Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, and the method comprises the steps: a label management function network element sends first information to a network warehouse function network element, and the first information comprises the information of an area corresponding to the label management function network element; a first checking request is received, the first checking request carries information of a target area, and the target area belongs to an area corresponding to the label management function network element; determining a first device serving a target reader-writer corresponding to the target area; and sending a second checking request to the first device. Through the technical scheme provided by the invention, network addressing from the requester to the reader-writer can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Ambient power-enabled internet of things (AIoT) terminals can include passive internet of things (PIoT) terminals as well as IoT terminals with sensing capabilities (such as light, temperature, or humidity). AIoT terminals are simple in function, requiring external stimulation to transmit information. This stimulation typically comes from a reader (also known as a card reader).

[0003] Currently, the deployment of readers and terminals (or tags) is limited by their short communication distances and difficult to manage. Related technologies integrate readers and writers into base stations, thus implementing reader and writer functionality on the base station. However, finding the right reader and writer to access the tag remains a challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that can implement network addressing from a requester to a reader / writer.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a label management function network element, including:

[0006] Sending first information to the network warehouse function network element, where the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the label management function network element;

[0007] receiving a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target area, where the target area belongs to an area corresponding to the tag management function network element;

[0008] Determine a first device serving a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area;

[0009] A second inventory request is sent to the first device.

[0010] Through the above embodiment, the tag management function network element sends first information to the network warehouse function network element, where the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the tag management function network element. This allows a mapping relationship between the area and the tag management function network element to be established on the network warehouse function network element, so that the network warehouse function network element can determine the tag management function network element that serves the target area requested by the requester based on the target area. When the target area belongs to the area corresponding to the tag management function network element, the tag management function network element receives a first inventory request carrying information about the target area, determines the target reader corresponding to the target area, and determines the first device that serves the target reader. It then sends a second inventory request to the first device, requesting the target reader to perform an inventory of the tags within the target area. In this way, mapping of areas to tag management function network elements, mapping of areas to readers, and mapping of readers to first devices can be achieved, thereby establishing a topological relationship from requester-tag management function network element-first device-reader, and achieving network addressing from the requester to the reader.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the second inventory request carries information of the target reader / writer.

[0012] Through the above implementation, the second inventory request carries the information of the target reader / writer, so that the first device can send subsequent inventory requests to the target reader / writer, causing the target reader / writer to perform corresponding inventory operations.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the second inventory request carries information about the target reader / writer and information about the target area.

[0014] Through the above implementation, when the area that needs to be inventoried (i.e., the target area) is not the entire area covered by the target reader, the information of the target area can be carried in the second inventory request, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the tags within the target area and avoid inventorying unnecessary areas. This can accurately meet the regional inventory needs of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request also carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader and the target tag.

[0016] Through the above implementation, when the tags that need to be counted (i.e., target tags) are not all the tags in the target area, the information of the target tags can be carried in the first inventory request and the second inventory request, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the target tags in the target area, avoiding inventory of unnecessary tags. This can accurately meet the tag inventory needs of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0017] In a possible implementation, determining the first device serving the target reader / writer corresponding to the target area includes:

[0018] Determine, according to the first mapping relationship, a first device serving a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area;

[0019] The first mapping relationship includes: a mapping relationship between a reader and a region and a device serving the reader.

[0020] Through the above implementation, the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between a reader and an area, which is used to determine the target reader corresponding to the target area. The first mapping relationship also includes a mapping relationship between a reader and a device serving the reader, which is used to determine the first device serving the target reader.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the device serving the reader / writer includes: an access and mobility management function network element, and / or a wireless access network device.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0023] A mapping relationship between a reader and an access and mobility management function network element serving the reader is received from an access and mobility management function network element.

[0024] Through the above implementation, the tag management function network element can establish a mapping relationship between the reader and the access and mobility management function network element, so as to determine the access and mobility management function network element serving the target reader.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0026] An updated mapping relationship between the reader / writer and the access and mobility management function network element serving the reader / writer is received from the access and mobility management function network element.

[0027] Through the above implementation method, the tag management function network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between the reader and the access and mobility management function network element, making the network path from the tag management function network element to the access and mobility management function network element more flexible and more scalable, so that it can better adapt to changes in demand.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0029] A mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer is received from a wireless access network device.

[0030] Through the above implementation, the tag management function network element can establish a mapping relationship between the reader and the wireless access network device, so as to determine the wireless access network device that serves the target reader.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0032] An updated mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer is received from the wireless access network device.

[0033] Through the above implementation, the tag management function network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between the reader and the wireless access network device, making the network path from the tag management function network element to the wireless access network device more flexible and more scalable, so as to better adapt to changes in demand.

[0034] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network open function network element, including:

[0035] receiving a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target area;

[0036] Sending a query request to a network warehouse function network element, wherein the query request carries information about the target area;

[0037] receiving response information returned by the network warehouse function network element, wherein the response information includes information of the target label management function network element corresponding to the target area;

[0038] A second inventory request is sent to the target tag management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area.

[0039] Through the above embodiment, the network open function network element sends a query request carrying target area information to the network warehouse function network element to query the target tag management function network element serving the target area. After determining the target tag management function network element, the network open function element sends an inventory request carrying target area information to the target tag management function network element to determine the target reader corresponding to the target area and the first device serving the target reader. In this way, mapping of areas to tag management function network elements, mapping of areas to readers, and mapping of readers to first devices can be achieved, thereby establishing a topological relationship from requester-tag management function network element-first device-reader, and achieving network addressing from the requester to the reader.

[0040] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network open function network element, including:

[0041] receiving a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target tag;

[0042] Sending a query request to a unified data management network element, the query request carrying information of the target tag;

[0043] receiving response information from the unified data management network element, the response information including information of a target tag management function network element corresponding to the target tag;

[0044] A second inventory request is sent to the target tag management network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target tag.

[0045] Through the above embodiment, the network open function network element sends a query request carrying target tag information to the unified data management network element to query the target tag management function network element serving the target tag. After determining the target tag management function network element, the network open function element sends an inventory request carrying target tag information to the target tag management function network element to determine the target reader corresponding to the target tag and the first device serving the target reader. In this way, mapping of regions to tag management function network elements, mapping of regions to readers, and mapping of readers to first devices can be achieved, thereby establishing a topological relationship from requester-tag management function network element-first device-reader, and achieving network addressing from the requester to the reader.

[0046] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request further carry information of the target area.

[0047] Through the above implementation, the first inventory request and the second inventory request also carry information of the target area, which is used to determine the reader serving the target area, thereby determining the target reader corresponding to the target tag.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network warehouse function network element, including:

[0049] receiving a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information of a target area;

[0050] Determining a target label management function network element corresponding to the target area according to a mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element;

[0051] Sending response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information of the target label management function network element.

[0052] Through the above embodiment, the network warehouse function network element can respond to a query request carrying information about a target area and determine the target label management function network element corresponding to the target area based on the mapping relationship between areas and label management function network elements. This can achieve the mapping of areas to label management function network elements, thereby finding the target label management function network element serving the target area.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0054] A mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element is received from the label management function network element.

[0055] Through the above implementation, the network warehouse function network element can establish a mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element, which is used to determine the target label management function network element serving the target area.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0057] An updated mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element is received from the label management function network element.

[0058] Through the above implementation, the network warehouse functional network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between the region and the label management functional network element, making the network path from the region to the label management functional network element more flexible and more scalable, so as to better adapt to changes in demand.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a unified data management network element, including:

[0060] receiving a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information of a target tag;

[0061] Determine the target label management function network element corresponding to the target label according to the mapping relationship between the label and the label management function network element;

[0062] Sending response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information of the target label management function network element.

[0063] Through the above embodiment, the unified data management network element can respond to a query request for information carrying a target tag and determine the target tag management function network element corresponding to the target tag based on the mapping relationship between tags and tag management function network elements. This can achieve the mapping of tags to tag management function network elements, thereby finding the target tag management function network element that serves the target tag.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the method further includes configuring a mapping relationship between the label and a label management function network element.

[0065] Through the above implementation, the unified data management network element can establish a mapping relationship between labels and label management function network elements, which is used to determine the target label management function network element serving the target label.

[0066] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes updating a mapping relationship between the label and the label management function network element.

[0067] Through the above implementation, the unified data management network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between labels and label management function network elements, making the network path from labels to label management function network elements more flexible and more scalable, thereby being able to better adapt to changes in demand.

[0068] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a wireless access network device, including:

[0069] receiving a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target reader / writer, and the target reader / writer corresponds to a target area;

[0070] Send a second inventory request to the target reader / writer.

[0071] Through the above embodiment, the wireless access network device can respond to the inventory request carrying the information of the target reader by sending the inventory request to the target reader, so that the target reader can perform an inventory on the tags in the target area.

[0072] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request carry information of the target area.

[0073] Through the above implementation, when the area that needs to be inventoried (i.e., the target area) is not the entire area covered by the target reader, the information of the target area can be carried in the first inventory request and the second inventory request, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the tags in the target area and avoid inventorying unnecessary areas. This can accurately meet the regional inventory requirements of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0074] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request carry information of a target tag.

[0075] Through the above implementation, when the tags that need to be counted (i.e., target tags) are not all the tags in the target area, the information of the target tags can be carried in the first inventory request and the second inventory request, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the target tags in the target area, avoiding inventory of unnecessary tags. This can accurately meet the tag inventory needs of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0076] In a possible implementation, receiving the first inventory request includes:

[0077] A first inventory request is received from an access and mobility management function network element or a label management function network element.

[0078] Through the above implementation method, when the access and mobility management function network element and the label management function network element are deployed separately, the wireless access network device can receive an inventory request from the access and mobility management function network element; when the access and mobility management function network element and the label management function network element are deployed together, the wireless access network device can receive an inventory request from the label management function network element.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0080] Send connection information to the access and mobility management function network element or the label management function network element, where the connection information includes information of the reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0081] Through the above implementation, the wireless access network device sends connection information including reader information to the access and mobility management function network element or the label management function network element, so that the access and mobility management function network element or the label management function network element can obtain the mapping relationship between the reader and the wireless access network device.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0083] Sending update information to the access and mobility management function network element or the label management function network element, where the update information includes updated information of the reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0084] Through the above implementation, when the reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device is updated, the wireless access network device can send update information including the updated reader / writer information to the access and mobility management function network element or the label management function network element, so that the access and mobility management function network element or the label management function network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between the reader / writer and the wireless access network device.

[0085] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to an access and mobility management function network element, including:

[0086] receiving a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target reader / writer, and the target reader / writer corresponds to a target area;

[0087] A second inventory request is sent to a target wireless access network device serving the target reader / writer.

[0088] Through the above embodiment, the access and mobility management function network element can respond to the inventory request carrying the information of the target reader / writer and send an inventory request to the target wireless access network device serving the target reader / writer to request the target reader / writer to inventory the tags in the target area.

[0089] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request carries information about the target area, and the second inventory request carries information about the target reader and the target area.

[0090] Through the above implementation, when the area that needs to be inventoried (i.e., the target area) is not the entire area covered by the target reader, the information of the target area can be carried in the first inventory request and the second inventory request, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the tags in the target area and avoid inventorying unnecessary areas. This can accurately meet the regional inventory requirements of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0091] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader / writer and information of the target tag.

[0092] Through the above implementation, when the tags that need to be counted (i.e., target tags) are not all the tags in the target area, the information of the target tags can be carried in the first inventory request and the second inventory request, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the target tags in the target area, avoiding inventory of unnecessary tags. This can accurately meet the tag inventory needs of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0093] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0094] First connection information is received from a wireless access network device, where the first connection information includes information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0095] Through the above implementation, the access and mobility management function network element can establish a mapping relationship between the reader and the wireless access network device, so as to determine the target wireless access network device serving the target reader.

[0096] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0097] First update information is received from a wireless access network device, where the first update information includes updated information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0098] Through the above implementation, the access and mobility management function network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between the reader and the wireless access network device, making the network path from the access and mobility management function network element to the wireless access network device more flexible and more scalable, thereby being able to better adapt to changes in demand.

[0099] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0100] Second connection information is sent to the tag management function network element, where the second connection information includes information for accessing a reader / writer corresponding to the mobility management function network element.

[0101] Through the above implementation, the access and mobility management function network element sends connection information including reader information to the tag management function network element, so that the tag management function network element can obtain the mapping relationship between the reader and the access and mobility management function network element.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0103] Second update information is sent to the tag management function network element, where the second update information includes information for accessing an updated reader / writer corresponding to the mobility management function network element.

[0104] Through the above implementation, when the reader / writer corresponding to the access and mobility management function network element is updated, the access and mobility management function network element can send update information including the updated reader / writer information to the tag management function network element, so that the tag management function network element can realize the dynamic update of the mapping relationship between the reader / writer and the wireless access network device.

[0105] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0106] The label management function network element sends first information to the network warehouse function network element, where the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the label management function network element;

[0107] The network open function network element receives a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target area;

[0108] The network open function network element sends a query request to the network warehouse function network element, where the query request carries information about the target area;

[0109] The network openness function network element receives response information from the network warehouse function network element, where the response information includes information of the label management function network element corresponding to the target area;

[0110] The network openness function network element sends a second inventory request to the label management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area;

[0111] The tag management function network element determines a first device that serves the target reader / writer corresponding to the target area, and sends a third inventory request to the first device.

[0112] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0113] The network open function network element receives a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information about a target area and information about a target tag;

[0114] The network open function network element sends a query request to the unified data management network element, where the query request carries information of the target tag;

[0115] The network open function network element receives response information from the unified data management network element, where the response information includes information of the label management function network element corresponding to the target label;

[0116] The network openness function network element sends a second inventory request to the label management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area;

[0117] The tag management function network element determines a first device that serves the target reader / writer corresponding to the target area, and sends a third inventory request to the first device.

[0118] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0119] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0120] A transceiver unit, configured to send first information to the network warehouse function network element, wherein the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the label management function network element;

[0121] The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target area, where the target area belongs to an area corresponding to the label management function network element;

[0122] A processing unit, configured to determine a first device serving a target reader corresponding to the target area;

[0123] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a second inventory request to the first device.

[0124] In a possible implementation manner, the second inventory request carries information of the target reader / writer.

[0125] In a possible implementation manner, the second inventory request carries information about the target reader / writer and information about the target area.

[0126] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request also carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader and the target tag.

[0127] In a possible implementation manner, when determining the first device serving the target reader / writer corresponding to the target area, the processing unit is specifically configured to:

[0128] Determine, according to the first mapping relationship, a first device serving a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area;

[0129] The first mapping relationship includes: a mapping relationship between a reader and a region and a device serving the reader.

[0130] In a possible implementation manner, the device serving the reader / writer includes: an access and mobility management function network element, and / or a wireless access network device.

[0131] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a mapping relationship between a reader / writer and an access and mobility management function network element serving the reader / writer from an access and mobility management function network element.

[0132] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive an updated mapping relationship between the reader / writer and the access and mobility management function network element serving the reader / writer from the access and mobility management function network element.

[0133] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer from a wireless access network device.

[0134] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive an updated mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer from a wireless access network device.

[0135] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0136] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0137] a transceiver unit, configured to receive a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target area;

[0138] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a query request to the network warehouse function network element, wherein the query request carries information about the target area;

[0139] The transceiver unit is further configured to receive response information returned by the network warehouse function network element, wherein the response information includes information of the target label management function network element corresponding to the target area;

[0140] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target tag management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area.

[0141] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation method of the third aspect.

[0142] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0143] a transceiver unit, configured to receive a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target tag;

[0144] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a query request to a unified data management network element, wherein the query request carries information about the target tag;

[0145] The transceiver unit is further configured to receive response information from the unified data management network element, wherein the response information includes information of a target tag management function network element corresponding to the target tag;

[0146] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target tag management network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target tag.

[0147] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request further carry information of the target area.

[0148] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation method of the fourth aspect.

[0149] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0150] a transceiver unit, configured to receive a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information about a target area;

[0151] a processing unit, configured to determine a target label management function network element corresponding to the target area according to a mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element;

[0152] The transceiver unit is further configured to send response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information of the target label management function network element.

[0153] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element from a label management function network element.

[0154] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive an updated mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element from the label management function network element.

[0155] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation method of the fifth aspect.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0157] a transceiver unit, configured to receive a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information of a target tag;

[0158] A processing unit, configured to determine a target label management function network element corresponding to the target label according to a mapping relationship between labels and label management function network elements;

[0159] The transceiver unit is further configured to send response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information of the target label management function network element.

[0160] In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit is further configured to: configure a mapping relationship between the label and a label management function network element.

[0161] In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit is further configured to update a mapping relationship between the label and the label management function network element.

[0162] In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation method of the sixth aspect.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0164] The transceiver unit is configured to receive a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target reader / writer, and the target reader / writer corresponds to a target area;

[0165] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target reader.

[0166] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request carry information of the target area.

[0167] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request carry information of a target tag.

[0168] In a possible implementation manner, when receiving the first inventory request, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: receive the first inventory request from an access and mobility management function network element or a label management function network element.

[0169] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send connection information to the access and mobility management function network element or the tag management function network element, where the connection information includes information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0170] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send update information to the access and mobility management function network element or the tag management function network element, where the update information includes information of an updated reader / writer corresponding to the radio access network device.

[0171] In the sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a module or unit for executing the method described in the seventh aspect or any possible implementation method of the seventh aspect.

[0172] In one possible implementation, the device includes:

[0173] The transceiver unit is configured to receive a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target reader / writer, and the target reader / writer corresponds to a target area;

[0174] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a second inventory request to a target wireless access network device serving the target reader / writer.

[0175] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request carries information about the target area, and the second inventory request carries information about the target reader and the target area.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader / writer and information of the target tag.

[0177] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive first connection information from a wireless access network device, where the first connection information includes information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0178] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive first update information from a wireless access network device, where the first update information includes updated information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0179] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send second connection information to the tag management function network element, where the second connection information includes information for accessing a reader / writer corresponding to the mobility management function network element.

[0180] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send second update information to the tag management function network element, where the second update information includes information for accessing an updated reader corresponding to the mobility management function network element.

[0181] In a seventeenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the method described in any one of aspects one to nine or any possible implementation manner is implemented. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0182] In the eighteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method described in any one of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the ninth aspect or any possible implementation method is implemented.

[0183] In the nineteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method described in any aspect or any possible implementation method of the above-mentioned first to ninth aspects is implemented.

[0184] In a twentieth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the chip performs the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 9 or any possible implementation manner. Optionally, the chip further comprises a communication interface configured to receive or transmit signals.

[0185] In aspect 21, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a logic circuit and an input / output interface, and the logic circuit is used to couple with the input / output interface and transmit data through the input / output interface to execute the method described in any aspect from aspect 1 to aspect 9 or any possible implementation method.

[0186] In aspect 22, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a communication device as described in any aspect or any possible implementation method of aspect 10 to aspect 17 above.

[0187] In the twenty-third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a label management function network element and a network open function network element, wherein the label management function network element is used to execute the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect, and the network open function network element is used to execute the method described in any aspect from the second to the third aspect or any possible implementation method.

[0188] Optionally, the communication system also includes at least one of a network warehouse function network element, a unified data management network element, a wireless access network device, and an access and mobility management function network element, wherein the network warehouse function network element is used to execute the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation method of the fourth aspect, the unified data management network element is used to execute the method described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation method of the fifth aspect, the wireless access network device is used to execute the method described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation method of the sixth aspect, and the access and mobility management function network element is used to execute the method described in the seventh aspect or any possible implementation method of the seventh aspect.

[0189] The beneficial effects brought about by the above-mentioned eighth to twenty-third aspects can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in the first to seventh aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0190] In addition, in the process of executing the method described in any one of the first to ninth aspects and any possible implementation methods, the process of sending information and / or receiving information in the above method can be understood as the process of the processor outputting information and / or the process of the processor receiving input information. When outputting information, the processor can output the information to the transceiver (or communication interface, or sending module) so that it can be transmitted by the transceiver. After the information is output by the processor, it may also need to undergo other processing before it reaches the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives input information, the transceiver (or communication interface, or sending module) receives the information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, the information may need to undergo other processing before it is input into the processor.

[0191] Based on the above principles, for example, the sending of information mentioned in the above method can be understood as the processor outputting information. For another example, the receiving of information can be understood as the processor receiving input information.

[0192] Optionally, for the operations such as emission, sending and receiving involved in the processor, if there is no special explanation, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant description, they can be more generally understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations.

[0193] Optionally, in the process of executing the method described in any one of the first to ninth aspects and any possible implementation methods, the processor may be a processor specifically used to execute these methods, or a processor that executes these methods by executing computer instructions in a memory, such as a general-purpose processor. The memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or may be separately provided on different chips. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the configuration of the memory and the processor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0194] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application.

[0195] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the inventory process of RFID tags;

[0196] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0197] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0198] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0199] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0200] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0201] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0202] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0203] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0204] In this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0205] The terms "first," "second," and the like mentioned in the embodiments of the present application do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and "first," "second," and the like do not necessarily limit differences. In addition, the terms "include," "comprise," and "have," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0206] The “embodiment” mentioned herein means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It can be understood explicitly and implicitly by those skilled in the art that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified and there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0207] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0208] In the description of this application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated. For example, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as indicating the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. For another example, the information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, and there is an association between the other indicated information and the information to be indicated. For another example, only a part of the information to be indicated can be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. In addition, the indication of specific information can be achieved by means of the pre-agreed (such as specified in the protocol) order of arrangement of each information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0209] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, we first introduce the relevant technologies of ambient power-enabled internet of things (AIoT) terminals. AIoT terminals can include passive internet of things (PIoT) terminals and IoT terminals with sensing functions (such as light, temperature, or humidity sensing functions).

[0210] AIoT terminals, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, are mainly used in the following application scenarios:

[0211] 1. Logistics and warehousing: including inventory and tracking of goods, monitoring of the goods transportation environment and goods status;

[0212] 2. Industrial manufacturing: including environment and equipment status monitoring.

[0213] With technological advancements and environmental protection requirements, AIoT terminals have a wider range of application deployment scenarios, with projections predicting they will cover hundreds of billions of devices in the future. However, the simple functionality of passive or semi-passive terminals requires external stimulation to transmit information. This stimulation typically comes from a reader (or card reader). Readers have inventory capabilities, such as reading, writing, destroying, and locking tags (or labels) or transponders.

[0214] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the RFID tag inventory process. The inventory process may include the following steps:

[0215] 1. The reader selects the tag to be inventoried by using the Select command.

[0216] 2. The Reader initiates an inventory cycle using a Query command. An inventory cycle inventories all tags selected by a Select command. The first command in an inventory cycle is a Query command, and subsequent commands are either QueryRep or QueryAdjust commands. These commands can all be referred to as inventory commands. Inventory commands can carry a Q value, which the tag uses to generate a random number (RN) for the Q bit. The tag then determines whether to respond to the inventory command based on this random number.

[0217] 3. If the TAG responds to the inventory command, the TAG selects a 16-bit random number (RN 16) and sends the RN 16 to the Reader.

[0218] 4. If the Reader receives the random number RN, the Reader sends an Acknowledgement (Ack) response to the TAG, and the Ack carries the RN.

[0219] 5. The TAG matches the RN in the Ack with the previously sent RN 16. If they are the same, the random access process is successful. At this time, the connection between the TAG and the Reader is successfully established, and the TAG sends the electronic product code (EPC) to the Reader.

[0220] 6. The Reader can perform subsequent operations on the TAG, such as reading information from the TAG, writing information to the TAG, authenticating the TAG, etc.

[0221] 7. After completing the operation of the tag, the reader repeats steps 2 to 6 to read and write the next tag until all the selected tags are stored.

[0222] In other words, "inventory" can be understood as the establishment of a connection between the Reader and the tag and the reading or writing operation of the tag, which can be done by Figure 1 The process shown implements the inventory of tags by the Reader, which will not be described in detail in the subsequent embodiments of this application.

[0223] However, the current deployment of readers and terminals (or tags) has the characteristics of short communication distance and difficult management. In related technologies, readers can be integrated into base stations to implement reader functions on the base stations. This is conducive to increasing the communication distance between readers and terminals and unified management of terminals. For active terminals (or active tags), they have an active registration mechanism. After registering with the network, they have a unique network address, and access to the active tag can be achieved through this network address. For passive terminals (or passive tags), how the network finds a suitable reader to access the passive tag is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0224] In order to solve the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that can implement network addressing from a requester to a reader / writer.

[0225] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, world wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, such as public land mobile network (PLMN) system, advanced long term evolution (LTE advanced, LTE-A) system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, new radio (NR) system, machine to machine communication (M2M) system, or other communication systems evolved in the future, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0226] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the network architecture may include: a tag management function (TMF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a network exposure function (NEF), a network repository function (NRF), a unified data management (UDM), an application function (AF), and a radio access network (RAN). The TMF can communicate with the AMF, RAN, NRF, NEF, or AF, for example, by exchanging information through an interface.

[0227] Optionally, the TMF can be deployed together with other network elements (such as AMF, UDM or NEF). Optionally, the AF can be deployed together with the NEF.

[0228] In an embodiment of the present application, TMF can configure or update the mapping relationship between the area (Area) and the reader (Reader), and can also establish, store or update the mapping relationship between the Reader and the AMF, and can also establish, store or update the mapping relationship between the Reader and the RAN, and can also carry the corresponding Area information to request registration with the NRF to publish the tag management function service. In an embodiment of the present application, an Area can represent an area covered by one or more Readers, such as a workshop in a factory. There can be one or more tags (TAGs) in an Area. It is understandable that, for ease of understanding, this application will subsequently use TMF to refer to a network element with a tag management function. The network element can also be called other names, and this application does not limit this.

[0229] The AMF can establish, store, or update the mapping relationship between the Reader and the RAN. In the 5G mobile communication system, this network element can be the access and mobility management function (AMF), which mainly performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization. It can also be responsible for transmitting user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF).

[0230] The NEF can receive AF requests and query the NRF or UDM for the TMF corresponding to the AF request. In the 5G mobile communication system, this network element can be a network exposure function (NEF), which is mainly used to expose the services and capabilities of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network functions to the AF, and also allows the AF to provide information to the 3GPP network functions.

[0231] NRF can receive registration requests carrying Area information from TMF to establish, store or update the mapping relationship between Area and TMF. It can also receive query requests carrying Area information from NEF and return the TMF corresponding to the query request to NEF. In the 5G mobile communication system, this network element can be a network repository function network element (network repository function, NRF), which provides service registration, service authorization and service discovery functions, that is, it is responsible for the registration and status monitoring of network function services, realizing the automated management, selection and scalability of network function services, and allowing each network function to discover the services provided by other network functions.

[0232] UDM can configure or update the mapping relationship between TAG and TMF, and can also configure or update the mapping relationship between TAG and AF. It can also receive query requests carrying TAG information from NEF and return the TMF corresponding to the query request to NEF. In the 5G mobile communication system, this network element can be a unified data management network element (UDM), which is mainly used to generate 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) authentication and key agreement (AKA) authentication certificates, user identification (user ID) processing, access authorization based on contract information, service network element registration management, contract information management and other function-related data.

[0233] The AF can send a request from the application side to the NEF. In the 5G mobile communication system, this network element can be an application function network element (AF), which represents the application function of a third party or operator. It is the interface for the 5G mobile communication system to obtain external application data and is mainly used to convey the requirements of the application side to the network side.

[0234] It should be noted that Figure 2The network architecture shown is not limited to including only the network elements shown in the figure, and may also include other network elements not shown in the figure, such as user plane function (UPF) or unified data repository (UDR), etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0235] It should be understood that the network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application are Figure 2 The names used in the 5G mobile communication system are used as examples. In future communications, such as the 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, the network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application may also have other names. Alternatively, in future communications, such as the 6G mobile communication system, the network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application may also be replaced by other entities or devices with the same functions, and this application does not limit this. This is a unified explanation here and will not be repeated later.

[0236] In the embodiments of the present application, a tag (TAG) may also be referred to as an AIoT device, a terminal, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, a user device, or a target terminal. The terminal may be a passive IoT terminal or a tag. The terminal may be a passive device, which may be a passive tag that can collect energy through backscattering technology to send and receive messages. Passive tags include but are not limited to radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, Zigbee, and other non-powered terminal tags. The terminal may also be a semi-passive device or an active device.

[0237] Among them, the active device can be a device with wireless transceiver function, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G mobile communication system or a terminal in a future evolution network, etc.

[0238] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve full or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0239] In the embodiments of this application, the radio access network (RAN) can also be referred to as an access device. The RAN manages wireless resources, provides access services to user devices, and forwards user device data between the user device and the core network. The RAN can also be understood as a base station in the network, and the Reader is deployed in the RAN.

[0240] Exemplarily, the access network device in the embodiment of the present application may be any communication device with wireless transceiver functions for communicating with user equipment. The access network equipment includes but is not limited to: base stations, the next generation Node B (gNB), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved NodeB (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be a 5G mobile communication system, such as a gNB or transmission point (TRP or TP) in an NR system, one or a group of antenna panels of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. Among them, the base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station or a balloon station, etc.

[0241] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some gNB functions, while the DU implements some gNB functions. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and active antenna-related functions. RRC layer information is generated by the CU and ultimately encapsulated by the DU's PHY layer into PHY layer information, or is converted from PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by a combination of the DU and the AAU. It is understood that the access network device may include one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be classified as an access network device in an access network (RAN) or as an access network device in a core network (CN), and this application does not limit this.

[0242] It should be understood that Figure 2 The network architecture shown is only an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Any network architecture that can realize the functions of some or all of the above devices is applicable to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 Some of the equipment shown in Figure 2 The present application does not limit the devices not shown in the figure.

[0243] The following is an introduction to the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0244] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment takes the interaction process between the AF, NEF, NRF, TMF, AMF and RAN as an example to illustrate the method.

[0245] like Figure 3 As shown, the communication method may include but is not limited to the following steps 1.1 to 5.5.

[0246] 1.1, RAN configures the mapping relationship between Reader and RAN (for distinction, denoted as mapping relationship R1).

[0247] One RAN can serve one or more Readers. In other words, one RAN can correspond to one or more Readers. That is, the mapping relationship R1 between Readers and RANs can be a one-to-one or many-to-one mapping relationship.

[0248] It is understandable that the mapping relationship in this application can also be expressed as a corresponding relationship or an association relationship.

[0249] 1.2, TMF configures the mapping relationship between Reader and Area (for distinction, recorded as mapping relationship R2).

[0250] A Reader can cover one or more Areas, and an Area can be covered by one or more Readers. In other words, a Reader can correspond to one or more Areas, and an Area can correspond to one or more Readers. The mapping relationship R2 between Readers and Areas can be one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one. For example, Reader#1 corresponds to Area#1 and Area#2, meaning that Reader#1 can count tags in both Area#1 and Area#2.

[0251] It should be understood that the above mapping relationship R1 and mapping relationship R2 can be configured according to actual needs or circumstances, and can also be updated according to changes in actual needs or circumstances. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this. In one implementation, the above mapping relationship R1 and mapping relationship R2 can be manually configured by operation and maintenance personnel.

[0252] 2.1, RAN sends a connection request to AMF (for distinction, recorded as connection request c1). Correspondingly, AMF receives the connection request c1 from RAN.

[0253] The connection request c1 may carry information about the Reader corresponding to the RAN, thereby indicating the Reader corresponding to the RAN. In other words, the RAN sends the connection request c1 to the AMF to inform the AMF of the Reader corresponding to the RAN. After receiving the connection request c1, the AMF can obtain the Reader corresponding to the RAN, and thus obtain the mapping relationship R1 between the Reader and the RAN.

[0254] 2.2, AMF establishes a mapping relationship between Reader and RAN (for distinction, denoted as mapping relationship R3).

[0255] The AMF can receive connection requests from one or more RANs, thereby obtaining the Readers corresponding to each RAN. It can then establish a Reader-RAN mapping relationship R3 based on each RAN and its corresponding Reader. This mapping relationship R3 can be used to find a RAN that meets the requirements. This mapping relationship R3 can also be understood as being composed of one or more of the aforementioned mapping relationships R1. Optionally, after establishing this mapping relationship R3, the AMF can also dynamically maintain and store it.

[0256] In some possible cases, the Reader corresponding to the RAN will change (or be updated), for example, the Reader corresponding to the RAN will increase or decrease or become another different Reader. For example, assuming that the RAN originally corresponds to one Reader (denoted as Reader1), if a new Reader (denoted as Reader2) is deployed in the RAN, the Reader corresponding to the RAN will change from Reader1 to Reader1 and Reader2, that is, the Reader corresponding to the RAN has been updated. In other words, the above mapping relationship R1 has been updated. In this case, the RAN can resend a connection request (or update request) to the AMF so that the AMF can update the above mapping relationship R3.

[0257] In a possible implementation, the updating of the mapping relationship R3 can be achieved through the following steps 3.1 to 3.2.

[0258] 3.1, RAN sends an update request to AMF (for distinction, recorded as update request d1). Correspondingly, AMF receives update request d1 from RAN.

[0259] The update request d1 may carry information about the updated Reader corresponding to the RAN, indicating the updated Reader corresponding to the RAN. In other words, the RAN sends the update request d1 to the AMF to inform the AMF of the updated Reader corresponding to the RAN. After receiving the update request d1, the AMF can obtain the updated Reader corresponding to the RAN.

[0260] 3.2, AMF updates the mapping relationship R3 between Reader and RAN.

[0261] After obtaining the updated Reader corresponding to the RAN, the AMF may update the mapping relationship R3 between the Reader and the RAN accordingly, and store the updated mapping relationship R3.

[0262] Through the above implementation, AMF can dynamically update the mapping relationship between Reader and RAN, making the network path from AMF to RAN more flexible and scalable, so as to better adapt to changes in demand.

[0263] 2.3. AMF sends a connection request to TMF (for distinction, recorded as connection request c2). Correspondingly, TMF receives the connection request c2 from AMF.

[0264] The connection request c2 may carry information about the AMF's corresponding Reader to indicate the AMF's corresponding Reader. In other words, the AMF sends a connection request c2 to the TMF to inform the TMF of the AMF's corresponding Reader. After receiving the connection request c2, the TMF can obtain the AMF's corresponding Reader. The AMF's corresponding Reader, or the AMF service Reader, may be the Reader included in the aforementioned mapping relationship R3.

[0265] 2.4, TMF establishes a mapping relationship between Reader and AMF (for distinction, recorded as mapping relationship R4).

[0266] The TMF can receive connection requests from one or more AMFs, thereby obtaining the Readers corresponding to each AMF. It can then establish a Reader-AMF mapping relationship R4 based on each AMF and its corresponding Reader. This mapping relationship R4 can be used to find an AMF that meets the requirements. Optionally, after establishing this mapping relationship R4, the TMF can also dynamically maintain and store it.

[0267] It can be understood that at this time, TMF can obtain the AMF and Area corresponding to the Reader based on the mapping relationship R2 and the mapping relationship R4. That is to say, TMF establishes mapping relationship #1, which includes the mapping relationship of Reader, AMF and Area. The mapping relationship #1 can be specifically composed of mapping relationship R2 and mapping relationship R4, or it can be formed by the fusion of mapping relationship R2 and mapping relationship R4. Exemplarily, mapping relationship #1 can include mapping relationship table R2 and mapping relationship table R4, which respectively reflect the information of mapping relationship R2 and mapping relationship R4; or, mapping relationship #1 can include mapping relationship table #1, which includes the mapping relationship of Reader, AMF and Area.

[0268] In some possible cases, the Reader corresponding to AMF may change (or be updated), for example, the Reader corresponding to AMF may increase or decrease or become a different Reader. In this case, AMF can resend a connection request (or update request) to TMF to enable TMF to update the above mapping relationship R4.

[0269] In a possible implementation, the updating of the mapping relationship R4 can be achieved through the following steps 3.3 to 3.4.

[0270] 3.3. AMF sends an update request to TMF (for distinction, recorded as update request d2). Correspondingly, TMF receives the update request d2 from AMF.

[0271] The update request d2 may carry information about the updated Reader corresponding to the AMF, indicating the updated Reader corresponding to the AMF. In other words, the AMF sends the update request d2 to the TMF to inform the TMF of the updated Reader corresponding to the AMF. After receiving the update request d2, the TMF can obtain the updated Reader corresponding to the AMF. The updated Reader corresponding to the AMF may be the Reader included in the updated mapping relationship R3 described above.

[0272] 3.4, TMF updates the mapping relationship R4 between Reader and AMF.

[0273] After TMF obtains the updated Reader corresponding to AMF, it can update the mapping relationship R4 between Reader and AMF accordingly and store the updated mapping relationship R4.

[0274] Through the above implementation, TMF can dynamically update the mapping relationship between Reader and AMF, making the network path from TMF to AMF more flexible and scalable, so as to better adapt to changes in demand.

[0275] 2.5, TMF sends a registration request to NRF, and accordingly, NRF receives the registration request from TMF.

[0276] The registration request may carry information about the area corresponding to the TMF to indicate the area corresponding to the TMF. In other words, the TMF sends a registration request to the NRF to inform the NRF of the area corresponding to the TMF. After receiving the registration request, the NRF can obtain the area corresponding to the TMF. The area corresponding to the TMF, or the area served by the TMF, can be the area included in the above-mentioned mapping relationship R2.

[0277] It is understandable that step 2.5 can be performed at any time after step 1.2 is performed, and this application does not limit this.

[0278] 2.6, NRF establishes the mapping relationship between Area and TMF (for distinction, it is recorded as mapping relationship R5).

[0279] The NRF receives registration requests from one or more TMFs, obtaining the Areas corresponding to each TMF. It then establishes a mapping relationship R5 between Areas and TMFs based on each TMF and its corresponding Area. This mapping relationship R5 can be used to find a TMF that meets the requirements. Optionally, after establishing this mapping relationship R5, the TMF can also dynamically maintain and store it.

[0280] In some possible cases, the Area corresponding to the TMF may change (or be updated), for example, the Area corresponding to the TMF increases or decreases or becomes another different Area. In this case, the TMF can resend a registration request (or update request) to the NRF to enable the NRF to update the above mapping relationship R5.

[0281] In a possible implementation, the updating of the mapping relationship R5 can be achieved through the following steps 3.5 to 3.6.

[0282] 3.5, TMF sends an update request (for distinction, denoted as update request d3) to NRF. Correspondingly, NRF receives the update request d3 from TMF.

[0283] The update request d3 may carry information about the updated area corresponding to the TMF, indicating the updated area corresponding to the TMF. In other words, the TMF sends the update request d3 to the NRF to inform the NRF of the updated area corresponding to the TMF. After receiving the update request d3, the NRF can obtain the updated area corresponding to the TMF.

[0284] 3.6, NRF updates the mapping relationship R5 between Area and TMF.

[0285] After the NRF obtains the updated Area corresponding to the TMF, it may update the mapping relationship R5 between the Area and the TMF accordingly, and store the updated mapping relationship R5.

[0286] Through the above implementation, NRF can dynamically update the mapping relationship between Area and TMF, making the network path from the requester to AMF more flexible and scalable, so that it can flexibly adapt to changes in demand.

[0287] Based on the above process, the required mapping relationships are configured at different nodes in the network.

[0288] After the above process, the following steps 4.1 to 4.8 are used to process the inventory request triggered by the requesting party AF.

[0289] 4.1, AF sends an inventory request to NEF (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q1). Correspondingly, NEF receives the inventory request q1 from AF.

[0290] The inventory request q1 may carry information about the target area. A target area is the area to be counted, and there can be one or more target areas. This inventory request can be understood as a request to count the tags within the target area, or as a request or trigger for the NEF to determine a TMF suitable for the target area.

[0291] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the name of the inventory request or the message carrying the inventory request, which will not be further described below.

[0292] Optionally, the inventory request q1 may also carry identification information of the AF for authentication, such as verifying whether the AF has the authority to inventory the tags in the target Area.

[0293] 4.2, NEF sends a query request to NRF (for distinction, denoted as query request x1), and correspondingly, NRF receives the query request x1 from NEF.

[0294] The query request x1 may carry information of the target area and be used to query the TMF serving the target area (denoted as target TMF). There may be one or more target TMFs.

[0295] 4.3, NRF returns a response message to NEF (for distinction, recorded as response message y1), and accordingly, NEF receives the response message y1 from NRF.

[0296] The NRF stores a mapping relationship R5 between Area and TMF, so that the TMF corresponding to the target Area (ie, the target TMF) can be determined according to the mapping relationship R5 and the target Area.

[0297] In some possible cases, there is one target area and one TMF serving the target area. In this case, the target TMF is the one TMF serving the target area.

[0298] In some other possible cases, there is only one target area and multiple TMFs serve the target area. In this case, the target TMF may be one or more of the multiple TMFs serving the target area.

[0299] In some other possible cases, there are multiple target areas, and the NRF can determine the TMF corresponding to each target area. The TMFs corresponding to different target areas may be the same or different. In this case, the number of target TMFs may be one or more.

[0300] After the NRF determines the target TMF corresponding to the target Area, it can return a response message y1 to the NEF. The response message y1 includes information about the target TMF and is used to inform the NEF of the target TMF. After receiving the response message y1, the NEF can obtain the target TMF.

[0301] 4.4, NEF sends an inventory request (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q2) to the target TMF. Correspondingly, the target TMF receives the inventory request q2 from NEF.

[0302] The inventory request q2 may carry information about the target area. This inventory request can be understood as a request or trigger for the TMF to find the AMF that services the Reader corresponding to the target area (denoted as the target Reader), or as a request for an inventory of the tags within the target area. There may be one or more target Readers.

[0303] 4.5. The target TMF determines the AMF that serves the target Reader (referred to as the target AMF).

[0304] The target TMF determines the AMF serving the target Reader based on mapping relationship #1. For details about mapping relationship #1, see the introduction to mapping relationship #1 in step 2.4 above.

[0305] Specifically, the target TMF may determine the AMF serving the target Reader in the following manner: In the following manner, it can be understood that mapping relationship #1 is composed of mapping relationship R2 and mapping relationship R4.

[0306] The target TMF is configured with a mapping relationship R2 between Reader and Area, so that the Reader corresponding to the target Area (ie, the target Reader) can be determined according to the mapping relationship R2 and the target Area.

[0307] In some possible cases, the number of target areas is one and the target area is covered by one reader. In this case, the target reader is the reader covering the target area.

[0308] In some other possible cases, the number of target areas is one, and the target area is covered by multiple readers. In this case, the target readers may be multiple readers that cover the target area.

[0309] In some other possible cases, there are multiple target areas. The target TMF can determine the Reader corresponding to each target area. The Readers corresponding to different target areas may be the same or different. In this case, the number of target Readers may be one or more.

[0310] The target TMF also stores a mapping relationship R4 between Reader and AMF. After the target TMF determines the target Reader, it can determine the AMF corresponding to the target Reader (referred to as the target AMF) based on the mapping relationship R4 and the target Reader. There may be one or more target AMFs.

[0311] In some possible cases, there is one target Reader and one AMF serving the target Reader. In this case, the target AMF is the AMF serving the target Reader.

[0312] In other possible scenarios, there is only one target Reader and multiple AMFs serving the target Reader. In this case, the target AMF can be one or more of the multiple AMFs serving the target Reader. Alternatively, the target AMF can be selected from the multiple AMFs based on a certain strategy. For example, an AMF with a larger capacity or a lighter load can be selected as the target AMF.

[0313] In some other possible cases, there are multiple target readers. The target TMF can determine the AMF corresponding to each target reader. The AMFs corresponding to different target readers may be the same or different. In this case, the number of target AMFs may be one or more.

[0314] 4.6. The target TMF sends an inventory request (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q3) to the target AMF. Correspondingly, the target AMF receives the inventory request q3 from the target TMF.

[0315] The inventory request q3 may carry information about the target Reader. This inventory request can be understood as a request or trigger for the AMF to find the RAN serving the target Reader (denoted as the target RAN), or as a request for the target Reader to perform an inventory of tags. There may be one or more target RANs.

[0316] The target AMF stores a mapping relationship R3 between the Reader and the RAN, so that the RAN (ie, the target TMF) corresponding to the target Reader can be determined based on the mapping relationship R3 and the target Reader.

[0317] In some possible cases, there is one target Reader and one RAN serving the target Reader. In this case, the target RAN is the RAN serving the target Reader.

[0318] In other possible scenarios, there are multiple target areas, and each target Reader has a RAN serving it. The target AMF can determine the RAN corresponding to each target Reader. The RANs corresponding to different target Readers may be the same or different. In this case, the number of target RANs may be one or more.

[0319] 4.7. The target AMF sends an inventory request (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q4) to the target RAN. Correspondingly, the target RAN receives the inventory request q4 from the target AMF.

[0320] The inventory request q4 may carry information of the target Reader. The inventory request may be understood as a request or trigger for the target RAN to select a corresponding Reader to perform an inventory of the tags, or may be understood as a request for the target Reader to perform an inventory of the tags.

[0321] 4.8, the target RAN sends an inventory request (for distinction, denoted as inventory request q5) to the target Reader. Correspondingly, the target Reader receives the inventory request q5 from the target RAN.

[0322] The inventory request q5 is used to request the target reader to perform an inventory of the tags. In response to the inventory request q5, the target reader performs an inventory of the tags that the reader can inventory, and obtains an inventory result. For example, the inventory result may include, but is not limited to, the device identification, device status, or environmental information of the inventoried tags.

[0323] In a possible implementation, the inventory request q3 and the inventory request q4 carry not only the target reader information but also the target area information. The inventory request q5 carries the target area information.

[0324] For example, when the target reader covers multiple areas, and the target area is only part of the multiple areas covered by the target reader, that is, the area that needs to be counted (that is, the target area) is not the entire area covered by the target reader, then the target area information can be carried in the above inventory request q3, inventory request q4, and inventory request q5, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the tags within the target area and avoids inventorying unnecessary areas. This can accurately meet the requester's area inventory needs and help save communication resources.

[0325] It is understandable that when TMF and AMF are jointly established, or AMF deploys the functions of TMF, the above Figure 3 The TMF in the process shown can be replaced by AMF, and the interaction between TMF and AMF does not need to be performed, and the action of configuring or updating the mapping relationship R4 does not need to be performed. At this time, AMF establishes mapping relationship #2, which includes the mapping relationship of Reader, RAN and Area. The specific form of the mapping relationship #2 can refer to the above introduction to mapping relationship #1, which will not be repeated here. The above steps 4.5 to 4.6 should be replaced as follows: The target AMF determines the RAN of the target Reader (recorded as the target RAN). The target AMF determines the RAN of the target Reader based on mapping relationship #2. The process of determining the target RAN can refer to the process of determining the target AMF in the above step 4.5, which will not be repeated here.

[0326] In one possible implementation, the inventory requests q1 and q2 carry target area information as well as target tag information. The inventory requests q3 and q4 carry target reader information as well as target tag information. The inventory request q5 carries target tag information.

[0327] Among them, the target TAG refers to the TAG that needs to be inventoryed. Optionally, the target TAG can be a partial tag within the target Area. For example, the target TAG can be one or more TAGs within the target Area. For another example, the target TAG can be one or more groups of TAGs within the target Area. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the grouping information such as the grouping method or number of groups of TAGs. In other words, the information of the target TAG can specifically be TAG group information.

[0328] When the tags that need to be counted (i.e., the target tags) are not all the tags in the target area, the target tag information can be carried in the above inventory request q1, inventory request q2, inventory request q3, inventory request q4, and inventory request q5, so that the target reader only needs to inventory the target tags in the target area, avoiding inventorying unnecessary tags. This can accurately meet the tag inventory requirements of the requester and help save communication resources.

[0329] Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment may further include the following steps:

[0330] 5.1, the target Reader sends the inventory results to the target RAN, and accordingly, the target RAN receives the inventory results from the target Reader.

[0331] After the target Reader obtains the inventory result in response to the inventory request q5 from the target RAN, it can send the inventory result to the target RAN according to the path information carried in the inventory request q5.

[0332] 5.2, the target RAN sends the inventory results to the target AMF, and accordingly, the target AMF receives the inventory results from the target RAN.

[0333] After receiving the inventory result from the target Reader, the target RAN can send the inventory result to the target AMF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q4.

[0334] 5.3, the target AMF sends the inventory results to the target TMF, and accordingly, the target TMF receives the inventory results from the target AMF.

[0335] After the target AMF receives the inventory result from the target RAN, it can send the inventory result to the target TMF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q3.

[0336] 5.4, the target TMF sends the inventory results to the NEF, and accordingly, the NEF receives the inventory results from the target TMF.

[0337] After receiving the inventory result from the target AMF, the target TMF can send the inventory result to the NEF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q2.

[0338] 5.5, NEF sends the inventory results to AF, and accordingly, AF receives the inventory results from NEF.

[0339] After receiving the inventory result from the target TMF, the NEF can send the inventory result to the AF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q1.

[0340] In the above embodiment, the TMF can configure / update the mapping between Readers and Areas, opening the Area to the AF. The TMF can then publish services to the NRF with the Area, allowing the AF to query the NRF for the appropriate TMF with the target Area. When the RAN connects to the AMF, it carries the Reader corresponding to the RAN, allowing the AMF to store / update the Reader-RAN mapping. When the AMF connects to the TMF, it carries the Reader corresponding to the AMF, allowing the TMF to store / update the Reader-AMF mapping. This allows the TMF to establish a dynamic topological relationship between the TMF, AMF, RAN, and Reader, as well as with the Area, thus enabling a dynamic search process from the AF to the Reader.

[0341] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment takes the interaction process between the AF, NEF, UDM, TMF, AMF and RAN as an example to illustrate the method.

[0342] like Figure 4 As shown, the communication method may include but is not limited to the following steps 1.1 to 5.5.

[0343] 1.1, RAN configures the mapping relationship between Reader and RAN (for distinction, denoted as mapping relationship R1).

[0344] 1.2, TMF configures the mapping relationship between Reader and Area (for distinction, recorded as mapping relationship R2).

[0345] above Figure 4 The steps 1.1 and 1.2 of the embodiment can be specifically referred to above. Figure 3 The description of steps 1.1 and 1.2 in the embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0346] 1.3, the mapping relationship between the UDM contract TAG and the TMF (for distinction, denoted as mapping relationship R6).

[0347] A TMF can serve one or more TAGs, and a TAG can be served by one or more TMFs. In other words, a TMF can correspond to one or more TAGs, and a TAG can correspond to one or more TMFs. That is, the mapping relationship R6 between TAGs and TMFs can be one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one. Optionally, the mapping relationship R6 can also be used to indicate the mapping relationship between a TAG group and a TMF.

[0348] It should be understood that the above-mentioned mapping relationship R1, mapping relationship R2 and mapping relationship R6 can be configured according to actual needs or situations, and can also be updated accordingly according to changes in actual needs or situations. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0349] 2.1, RAN sends a connection request to AMF (for distinction, recorded as connection request c1). Correspondingly, AMF receives the connection request c1 from RAN.

[0350] 2.2, AMF establishes a mapping relationship between Reader and RAN (for distinction, denoted as mapping relationship R3).

[0351] In a possible implementation, the updating of the mapping relationship R3 can be achieved through the following steps 3.1 to 3.2.

[0352] 3.1, RAN sends an update request to AMF (for distinction, recorded as update request d1). Correspondingly, AMF receives update request d1 from RAN.

[0353] 3.2, AMF updates the mapping relationship R3 between Reader and RAN.

[0354] 2.3. AMF sends a connection request to TMF (for distinction, recorded as connection request c2). Correspondingly, TMF receives the connection request c2 from AMF.

[0355] 2.4, TMF establishes a mapping relationship between Reader and AMF (for distinction, recorded as mapping relationship R4).

[0356] In a possible implementation, the updating of the mapping relationship R4 can be achieved through the following steps 3.3 to 3.4.

[0357] 3.3. AMF sends an update request to TMF (for distinction, recorded as update request d2). Correspondingly, TMF receives the update request d2 from AMF.

[0358] 3.4, TMF updates the mapping relationship R4 between Reader and AMF.

[0359] above Figure 4 For details of steps 2.1 to 3.4 of the embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 The description of steps 2.1 to 3.4 in the embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0360] 4.1, AF sends an inventory request to NEF (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q1). Correspondingly, NEF receives the inventory request q1 from AF.

[0361] The inventory request q1 can carry information about the target area and target tag, requesting an inventory of the target tags within the target area. The target area refers to the area to be inventoried, and the target tag refers to the tag to be inventoried. There can be one or more target areas.

[0362] Optionally, the target tag may be a partial tag within the target area. For example, the target tag may be one or more tags within the target area. For another example, the target tag may be one or more groups of tags within the target area. The present embodiment does not limit the grouping information such as the grouping method or number of groups of tags.

[0363] Optionally, the inventory request q1 may also carry identification information of the AF for authentication, such as verifying whether the AF has the authority to inventory the tags in the target Area.

[0364] 4.2, NEF sends a query request to UDM (for distinction, denoted as query request x2). Correspondingly, UDM receives query request x2 from NEF.

[0365] The query request x2 may carry target TAG information and is used to query the TMF serving the target TAG (denoted as target TMF). The number of target TMFs may be one or more.

[0366] 4.3, UDM returns response information to NEF (for distinction, recorded as response information y2), and accordingly, NEF receives response information y2 from UDM.

[0367] The UDM stores a mapping relationship R5 between TAG and TMF, so that the TMF corresponding to the target TAG (ie, the target TMF) can be determined according to the mapping relationship R5 and the target TAG.

[0368] After the UDM determines the target TMF corresponding to the target TAG, it can return a response message y2 to the NEF. The response message y2 includes information about the target TMF and is used to inform the NEF of the target TMF. After receiving the response message y2, the NEF can obtain the target TMF from it.

[0369] 4.4, NEF sends an inventory request (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q2) to the target TMF. Correspondingly, the target TMF receives the inventory request q2 from NEF.

[0370] The inventory request q2 may carry target area information and target tag information, and is used to find the AMF that serves the Reader corresponding to the target area (denoted as the target Reader). The number of target Readers may be one or more.

[0371] 4.5. The target TMF determines the AMF that serves the target Reader (referred to as the target AMF).

[0372] The target TMF is configured with a mapping relationship R2 between Reader and Area, so that the Reader corresponding to the target Area (ie, the target Reader) can be determined according to the mapping relationship R2 and the target Area.

[0373] The target TMF also stores a mapping relationship R4 between Reader and AMF. After the target TMF determines the target Reader, it can determine the AMF corresponding to the target Reader (referred to as the target AMF) based on the mapping relationship R4 and the target Reader. There may be one or more target AMFs.

[0374] 4.6. The target TMF sends an inventory request (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q3) to the target AMF. Correspondingly, the target AMF receives the inventory request q3 from the target TMF.

[0375] The inventory request q3 may carry target Reader information and target TAG information, and is used to find the RAN (denoted as target RAN) that serves the target Reader. There may be one or more target RANs.

[0376] The target AMF stores a mapping relationship R3 between the Reader and the RAN, so that the RAN (ie, the target TMF) corresponding to the target Reader can be determined based on the mapping relationship R3 and the target Reader.

[0377] 4.7. The target AMF sends an inventory request (for distinction, recorded as inventory request q4) to the target RAN. Correspondingly, the target RAN receives the inventory request q4 from the target AMF.

[0378] The inventory request q4 may carry information of the target Reader and the target TAG, and is used to inform the target RAN which readers need to be served, so as to implement inventory of the target TAG.

[0379] 4.8, the target RAN sends an inventory request (for distinction, denoted as inventory request q5) to the target Reader. Correspondingly, the target Reader receives the inventory request q5 from the target RAN.

[0380] The inventory request q5 may carry information about the target tag, requesting the target reader to perform an inventory on the target tag. The target reader responds to the inventory request q5 by performing an inventory on the target tag and obtaining an inventory result. For example, the inventory result may include, but is not limited to, the device identifier, device status, or environmental information corresponding to the target tag.

[0381] above Figure 4 Steps 4.4 to 4.8 of the embodiment can also be referred to Figure 3 The description of steps 4.4 to 4.8 in the embodiment is different in that Figure 4 The inventory request in steps 4.4 to 4.8 of the embodiment also carries information of the target TAG.

[0382] 5.1, the target Reader sends the inventory results to the target RAN, and accordingly, the target RAN receives the inventory results from the target Reader.

[0383] After the target Reader obtains the inventory result in response to the inventory request q5 from the target RAN, it can send the inventory result to the target RAN according to the path information carried in the inventory request q5.

[0384] 5.2, the target RAN sends the inventory results to the target AMF, and accordingly, the target AMF receives the inventory results from the target RAN.

[0385] After receiving the inventory result from the target Reader, the target RAN can send the inventory result to the target AMF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q4.

[0386] 5.3, the target AMF sends the inventory results to the target TMF, and accordingly, the target TMF receives the inventory results from the target AMF.

[0387] After the target AMF receives the inventory result from the target RAN, it can send the inventory result to the target TMF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q3.

[0388] 5.4, the target TMF sends the inventory results to the NEF, and accordingly, the NEF receives the inventory results from the target TMF.

[0389] After receiving the inventory result from the target AMF, the target TMF can send the inventory result to the NEF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q2.

[0390] 5.5, NEF sends the inventory results to AF, and accordingly, AF receives the inventory results from NEF.

[0391] After receiving the inventory result from the target TMF, the NEF can send the inventory result to the AF according to the path information carried in the inventory request q1.

[0392] It should be understood that Figure 4 For details not described in detail in the embodiments shown, please refer to Figure 3 The relevant description of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0393] In the above embodiment, the TMF can configure / update the mapping between Readers and Areas, opening the Area to the AF. The UDM can subscribe to the TMF mapping between TAGs, allowing the AF to query the UDM for the appropriate TMF with the target TAG. When the RAN connects to the AMF, it carries the Reader corresponding to the RAN, allowing the AMF to store / update the Reader-RAN mapping. When the AMF connects to the TMF, it carries the Reader corresponding to the AMF, allowing the TMF to store / update the Reader-AMF mapping. This allows the TMF to establish a dynamic topological relationship between the TMF, AMF, RAN, and Reader, as well as with the Area, thus enabling dynamic search from the AF to the Reader.

[0394] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the TMF can also configure a mapping relationship between readers and tags (referred to as mapping relationship R7 for differentiation) to replace the aforementioned mapping relationship R2. Thus, the aforementioned inventory requests q1 and q2 can carry target tag information without carrying target area information. The target TMF can determine the reader corresponding to the target tag (i.e., the target reader) based on mapping relationship R7 and the target tag.

[0395] It should be noted that in Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the embodiments shown, the separate deployment of TMF and AMF is used as an example for explanation. In other embodiments, TMF and AMF can also be deployed together (for example, recorded as the first network element). The first network element is used to implement the functions implemented by TMF and AMF in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0396] The above describes in detail the methods of the embodiments of the present application. The following provides an apparatus for implementing any of the methods in the embodiments of the present application. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units (or means) for implementing each step performed by the network element / device in any of the above methods.

[0397] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0398] like Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 500 may include a transceiver unit 501 and a processing unit 502. The transceiver unit 501 and the processing unit 502 may be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0399] The transceiver unit 501 can implement a sending function and / or a receiving function, and can also be described as a communication unit. The transceiver unit 501 can also be a unit that integrates an acquisition unit and a sending unit, wherein the acquisition unit is used to implement the receiving function and the sending unit is used to implement the sending function. Optionally, the transceiver unit 501 can be used to receive information sent by other devices, and can also be used to send information to other devices.

[0400] In one possible design, the communication device 500 may correspond to the label management function network element in the above method embodiment. For example, the communication device 500 may be the label management function network element in the above method embodiment, or it may be a chip in the label management function network element. The communication device 500 may include a unit for executing the operations performed by the label management function network element in the above method embodiment, and each unit in the communication device 500 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the label management function network element in the above method embodiment. The description of each unit is as follows:

[0401] The transceiver unit 501 is configured to send first information to the network warehouse function network element, where the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the label management function network element;

[0402] The transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information about a target area, where the target area belongs to an area corresponding to the tag management function network element;

[0403] The processing unit 502 is configured to determine a first device serving a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area;

[0404] The transceiver unit 501 is further configured to send a second inventory request to the first device.

[0405] In a possible implementation manner, the second inventory request carries information of the target reader / writer.

[0406] In a possible implementation manner, the second inventory request carries information about the target reader / writer and information about the target area.

[0407] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request also carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader and the target tag.

[0408] In a possible implementation, when determining the first device of the target reader / writer serving the target area, the processing unit 502 is specifically used to: determine the first device of the target reader / writer serving the target area according to a first mapping relationship; the first mapping relationship includes: a mapping relationship between the reader / writer and the area and the device serving the reader / writer.

[0409] In a possible implementation manner, the device serving the reader / writer includes: an access and mobility management function network element, and / or a wireless access network device.

[0410] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive a mapping relationship between a reader and an access and mobility management function network element serving the reader from an access and mobility management function network element.

[0411] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive an updated mapping relationship between a reader / writer and an access and mobility management function network element serving the reader / writer from the access and mobility management function network element.

[0412] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive a mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer from a wireless access network device.

[0413] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive an updated mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer from a wireless access network device.

[0414] In another possible design, the communication device 500 may correspond to the network warehouse function network element in the above method embodiment. For example, the communication device 500 may be the network warehouse function network element in the above method embodiment, or it may be a chip in the network warehouse function network element. The communication device 500 may include a unit for executing the operations performed by the network warehouse function network element in the above method embodiment, and each unit in the communication device 500 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the network warehouse function network element in the above method embodiment. The description of each unit is as follows:

[0415] The transceiver unit 501 is configured to receive a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information about a target area;

[0416] The processing unit 502 is configured to determine a target label management function network element corresponding to the target area according to a mapping relationship between areas and label management function network elements;

[0417] The transceiver unit 501 is further configured to send response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information about the target label management function network element.

[0418] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive a mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element from a label management function network element.

[0419] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 501 is further configured to receive an updated mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element from the label management function network element.

[0420] In another possible design, the communication device 500 may correspond to the unified data management network element in the above method embodiment. For example, the communication device 500 may be the unified data management network element in the above method embodiment, or it may be a chip in the unified data management network element. The communication device 500 may include a unit for executing the operations performed by the unified data management network element in the above method embodiment, and each unit in the communication device 500 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the unified data management network element in the above method embodiment. The description of each unit is as follows:

[0421] The transceiver unit 501 is configured to receive a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information of a target tag;

[0422] The processing unit 502 is configured to determine a target label management function network element corresponding to the target label according to a mapping relationship between labels and label management function network elements;

[0423] The transceiver unit 501 is further configured to send response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information about the target label management function network element.

[0424] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 502 is further configured to configure a mapping relationship between the label and a label management function network element.

[0425] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 502 is further configured to update a mapping relationship between the label and the label management function network element.

[0426] See Figure 6 , Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0427] like Figure 6 As shown, the communication device 600 may include a transceiver unit 601. The transceiver unit 601 may be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0428] The transceiver unit 601 can implement a sending function and / or a receiving function, and can also be described as a communication unit. The transceiver unit 601 can also be a unit that integrates an acquisition unit and a transmission unit, wherein the acquisition unit is used to implement the receiving function and the transmission unit is used to implement the transmission function. Optionally, the transceiver unit 601 can be used to receive information sent by other devices, and can also be used to send information to other devices.

[0429] In one possible design, the communication device 600 may correspond to the network open function network element in the above method embodiment. For example, the communication device 600 may be the network open function network element in the above method embodiment, or it may be a chip in the network open function network element. The communication device 600 may include a unit for executing the operations performed by the network open function network element in the above method embodiment, and each unit in the communication device 600 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the network open function network element in the above method embodiment. The description of each unit is as follows:

[0430] The transceiver unit 601 is configured to receive a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information about a target area.

[0431] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send a query request to the network warehouse function network element, wherein the query request carries information about the target area;

[0432] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to receive response information returned by the network warehouse function network element, wherein the response information includes information of the target label management function network element corresponding to the target area;

[0433] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target tag management function network element, where the second inventory request carries the information of the target area.

[0434] Alternatively, the individual units are described as follows:

[0435] The transceiver unit 601 is configured to receive a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target tag;

[0436] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send a query request to the unified data management network element, where the query request carries information about the target tag;

[0437] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to receive response information from the unified data management network element, wherein the response information includes information of the target tag management function network element corresponding to the target tag;

[0438] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target tag management network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target tag.

[0439] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request further carry information of the target area.

[0440] In another possible design, the communication device 600 may correspond to the wireless access network device in the above method embodiment. For example, the communication device 600 may be the wireless access network device in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip in the wireless access network device. The communication device 600 may include a unit for executing the operations performed by the wireless access network device in the above method embodiment, and each unit in the communication device 600 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the wireless access network device in the above method embodiment. The description of each unit is as follows:

[0441] The transceiver unit 601 is configured to receive a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target reader / writer, and the target reader / writer corresponds to a target area;

[0442] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target reader.

[0443] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request carry information of the target area.

[0444] In a possible implementation manner, the first inventory request and the second inventory request carry information of a target tag.

[0445] In a possible implementation manner, when receiving the first inventory request, the transceiver unit 601 is specifically configured to: receive the first inventory request from an access and mobility management function network element or a label management function network element.

[0446] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send connection information to the access and mobility management function network element or the tag management function network element, where the connection information includes information of a reader corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0447] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send update information to the access and mobility management function network element or the tag management function network element, where the update information includes information of an updated reader / writer corresponding to the radio access network device.

[0448] In another possible design, the communication device 600 may correspond to the access and mobility management function network element in the above method embodiment. For example, the communication device 600 may be the access and mobility management function network element in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip in the access and mobility management function network element. The communication device 600 may include a unit for executing the operations performed by the access and mobility management function network element in the above method embodiment, and each unit in the communication device 600 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the access and mobility management function network element in the above method embodiment. The description of each unit is as follows:

[0449] The transceiver unit 601 is configured to receive a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target reader / writer, and the target reader / writer corresponds to a target area;

[0450] The transceiver unit 601 is further configured to send a second inventory request to the target wireless access network device serving the target reader / writer.

[0451] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request carries information about the target area, and the second inventory request carries information about the target reader and the target area.

[0452] In a possible implementation, the first inventory request carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader / writer and information of the target tag.

[0453] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 601 is further configured to: receive first connection information from a wireless access network device, where the first connection information includes information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0454] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 601 is further configured to: receive first update information from a wireless access network device, where the first update information includes updated information of a reader / writer corresponding to the wireless access network device.

[0455] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 601 is further configured to: send second connection information to the tag management function network element, where the second connection information includes information for accessing a reader / writer corresponding to the mobility management function network element.

[0456] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 601 is further configured to: send second update information to the tag management function network element, where the second update information includes information of accessing an updated reader corresponding to the mobility management function network element.

[0457] According to the embodiment of this application, Figure 5 、 Figure 6The various units in the device shown can be separately or all combined into one or several other units to constitute, or a certain unit (or units) thereof can also be further split into multiple smaller units in function to constitute, which can achieve the same operation without affecting the realization of the technical effects of the embodiments of the present application. The above-mentioned units are divided based on logical functions. In practical applications, the functions of a unit can also be implemented by multiple units, or the functions of multiple units can be implemented by one unit. In other embodiments of the present application, other units can also be included based on the electronic device. In practical applications, these functions can also be implemented with the assistance of other units, and can be implemented by the collaboration of multiple units.

[0458] It should be noted that the implementation of each unit may also refer to the corresponding description of the above method embodiment.

[0459] See also Figure 7 , Figure 7 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 may include a memory 701 and a processor 702. Further optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a communication interface 703 and a bus 704. The memory 701, processor 702, and communication interface 703 are connected to each other via bus 704. The communication interface 703 is used to exchange data with other devices.

[0460] Memory 701 is used to provide storage space for storing data such as an operating system and computer programs. Memory 901 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM).

[0461] The processor 702 is a module that performs arithmetic and logical operations, and can be one or more combinations of processing modules such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a microprocessor unit (MPU). The processor 702 can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0462] In one possible design, the communication device 700 may correspond to the label management function network element, or the network open function network element, or the network warehouse function network element, or the unified data management network element, or the wireless access network equipment, or the access and mobility management function network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device 700 may be the label management function network element, or the network open function network element, or the network warehouse function network element, or the unified data management network element, or the wireless access network equipment, or the access and mobility management function network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, or it may be a chip in the label management function network element, or the network open function network element, or the network warehouse function network element, or the unified data management network element, or the wireless access network equipment, or the access and mobility management function network element. The communication device 700 may include components for executing the operations performed by the label management function network element, or the network open function network element, or the network warehouse function network element, or the unified data management network element, or the wireless access network device, or the access and mobility management function network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and each component in the communication device 700 is respectively configured to implement the operations performed by the label management function network element, or the network open function network element, or the network warehouse function network element, or the unified data management network element, or the wireless access network device, or the access and mobility management function network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and the processor 702 calls the computer program stored in the memory 701 to execute the method shown in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0463] For the case where the communication device may be a chip or a chip system, see Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the chip structure shown.

[0464] like Figure 8As shown, chip 800 includes a processor 801 and an interface 802. There may be one or more processors 801, and there may be multiple interfaces 802. It should be noted that the functions corresponding to processor 801 and interface 802 can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software, without limitation.

[0465] Optionally, the chip 800 may further include a memory 803 , which is used to store necessary program instructions and data.

[0466] In this application, processor 801 may be configured to call a program for implementing the communication method provided in one or more embodiments of this application in an electronic device from memory 803 and execute the instructions contained in the program. Interface 802 may be configured to output the execution results of processor 801. In this application, interface 802 may be specifically configured to output various messages or information from processor 801.

[0467] For the communication methods provided in one or more embodiments of the present application, please refer to the above-mentioned various method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0468] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction runs on a processor, the method shown in the above method embodiment can be implemented.

[0469] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a processor, the method shown in the above method embodiment can be implemented.

[0470] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes at least one of the above-mentioned communication devices 500, or communication devices 600, or communication devices 700, or chip 800.

[0471] According to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes a label management function network element and a network open function network element, wherein the label management function network element is used to execute the steps performed by the label management function network element in the above method embodiment, and the network open function network element is used to execute the steps performed by the network open function network element in the above method embodiment.

[0472] Optionally, the communication system also includes at least one of a network warehouse function network element, a unified data management network element, a wireless access network device, and an access and mobility management function network element, wherein the network warehouse function network element is used to execute the steps executed by the network warehouse function network element in the above method embodiment, the unified data management network element is used to execute the steps executed by the unified data management network element in the above method embodiment, the wireless access network device is used to execute the steps executed by the wireless access network device in the above method embodiment, and the access and mobility management function network element is used to execute the steps executed by the access and mobility management function network element in the above method embodiment.

[0473] It should be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DRRAM). It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0474] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0475] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments provided herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0476] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0477] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0478] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0479] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0480] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the technology or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0481] The above is only a specific implementation method of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with this technical field can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application, which should be covered by the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applicable to network elements with tag management functions, including: Sending first information to the network warehouse function network element, where the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the label management function network element; receiving a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target area, where the target area belongs to an area corresponding to the tag management function network element; Determine a first device serving a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area; A second inventory request is sent to the first device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first inventory request also carries information of the target tag, and the second inventory request carries information of the target reader and the target tag.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first device for determining a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area includes: Determine, according to the first mapping relationship, a first device serving a target reader / writer corresponding to the target area; The first mapping relationship includes: a mapping relationship between a reader and a region and a device serving the reader.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The equipment serving the reader / writer includes: an access and mobility management function network element, and / or a wireless access network device.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that Also includes: A mapping relationship between a reader and an access and mobility management function network element serving the reader is received from an access and mobility management function network element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that Also includes: A mapping relationship between a reader / writer and a wireless access network device serving the reader / writer is received from a wireless access network device.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: Applicable to network open function network elements, including: receiving a first inventory request, wherein the first inventory request carries information of a target area; Sending a query request to a network warehouse function network element, wherein the query request carries information about the target area; receiving response information returned by the network warehouse function network element, wherein the response information includes information of the target label management function network element corresponding to the target area; A second inventory request is sent to the target tag management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: Applicable to network open function network elements, including: receiving a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target tag; Sending a query request to a unified data management network element, the query request carrying information of the target tag; receiving response information from the unified data management network element, the response information including information of a target tag management function network element corresponding to the target tag; A second inventory request is sent to the target tag management network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target tag.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first inventory request and the second inventory request also carry information of a target area.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: Applicable to network warehouse functional network elements, including: receiving a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information of a target area; Determining a target label management function network element corresponding to the target area according to a mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element; Sending response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information of the target label management function network element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Also includes: A mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element is received from the label management function network element.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that Also includes: An updated mapping relationship between the area and the label management function network element is received from the label management function network element.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to unified data management network elements, including: receiving a query request from a network open function network element, wherein the query request carries information of a target tag; Determine the target label management function network element corresponding to the target label according to the mapping relationship between the label and the label management function network element; Sending response information to the network open function network element, where the response information includes information of the target label management function network element.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The label management function network element sends first information to the network warehouse function network element, where the first information includes information about the area corresponding to the label management function network element; The network open function network element receives a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information of a target area; The network open function network element sends a query request to the network warehouse function network element, where the query request carries information about the target area; The network openness function network element receives response information from the network warehouse function network element, where the response information includes information of the label management function network element corresponding to the target area; The network openness function network element sends a second inventory request to the label management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area; The tag management function network element determines a first device that serves the target reader / writer corresponding to the target area, and sends a third inventory request to the first device.

15. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The network open function network element receives a first inventory request, where the first inventory request carries information about a target area and information about a target tag; The network open function network element sends a query request to the unified data management network element, where the query request carries information of the target tag; The network open function network element receives response information from the unified data management network element, where the response information includes information of the label management function network element corresponding to the target label; The network openness function network element sends a second inventory request to the label management function network element, where the second inventory request carries information about the target area; The tag management function network element determines a first device that serves the target reader / writer corresponding to the target area, and sends a third inventory request to the first device.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Comprising a unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or a unit of the method according to claim 7, or a unit of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 9, or a unit of the method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, or a unit of the method according to claim 13, or a unit of the method according to claim 14, or a unit of the method according to claim 15.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor configured to execute a computer program or instructions, wherein when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is implemented, or the method according to claim 7 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 9 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 is implemented, or a unit of the method according to claim 13, or a unit of the method according to claim 14, or a unit of the method according to claim 15 is implemented.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is implemented, or the method according to claim 7 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 9 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 is implemented, or the unit of the method according to claim 13, or the unit of the method according to claim 14, or the unit of the method according to claim 15 is implemented.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program or an instruction which, when executed, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to be implemented, the method according to claim 7 to be implemented, the method according to any one of claims 8 to 9 to be implemented, the method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 to be implemented, or a unit of the method according to claim 13, the unit of the method according to claim 14, or the unit of the method according to claim 15.

20. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A label management function network element and a network open function network element, wherein the label management function network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the network open function network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein: The communication system also includes: at least one of a network warehouse function network element and a unified data management network element, wherein the network warehouse function network element is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 12, and the unified data management network element is used to execute the method as described in claim 13.

Images