing to get, self-implementation, etc.

[0400] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "downlink", "transmit", "two-way transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0401] In some embodiments, terms such as "service", "operation" can be used interchangeably.

[0402] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "predetermined", "set", "indicated", "a certain", "any", "first" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A", "preset A", "predetermined A", "set A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in protocols, etc., or A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or certain A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited thereto.

[0403] In some embodiments, determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true / false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value), but not limited thereto.

[0404] Figure 3 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 3 shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment can be executed by the first network element 1031. The above method includes steps S301 to S303.

[0405] In step S301, first information is acquired.

[0406] An optional implementation manner of step S301 can refer to Figure 2A step S2104 ofFigure 2B Alternative implementation methods of step S2206, and Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0407] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may receive the first information sent by the second network element 1032, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the first information sent by other entities.

[0408] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may receive the first information sent by the third network element 1033, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the first information sent by other entities.

[0409] In step S302, privacy information is obtained.

[0410] Alternative implementation methods of step S302 can be referred to Figure 2A step S2105 of Figure 2B alternative implementation methods of step S2207 of Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0411] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may receive the privacy information sent by the fourth network element 1034, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the privacy information sent by other entities.

[0412] In step S303, the second information is sent.

[0413] Alternative implementation methods of step S303 can be referred to Figure 2A step S2106 of Figure 2B alternative implementation methods of step S2208 of Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0414] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may send the second information to the second network element 1032, but not limited thereto, and may also send the second information to other entities.

[0415] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 may send the second information to the third network element 1033, but not limited thereto, and may also send the second information to other entities.

[0416] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S301 to S303. For example, step S301 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S301 and S303 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0417] In some embodiments, steps S302 and S303 are optional, and in different embodiments, one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced.

[0418] Figure 4A is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 4A shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment may be executed by the second network element 1032. The above method includes steps S4101 to S4107.

[0419] In step S4101, obtain fifth information.

[0420] For an alternative implementation of step S4101, reference may be made to Figure 2A the alternative implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0421] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the fifth information sent by the first terminal 1011A, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the fifth information sent by other entities.

[0422] In step S4102, send first information.

[0423] For an alternative implementation of step S4102, reference may be made to Figure 2A the alternative implementation of step S2104 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0424] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the first information to the first network element 1031, but is not limited thereto, and may also send the first information to other entities.

[0425] In step S4103, obtain second information.

[0426] For an alternative implementation of step S4103, reference may be made to Figure 2A the alternative implementation of step S2106 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0427] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the second information sent by the first network element 1031, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the second information sent by other entities.

[0428] In step S4104, send sixth information.

[0429] For the optional implementation of step S4104, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2107 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not elaborated here.

[0430] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the sixth information to the first terminal 1011A, but not limited thereto, and may also send the sixth information to other entities.

[0431] In step S4105, the third information is sent.

[0432] For the optional implementation of step S4105, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not elaborated here.

[0433] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the third information to the third network element 1033, but not limited thereto, and may also send the third information to other entities.

[0434] In step S4106, the positioning information is obtained.

[0435] For the optional implementation of step S4106, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not elaborated here.

[0436] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the positioning information sent by the third network element 1033, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the positioning information sent by other entities.

[0437] In step S4107, the sixth information is sent.

[0438] For the optional implementation of step S4107, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2111 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not elaborated here.

[0439] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the sixth information to the first terminal 1011A, but not limited thereto, and may also send the sixth information to other entities.

[0440] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4101 to S4107. For example, step S4102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, S4105 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S4102 and S4103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0441] In some embodiments, steps S4101, S4103, S4104, S4105, S4106, and S4107 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0442] Figure 4B is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 4B shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment may be executed by the second network element 1032. The above method includes steps S4201 to S4206.

[0443] In step S4201, obtain the fifth information.

[0444] For the optional implementation manners of step S4201, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2204 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0445] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the fifth information sent by the first terminal 1011B, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the fifth information sent by other entities.

[0446] In step S4202, send the third information.

[0447] For the optional implementation manners of step S4202, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2205 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0448] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the third information to the third network element 1033, but not limited thereto, and may also send the third information to other entities.

[0449] In step S4203, obtain the fourth information.

[0450] For the optional implementation manners of step S4203, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2209 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0451] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the fourth information sent by the third network element 1033, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the fourth information sent by other entities.

[0452] In step S4204, the sixth information is sent.

[0453] For the optional implementation manners of step S4204, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2210 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0454] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the sixth information to the first terminal 1011B, but is not limited thereto, and may also send the sixth information to other entities.

[0455] In step S4205, positioning information is obtained.

[0456] For the optional implementation manners of step S4205, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2212 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0457] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may receive the positioning information sent by the third network element 1033, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the positioning information sent by other entities.

[0458] In step S4206, the sixth information is sent.

[0459] For the optional implementation manners of step S4206, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2213 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0460] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 may send the sixth information to the first terminal 1011B, but is not limited thereto, and may also send the sixth information to other entities.

[0461] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4201 to S4206. For example, step S4202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S4202 and S4203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0462] In some embodiments, steps S4201, S4203, S4204, S4205, and S4206 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0463] Figure 5A is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 5A shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment may be executed by a third network element 1033. The above method includes steps S5101 to step S5103.

[0464] In step S5101, third information is obtained.

[0465] For the optional implementation manner of step S5101, reference may be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manner of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0466] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may receive the third information sent by the second network element 1032, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the third information sent by other entities.

[0467] In step S5102, sidelink positioning is performed.

[0468] For the optional implementation manner of step S5102, reference may be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manner of step S2109 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0469] In step S5103, positioning information is sent.

[0470] For the optional implementation manner of step S5103, reference may be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manner of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0471] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may send the positioning information to the second network element 1032, but is not limited thereto, and may also send the positioning information to other entities.

[0472] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S5101 to step S5103. For example, step S5101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S5101 and S5103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0473] In some embodiments, steps S5102 and S5103 are optional, and in different embodiments, one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced.

[0474] Figure 5B is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 5B shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment may be executed by a third network element 1033. The above method includes steps S5201 to step S5206.

[0475] In step S5201, third information is obtained.

[0476] For an optional implementation manner of step S5201, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manner of step S2205, and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0477] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may receive the third information sent by the second network element 1032, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the third information sent by other entities.

[0478] In step S5202, first information is sent.

[0479] For an optional implementation manner of step S5202, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manner of step S2206, and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0480] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may send the first information to the first network element 1031, but not limited thereto, and may also send the first information to other entities.

[0481] In step S5203, second information is obtained.

[0482] For an optional implementation manner of step S5203, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manner of step S2208, and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0483] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may receive the second information sent by the first network element 1031, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the second information sent by other entities.

[0484] In step S5204, fourth information is sent.

[0485] For an optional implementation manner of step S5204, reference may be made toFigure 2B Optional implementation of step S2209, and Figure 2B Other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0486] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may send the fourth information to the second network element 1032, but not limited thereto, and may also send the fourth information to other entities.

[0487] In step S5205, perform sidelink positioning.

[0488] The optional implementation of step S5205 can refer to Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2211, and Figure 2B Other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0489] In step S5206, send positioning information.

[0490] The optional implementation of step S5206 can refer to Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2212, and Figure 2B Other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0491] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 may send positioning information to the second network element 1032, but not limited thereto, and may also send positioning information to other entities.

[0492] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S5201 to S5206. For example, step S5201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, S5202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S5201 and S5202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0493] In some embodiments, steps S5202, S5203, S5204, S5205, and S5206 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0494] In some embodiments, steps S5201, S5203, S5204, S5205, and S5206 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0495] Figure 6A is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 6AAs shown, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment can be executed by the first terminal 1011A. The above method includes steps S6101 to step S6106.

[0496] In step S6101, a connection is established.

[0497] For optional implementation manners of step S6101, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0498] In step S6102, the seventh information is obtained.

[0499] For optional implementation manners of step S6102, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0500] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may receive the seventh information sent by the second terminal 1012, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the seventh information sent by other entities.

[0501] In step S6103, the fifth information is sent.

[0502] For optional implementation manners of step S6103, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of step S2103 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0503] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may send the fifth information to the second network element 1032, but is not limited thereto, and may also send the fifth information to other entities.

[0504] In step S6104, the sixth information is obtained.

[0505] For optional implementation manners of step S6104, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation manners of steps S2107 and S2111 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0506] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may receive the sixth information sent by the second network element 1032, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the sixth information sent by other entities.

[0507] In step S6105, sidelink positioning is implemented.

[0508] For the optional implementation of step S6105, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2109 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0509] In step S6106, the eighth information is sent.

[0510] For the optional implementation of step S6106, reference can be made to Figure 2A the optional implementation of step S2112 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0511] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S6101 to S6106. For example, step S6102 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S6102 and S6103 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0512] In some embodiments, steps S6104 and S6105 can be executed in reverse order.

[0513] In some embodiments, steps S6101, S6103, S6104, S6105, and S6106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0514] Figure 6B is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 6B shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment can be executed by the first terminal 1011A. The above method includes steps S6201 to S6204.

[0515] In step S6201, a connection is established.

[0516] For the optional implementation of step S6201, reference can be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2201 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0517] In step S6202, the seventh information is obtained.

[0518] For the optional implementation of step S6202, reference can be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2202 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0519] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may receive the seventh information sent by the second terminal 1012. However, this is not limiting, and it may also receive the seventh information sent by other entities.

[0520] In step S6203, the eleventh information is sent.

[0521] For the optional implementation of step S6203, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2203 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not described herein again.

[0522] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011A may send the eleventh information to the first terminal 1011B. However, this is not limiting, and it may also send the eleventh information to other entities.

[0523] In step S6204, sidelink positioning is performed.

[0524] For the optional implementation of step S6204, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2211 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not described herein again.

[0525] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S6201 to S6204. For example, step S6202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S6202 and S6203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment. However, this is not limiting.

[0526] In some embodiments, steps S6201, S6203, and S6204 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0527] Figure 6C is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 6C shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment may be executed by the first terminal 1011B. The above method includes steps S6301 to S6306.

[0528] In step S6301, a connection is established.

[0529] For the optional implementation of step S6301, reference may be made to Figure 2A step S2101 in Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2201 in Figure 2A and Figure 2B other related parts in the embodiments involved. Details are not described herein again.

[0530] In step S6302, the seventh information is obtained.

[0531] For the optional implementation manners of step S6302, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2203 and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0532] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B may receive the eleventh information sent by the first terminal 1011A. However, this is not limitative, and it may also receive the eleventh information sent by other entities.

[0533] In step S6303, the fifth information is sent.

[0534] For the optional implementation manners of step S6303, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2204 and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0535] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B may send the fifth information to the second network element 1032. However, this is not limitative, and it may also send the fifth information to other entities.

[0536] In step S6304, the sixth information is obtained.

[0537] For the optional implementation manners of step S6304, reference may be made to Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2210 and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0538] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B may receive the sixth information sent by the second network element 1032. However, this is not limitative, and it may also receive the sixth information sent by other entities.

[0539] In step S6305, sidelink positioning is performed.

[0540] For the optional implementation manners of step S6305, reference may be made to Figure 2A step S2109, Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2211 and Figure 2A , Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0541] In step S6306, the eighth information is sent.

[0542] For the optional implementation manners of step S6306, reference may be made toFigure 2B Optional implementation manners of step S2214, and Figure 2B other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0543] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B may send the eighth information to the second terminal 1012, but not limited thereto, and may also send the eighth information to other entities.

[0544] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S6301 to S6306. For example, step S6302 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S6302 and S6303 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0545] In some embodiments, steps S6304 and S6305 may be executed in an exchanged order.

[0546] In some embodiments, steps S6301, S6303, S6304, S6305, and S6306 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0547] Figure 6D is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 6D shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment may be executed by the first terminal 1011. The first terminal 1011 may be either the first terminal 1011A or the first terminal 1011B. The above method includes steps S6401 to S6406.

[0548] In step S6401, a connection is established.

[0549] Optional implementation manners of step S6401 may be referred to Figure 2A step S2101 of Figure 2B optional implementation manners of step S2201 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0550] In step S6402, the ninth information is obtained.

[0551] Optional implementation manners of step S6403 may be referred to Figure 2A step S2102 of Figure 2B optional implementation manners of steps S2202 and S2203 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B and other related parts in the involved embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0552] In some embodiments, the ninth information may be the seventh information. In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011 may receive the seventh information sent by the second terminal 1012, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the seventh information sent by other entities.

[0553] In some embodiments, the ninth information may be the eleventh information. In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011 may receive the eleventh information sent by another first terminal, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the eleventh information sent by other entities.

[0554] In step S6403, the tenth information is sent.

[0555] For the optional implementation manners of step S6403, reference may be made to Figure 2A step S2103 of Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2203, S2204 of Figure 2A and Figure 2B other related parts in the embodiments involved in

[0556] In some embodiments, the tenth information may be the fifth information. In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011 may send the fifth information to the second network element 1032, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the fifth information sent by other entities.

[0557] In some embodiments, the tenth information may be the eleventh information. In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011 may send the eleventh information to another first terminal 1011, but is not limited thereto, and may also send the eleventh information to other entities.

[0558] In step S6404, the sixth information is obtained.

[0559] For the optional implementation manners of step S6404, reference may be made to Figure 2A step S2107, S2111 of Figure 2B the optional implementation manners of step S2210 of Figure 2A and Figure 2B other related parts in the embodiments involved in

[0560] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B receives the sixth information sent by the second network element 1032, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive the sixth information sent by other entities.

[0561] In step S6405, sidelink positioning is performed.

[0562] For the optional implementation manners of step S6405, reference may be made to Figure 2A step S2109 ofFigure 2B Alternative implementation manners of steps S2211 and S2213, and Figure 2A and Figure 2B other related parts in the embodiments involved will not be elaborated here.

[0563] In step S6406, an eighth message is sent.

[0564] Alternative implementation manners of step S6406 can be referred to Figure 2A step S2112 of Figure 2B alternative implementation manners of step S2214 of Figure 2A and Figure 2B other related parts in the embodiments involved will not be elaborated here.

[0565] In some embodiments, the first terminal 1011B sends an eighth message to the second terminal 1012. However, this is not limited thereto, and the eighth message sent by other entities can also be received.

[0566] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S6401 to S6406. For example, step S6402 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S6402 and S6403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. However, this is not limited thereto.

[0567] In some embodiments, steps S6404 and S6405 can be executed in an exchanged order.

[0568] In some embodiments, steps S6401, S6403, S6404, S6405, and S6406 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0569] Figure 7 is an exemplary flowchart of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 7 shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The communication method in this embodiment can be executed by the second terminal 1012. The above method includes steps S701 to S703.

[0570] In step S701, a connection is established.

[0571] Alternative implementation manners of step S701 can be referred to Figure 2A step S2101 of Figure 2B alternative implementation manners of step S2201 of Figure 2A and Figure 2B other related parts in the embodiments involved will not be elaborated here.

[0572] In step S702, a seventh message is sent.

[0573] For the optional implementation of step S702, reference can be made to Figure 2A step S2102 of Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2202 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved, which will not be elaborated here.

[0574] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may send the seventh information to the first terminal 1011A, but not limited thereto, and may also send the seventh information to other entities.

[0575] In step S703, the eighth information is obtained.

[0576] For the optional implementation of step S703, reference can be made to Figure 2A step S2112 of Figure 2B the optional implementation of step S2214 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved, which will not be elaborated here.

[0577] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may receive the eighth information sent by the first terminal 1011A, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the eighth information sent by other entities.

[0578] In some embodiments, the second terminal 1012 may receive the eighth information sent by the first terminal 1011B, but not limited thereto, and may also receive the eighth information sent by other entities.

[0579] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S701 to S703. For example, step S702 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S702 and S703 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0580] In some embodiments, steps S701 and S703 are optional, and in different embodiments, one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced.

[0581] Figure 8A is an exemplary interaction diagram of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 8A shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method. The above method includes step S8101.

[0582] In step S8101, the first network element 1031 obtains the first information.

[0583] For the optional implementation of step S8101, reference can be made to Figure 2AStep S2104 of Figure 2B Step S2206 of Figure 3 Step S301 of Figure 4A Step S4102 of Figure 5B Optional implementation manners of Step S5202, and Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 3 , Figure 4A , Figure 5B Other related parts in the embodiments involved are not described herein again.

[0584] In some embodiments, the above method may include the methods described in the embodiments on the communication system side, the first network element side, the second network element side, the third network element side, etc., which are not described herein again.

[0585] Figure 8B is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 8B shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The above method includes Step S8201.

[0586] In Step S8201, the second network element 1032 sends third information to the third network element 1033.

[0587] Optional implementation manners of Step S8201 may refer to Figure 2A Step S2108 of Figure 2B Step S2205 of Figure 4A Step S4105 of Figure 4B Step S4202 of Figure 5A Step S5101 of Figure 5B Optional implementation manners of Step S5201, and Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 5A , Figure 5B Other related parts in the embodiments involved are not described herein again.

[0588] In some embodiments, the above method may include the methods described in the embodiments on the communication system side, the second network element side, the third network element side, etc., which are not described herein again.

[0589] Figure 8C is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 8C shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The above method includes Step S8301.

[0590] In Step S8301, the second terminal 1012 sends seventh information to the first terminal 1011.

[0591] For the optional implementation manners of step S8201, reference can be made to Figure 2A step S2102 of Figure 2B step S2202 of Figure 6A step S6102 of Figure 6B step S6202 of Figure 7 the optional implementation manners of step S702 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 , and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0592] In some embodiments, the above method may include the methods described in the embodiments such as the above terminal side, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0593] Figure 8D is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 8D shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The above method includes step S8401 and step S8402.

[0594] In step S8401, the first terminal 1011 obtains the ninth information.

[0595] For the optional implementation manners of step S8401, reference can be made to Figure 2A step S2102 of Figure 2B step S2202, S2203 of Figure 6D the optional implementation manners of step S6402 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 6D and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0596] In step S8402, the first terminal 1011 sends the tenth information.

[0597] For the optional implementation manners of step S8402, reference can be made to Figure 2A step S2103 of Figure 2B step S2203, S2024 of Figure 6D the optional implementation manners of step S6403 of Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 6D and other related parts in the involved embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0598] In some embodiments, the above method may include the methods described in the embodiments such as the above communication system side, the second network element side, the terminal side, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0599] In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplarily described through specific embodiments.

[0600] In some embodiments, the reference point NL6 between the UDM (i.e., the fourth network element) and the GMLC (i.e., the first network element) is used to transmit the UE privacy configuration to the GMLC for verification of exposure for ranging / sidelink positioning services. Therefore, when the sidelink positioning client UE (i.e., the second terminal) requests the sidelink positioning result of the UE to be measured (i.e., the first terminal) through the PC5 link, the GMLC needs to be triggered to obtain the UE privacy configuration from the UDM.

[0601] The network function that can trigger the GMLC can be the AMF or the LMF because:

[0602] (1) The AMF receives the SL-MO-LR request sent by one of the UEs to be measured, and thus can obtain the required information for checking the UE privacy based on the UE's privacy configuration.

[0603] (2) The LMF receives the information in the SL-MO-LR request from the AMF, and thus can also obtain the required information for checking the UE privacy based on the UE's privacy configuration.

[0604] (3) There is an interface (NL2) between the AMF and the GMLC, and there is an interface (NL10) between the LMF and the GMLC.

[0605] In some embodiments, whether the AMF or the LMF triggers the GMLC depends on the specific network function. If the AMF can trigger the GMLC for authorization / privacy checking, the AMF can instruct the LMF not to trigger the GMLC. If the AMF cannot trigger the GMLC for authorization / privacy checking, the AMF can instruct the LMF to trigger the GMLC.

[0606] The determination of triggering authorization / privacy checking mainly depends on whether the information received in the SL-MO-LR includes the sidelink positioning client UE. If the SL-MO-LR request includes the client UE information, it means that the UE privacy for exposing the sidelink positioning result to the client UE needs to be checked. If the SL-MO-LR request does not include the client UE information, the UE privacy for exposing the sidelink positioning result to the client UE cannot be achieved.

[0607] In some embodiments, the specific implementation of this communication process can be given below.

[0608] Figure 9 This is an interaction diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the communication process provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 9As shown, the communication process may include steps S901 to S914.

[0609] In step S901, the client UE establishes a PC5 connection with the discovered UE.

[0610] In step S902, the client UE downselects a UE (UE1 or UE2) to receive a sidelink positioning service request. The client UE sends a sidelink positioning service request. The sidelink positioning service request includes information about the sidelink positioning client UE and information about the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2) (target UE / reference UE).

[0611] In step S903, the UE that receives the sidelink positioning service request determines that SL-MO-LR will be executed. If UE2 receives the service request but does not have a NAS connection, UE2 sends the SL-MO-LR request to UE1 that has a NAS connection. The SL-MO-LR request includes at least information about the sidelink positioning client UE and information about the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2).

[0612] In step S904, UE1 sends a supplementary service SL-MO-LR request to the AMF in a UL NAS TRANSPORT message. The UL NAS TRANSPORT message includes at least information about the sidelink positioning client UE and information about the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2), and may also include the service type (e.g., exposure of the location of the client UE).

[0613] In step S905, based on the information received from UE1 (e.g., service type, client UE information, information of UE1 / UE2), the AMF determines whether to trigger authorization and privacy check of the UE.

[0614] In some embodiments, if the AMF does not support triggering UE authorization and privacy check, the AMF continues to execute step S908b.

[0615] In some embodiments, if the AMF supports triggering UE authorization and privacy check, the AMF selects a GMLC that supports ranging / sidelink positioning through NRF query or configuration in the AMF, and forwards the SL-MO-LR to the GMLC for authorization and privacy check through a Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request. The Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request includes at least information about the sidelink positioning client UE and information about the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2).

[0616] In step S906, based on the information received from the AMF (information on sidelink positioning of the client UE and information on the UE to be measured), the GMLC obtains the privacy configuration of the UE to be measured from the UDM and authorizes the client UE based on the privacy configuration. For example, in the privacy configuration of UE1 / UE2, it can be configured whether to allow the positioning of UE1 / UE2 to be exposed to the client UE.

[0617] In step S907, the GMLC returns the authorization result to the AMF through the Ngmlc_location_Authorization response.

[0618] In step S908a, if the authorization fails, the AMF can return a supplementary service SL-MO-LR response to UE1 through the DL NAS TRANSPORT message. The SL-MO-LR response can include the reason for the authorization failure. The reasons for the authorization failure include, for example: exposure to the client UE is rejected, exposure of UE1 to the client UE is rejected, exposure of UE2 to the client UE is rejected.

[0619] In step S908b, if the AMF does not support triggering UE authorization and privacy verification, or if the AMF receives a successful authorization result in step S907, the AMF selects the LMF (i.e., the third network element) and forwards the information from the SL-MO-LR request to the LMF through the Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation request.

[0620] In some embodiments, if the AMF does not support triggering UE authorization and privacy verification, the AMF includes at least the information on sidelink positioning of the client UE and the information on the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2) in the message.

[0621] In some embodiments, if the AMF receives a successful authorization result in step S907, the AMF includes at least the information on the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2) in the message.

[0622] In step S909, based on the information received from the AMF (e.g., service type, client UE information, UE1 / UE2 information), the LMF determines whether to trigger UE authorization and privacy verification.

[0623] In some embodiments, if the information from the AMF does not contain the information on sidelink positioning of the client UE, the LMF continues to execute step S912b1.

[0624] In some embodiments, if the information from the AMF contains the information on sidelink positioning of the client UE and the LMF does not support triggering UE authorization and privacy verification, the LMF continues to execute step S912a.

[0625] In some embodiments, if the information from the AMF contains information about the sidelink positioning client UE and the LMF supports triggering UE authorization and privacy verification, the LMF selects a GMLC that supports ranging / sidelink positioning through an NRF query or configuration in the AMF, and forwards the SL-MO-LR to the GMLC via the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request for authorization and privacy verification. The Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request includes at least the information about the sidelink positioning client UE and the information about the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1, UE2).

[0626] In step S910, based on the information received from the LMF (the information about the sidelink positioning client UE and the information about the UE to be measured), the GMLC obtains the privacy configuration of the UE to be measured from the UDM and authorizes the client UE based on the privacy configuration. For example, in the privacy configuration of UE1 / UE2, it can be configured whether to allow the positioning of UE1 / UE2 to be exposed to the client UE.

[0627] In step S911, the GMLC returns the authorization result to the LMF via the Ngmlc_location_Authorization response.

[0628] In step S912a, if the authorization fails, the LMF returns an Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation response, which includes the reason for the authorization failure. The reasons for the authorization failure include, for example: exposure to the client UE is rejected, exposure of UE1 to the client UE is rejected, exposure of UE2 to the client UE is rejected.

[0629] In step S912b1, if the LMF receives a successful authorization result in step S11, or if the UE authorization and privacy verification have been triggered by the AMF, a ranging / sidelink positioning operation is performed between the LMF and UE1 / UE2.

[0630] In step S912b2, the LMF returns an Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation response, which includes the sidelink positioning result.

[0631] In step S913a, if the authorization fails, the AMF returns a supplementary service SL-MO-LR response to UE1 in the DL NAS TRANSPORT message. The DL NAS TRANSPORT message includes the reason for the authorization failure. The reasons for the authorization failure include, for example: exposure to the client UE is rejected, exposure of UE1 to the client UE is rejected, exposure of UE2 to the client UE is rejected.

[0632] In step S913b, if the authorization is successful, the AMF returns a supplementary service SL-MO-LR response to UE1 in the DL NAS TRANSPORT message. The DL NAS TRANSPORT message includes the sidelink positioning result.

[0633] In step S914, UE1 sends a sidelink positioning service response to the client UE. The sidelink positioning service response includes the sidelink positioning result between UE1 / UE2, or the reason for authorization failure.

[0634] In some embodiments, the UE (client UE) may include information of this UE and the UE to be measured in the sidelink positioning service request.

[0635] In some embodiments, the UE (UE1 / UE2) may include information of the sidelink positioning client UE, and information of the UE to be measured (i.e., UE1 / UE2) in the SL-MO-LR request.

[0636] In some embodiments, the UE (UE1) may receive the reason for authorization / privacy check failure from the AMF.

[0637] In some embodiments, the UE (UE1) may send the reason for authorization / privacy check failure to the sidelink positioning client UE.

[0638] In some embodiments, the UE (client UE) may receive the reason for authorization / privacy check failure from another UE (UE1 / UE2).

[0639] In some embodiments, the AMF may determine whether to trigger authorization / privacy check based on the SL-MO-LR request received from the UE.

[0640] In some embodiments, the AMF may send the SL-MO-LR to the GMLC through the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request. The Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request includes at least information of the sidelink positioning client UE and the UE to be measured.

[0641] In some embodiments, the AMF may receive the authorization / privacy check result from the GMLC through the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization response.

[0642] In some embodiments, the AMF may forward the SL-MO-LR to the LMF via the Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation request. The Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation request includes at least information about the sidelink positioning client UE and information about the UE to be measured.

[0643] In some embodiments, the AMF may receive the authorization and privacy check results from the LMF via the Nlmf_location_DetermineLocation response.

[0644] In some embodiments, the AMF may send the reason for authorization / privacy check failure to the UE.

[0645] In some embodiments, the LMF may determine whether to trigger authorization / privacy check for the UE based on the SL-MO-LR request received from the AMF.

[0646] In some embodiments, the LMF may forward the SL-MO-LR to the GMLC via the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request. The Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request includes at least information about the sidelink positioning client UE and information about the UE to be measured.

[0647] In some embodiments, the LMF may receive the authorization / privacy check results from the GMLC via the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request.

[0648] In some embodiments, the LMF may send the reason for authorization / privacy check failure to the AMF or the UE.

[0649] In some embodiments, the GMLC may receive the Ngmlc_Location_Authorization request from the AMF or the LMF.

[0650] In some embodiments, the GMLC may check whether to authorize the client UE to obtain the sidelink positioning result of the UE to be measured based on the privacy configuration of the UE to be measured obtained from the UDM.

[0651] In some embodiments, the GMLC may send the sidelink positioning authorization result to the AMF or the LMF.

[0652] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementation manners may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, and may also be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation manners in other embodiments.

[0653] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device for implementing any of the above methods. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication device. The above communication device includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Again, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide another communication device, including units or modules for implementing each step performed by the network device in any of the above methods.

[0654] It should be understood that the division of the units or modules in the above device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device can 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 instructions are stored in the memory. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the units or modules of the above device. 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 inside or outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of a hardware circuit, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be implemented through the design of the hardware circuit. The above hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of some or all of the above units or modules are implemented through the design of the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; again, in another implementation, the above hardware circuit can be implemented through 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 through a configuration file to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All the units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely in the form of a processor calling software, or entirely in the form of a hardware circuit, or partially in the form of a processor calling software, and the remaining part in the form of a hardware circuit.

[0655] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and running capabilities, such as a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a type of microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In another implementation, the processor can achieve certain functions through the logical relationship of hardware circuits. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuits is fixed or can be reconfigured. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit or a programmable logic device, such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document to implement the configuration of the hardware circuit 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 a type of ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), a Deep learning Processing Unit (DPU), etc.

[0656] Figure 10 It is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 can be a network device. For example, it can be the first network element 1031, the second network element 1032, and the third network element 1033. In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 can be a terminal. For example, it can be the first terminal 1011 and the second terminal 1012. As Figure 10 shown, the communication device 1000 can include at least one of a transceiver module 1001 and a processing module 1002.

[0657] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 can be the first network element 1031. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1001 can be configured to: receive first information, where the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to the second terminal. Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 can be configured to execute at least one of the sending and / or receiving and other communication steps (such as steps S2104, S2105, S2106, S2206, S2207, S2208) performed by the first network element 1031 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0658] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may be the second network element 1032. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to: send third information, where the third information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal. Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to perform at least one of the sending and / or receiving and other communication steps (such as steps S2103, S2104, S2106, S2107, S2108, S2109, S2111, S2204, S2205, S2209, S2210, S2212, S2213) performed by the second network element 1032 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0659] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may be the third network element 1033. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to: receive third information, where the third information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal. Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to perform at least one of the sending and / or receiving and other communication steps (such as steps S2108, S2109, S2110, S2205, S2206, S2208, S2209, S2211, S2212) performed by the third network element 1033 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module 1002 may be configured to perform at least one of the other steps (such as determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform a privacy verification operation for the first terminal according to the third information) performed by the third network element 1033 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0660] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may be the second terminal 1012. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to: send seventh information, where the seventh information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal. Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to perform at least one of the sending and / or receiving and other communication steps (such as steps S2101, S2102, S2112, S2201, S2202, S2214) performed by the second terminal 1012 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0661] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may be the first terminal 1011. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to: receive ninth information, where the ninth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal; send tenth information, where the tenth information is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal. Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 may be configured to perform at least one of the sending and / or receiving communication steps (such as steps S2101, S2102, S2103, S2107, S2109, S2111, S2112, S2201, S2202, S2203, S2204, S2210, S2211, S2213, S2214) performed by the first terminal 1011 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0662] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a sending module and / or a receiving module. The sending module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0663] Figure 11A It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 11100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 11100 may be a network device (such as an access network device, a core network device, etc.), may also be a terminal (such as a user equipment, etc.), may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. that supports the network device to implement any of the above methods, and may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. that supports the terminal to implement any of the above methods. The communication device 11100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and for specific details, reference may be made to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0664] As Figure 11A shown, the communication device 11100 includes one or more processors 11101. The processor 11101 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control a 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. Optionally, the communication device 11100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 11101 are used to call instructions to cause the communication device 11100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0665] In some embodiments, the communication device 11100 further includes one or more transceivers 11102. When the communication device 11100 includes one or more transceivers 11102, the transceivers 11102 perform at least one of the communication steps such as transmitting and / or receiving in the above method. In an alternative embodiment, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and the transmitter may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver machine, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc. may be used interchangeably, and terms such as transmitter, transmitter unit, transmitter machine, transmitter circuit, etc. may be used interchangeably, and terms such as receiver, receiver unit, receiver machine, receiver circuit, etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0666] In some embodiments, the communication device 11100 further includes one or more memories 11103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 11103 may also be outside the communication device 11100. In an alternative embodiment, the communication device 11100 may include one or more interface circuits 11104. Optionally, the interface circuit 11104 is connected to the memory 11103, and the interface circuit 11104 can be used to receive data from the memory 11103 or other devices, and can be used to send data to the memory 11103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 11104 can read the data stored in the memory 11103 and send the data to the processor 11101.

[0667] The communication device 11100 described in the above embodiments can be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 11100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 11100 can be Figure 11A unrestricted. The communication device can be an independent device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, and optionally, the above IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, a smart terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handset, a mobile unit, a vehicle-mounted device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0668] Figure 11B is a schematic structural diagram of the chip 11200 proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. For the case where the communication device 11100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to Figure 11B the schematic structural diagram of the chip 11200 shown, but not limited thereto.

[0669] The chip 11200 includes one or more processors 11201. The chip 11200 is used to execute any of the above methods.

[0670] In some embodiments, the chip 11200 further includes one or more interface circuits 11202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, etc. can be replaced with each other. In some embodiments, the chip 11200 further includes one or more memories 11203 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 11203 may be outside the chip 11200. Optionally, the interface circuit 11202 is connected to the memory 11203. The interface circuit 11202 can be used to receive data from the memory 11203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 11202 can be used to send data to the memory 11203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 11202 can read the data stored in the memory 11203 and send the data to the processor 11201.

[0671] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 11202 executes at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method. The interface circuit 11202 executing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method means, for example, that the interface circuit 11202 executes data interaction between the processor 11201, the chip 11200, the memory 11203, or the transceiver device.

[0672] In various embodiments such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, the various modules and / or devices described can be combined or separated arbitrarily according to circumstances. Optionally, some or all of the steps can also be executed by multiple modules and / or devices in cooperation, which is not limited here.

[0673] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a storage medium. Instructions are stored on the above storage medium. When the above instructions run on the communication device 11100, the communication device 11100 is caused to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the above storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the above storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto, and it can also be other device-readable storage media. Optionally, the above storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto, and it can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0674] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a program product. When the above program product is executed by the communication device 11100, the communication device 11100 is caused to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the above program product is a computer program product.

[0675] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a computer program. When it runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute any of the above methods.

[0676] Other embodiments of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following the general principles of the invention and including known or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are only exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are pointed out by the following claims.

[0677] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact structures described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the present invention is only limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, performed by a first network element, and comprising: Receiving first information, wherein the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first information comprises at least one of the following: Information of the first terminal; Information of the second terminal; A first service type.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The method further comprises: Sending second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, If the verification result is a failure, the reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in the second information.

5. A communication method, performed by a second network element, and comprising: Sending third information, wherein the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The third information comprises at least one of the following: Information of the first terminal; Information of the second terminal; A first service type.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein The second network element supports triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; Wherein, the method further comprises: Sending first information, wherein the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; Receiving second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The first information comprises at least one of the following: Information of the first terminal; Information of the second terminal; A first service type.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, The sending of the third information comprises: When the verification result is successful, sending the third information, wherein the third information comprises the information of the first terminal.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein If the verification result is a failure, the reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in the second information.

11. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, The second network element does not support triggering the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal; Wherein, the third information comprises the information of the first terminal and the information of the second terminal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: Receiving fourth information, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification is a failure.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in the fourth information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 13, wherein, The method further comprises: Receiving fifth information, wherein the fifth information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for the first terminal; Sending sixth information, wherein the sixth information is used to indicate that the verification result is a failure or comprises the sidelink positioning result.

15. A communication method, performed by a third network element, and comprising: Receiving third information, wherein the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The third information comprises at least one of the following: Information of the first terminal; Information of the second terminal; A first service type.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein The method further comprises: Determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal according to the third information.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification for the first terminal according to the third information comprises: In the case where the third information includes information of the first terminal and does not include information of the second terminal, it is determined not to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein, Determining whether to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal according to the third information includes: In the case where the third information includes information of the first terminal and information of the second terminal, it is determined to trigger the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The method further includes: Sending a first message, where the first message is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification on the first terminal; Receiving a second message, where the second message is used to indicate the verification result of the privacy verification.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, The verification result is a failure; Wherein, the method further includes: Sending a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the verification result is a failure.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein, The reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in at least one of the following: the second message, the fourth message.

23. A communication method, executed by a second terminal, and includes: Sending a seventh message, where the seventh message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The method further includes: Receiving an eighth message, where the eighth message is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is a failure or includes the sidelink positioning result.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The eighth message indicates that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is a failure, and the reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in the eighth message.

26. A communication method, executed by a first terminal, and includes: Receiving a ninth message, where the ninth message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal; Sending a tenth message, where the tenth message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein The ninth message is sent by the second terminal, and the tenth message is sent to another first terminal.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein The ninth message is sent by another first terminal.

29. The method according to claim 26 or 28, wherein, The method further includes: Receiving a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate that the verification result of the privacy verification for the first terminal is a failure or includes the sidelink positioning result; Sending an eighth message, where the eighth message is used to indicate that the verification result is a failure or includes the sidelink positioning result.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein, The reason for the failure of the privacy verification is carried in at least one of the following: the sixth message, the eighth message.

31. A communication method, includes: A first terminal sends a fifth message to a network device, where the fifth message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for the first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

32. A communication method, executed by a network device, includes: Receiving a fifth message, where the fifth message is used to request a sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

33. A first network element, comprising: a transceiver module configured to receive first information, wherein the first information is used to request the first network element to perform privacy verification for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result of the first terminal is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

34. A second network element, comprising: a transceiver module configured to send third information, wherein the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

35. A third network element, comprising: a transceiver module configured to receive third information, wherein the third information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

36. A second terminal, comprising: a transceiver module configured to send seventh information, wherein the seventh information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to the second terminal.

37. A first terminal, comprising: a transceiver module configured to: receive ninth information, wherein the ninth information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal; send tenth information, wherein the tenth information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for the first terminal.

38. A network device, comprising: a transceiver module configured to receive fifth information, wherein the fifth information is used to request the sidelink positioning result for a first terminal, and the sidelink positioning result is requested to be provided to a second terminal.

39. A first network element, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the first network element is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

40. A second network element, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the second network element is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 5 to 14.

41. A third network element, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the third network element is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 15 to 22.

42. A second terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the second terminal is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 25.

43. A first terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the first terminal is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 26 to 30.

44. A network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the network device is configured to execute the communication method according to claim 32.

45. A communication system, comprising: a first terminal configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 26 to 30; a network device configured to implement the method according to claim 32.

46. A storage medium storing instructions, wherein, When the instruction runs on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 32.

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