Method for determining terminal equipment and related device thereof

Abstract

Provided are a method for determining a terminal device and a related device thereof, a first core network element can obtain first information indicating a terminal device having a first capability, and receive second information used for requesting to operate a first Internet of Things device, so that the first Internet of Things device can operate the first Internet of Things device, and the second Internet of Things device can operate the first Internet of Things device. The first terminal equipment capable of operating the first Internet of Things equipment can be determined based on the first information and the second information, and it is determined that the appropriate first terminal equipment operates the first Internet of Things equipment, so that a request for operating the first Internet of Things equipment is completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly, to a method for determining a terminal device and a related apparatus thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, in the Internet of Things (IoT) system, an operation requester can request a reader / writer to interact with an IoT device (such as an artificial intelligence IoT (AIoT) device) to perform operations such as inventory and reading, thereby achieving management of the IoT device. The reader / writer can interact with the IoT device via radio frequency signals or wireless signals. For example, the reader / writer can be a terminal device or access network device.

[0003] However, when the terminal device acts as a reader / writer, how the network selects a suitable terminal device as a reader / writer is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a method for determining a terminal device and related apparatus thereof, in order to select a suitable terminal device to operate an Internet of Things device.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for determining a terminal device is provided, which can be performed by a first core network element. Unless otherwise specified, "first core network element" can refer to the core network element itself or a device that supports the first core network element in implementing the function. The method includes: obtaining first information indicating a terminal device with a first capability, the first capability including the ability to operate an Internet of Things device; receiving second information for operating the first Internet of Things device; and, based on the first information and the second information, determining a first terminal device among the terminal devices with the first capability to operate the first Internet of Things device.

[0006] Based on this technical solution, the first core network network element can obtain first information indicating a terminal device with a first capability, and receive second information for requesting to operate the first networking device. Thus, based on the first information and the second information, the first terminal device capable of operating the first Internet of Things device can be determined, and a suitable first terminal device is determined to operate the first Internet of Things device to complete the request to operate the first Internet of Things device.

[0007] Exemplarily, the first core network network element may be an IoT terminal management function, such as an IoT device management function (tag management function, TMF) or an AIoT management function (AIoT function, AIoTMF).

[0008] Exemplarily, obtaining the first information includes: receiving the first information from a unified data management (UDM) network element; or receiving the first information from an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element; or receiving the first information from a network repository function (NRF) network element.

[0009] Exemplarily, receiving the second information includes receiving the second information from a third core network element. For example, the third core network element is a network exposure function (NEF) element.

[0010] For example, the second information may include information about a first area where the first IoT device is located. The second information may request an operation to be performed on the first IoT device in the first area.

[0011] Exemplarily, the second information may include identification information of the first terminal device. The second information may request an operation on a first IoT device within a coverage range of the first capability of the first terminal device.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the terminal device with the first capability, location information of the terminal device with the first capability, second core network network element information serving the terminal device with the first capability, information indicating the coverage of the first capability of the terminal device with the first capability, and information indicating the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability.

[0013] Based on this technical solution, the first core network network element can obtain information of various terminal devices, and thus, can select the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device based on the information of the various terminal devices, thereby improving the reliability of determining the terminal device.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, information for determining that a first terminal device among terminal devices with a first capability operates a first Internet of Things device based on the first information and the second information includes: determining that the first terminal device among terminal devices with the first capability operates the first Internet of Things device based on the location information of the terminal device with the first capability and the location information of the first area where the first Internet of Things device is located, wherein the second information includes the location information of the first area.

[0015] Based on this technical solution, the first core network network element can select a first terminal device at a suitable location to operate the first Internet of Things device based on the location information of the terminal device with the first capability and the location information of the first area, so that the selected first terminal device can interact with the first Internet of Things device in the first area, thereby improving the reliability of obtaining Internet of Things device information.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information includes location information of a terminal device with the first capability; or, the method further includes: sending location request information, the location request information being used to request location information of a terminal device with the first capability; and receiving location information of a terminal device with the first capability.

[0017] Based on this technical solution, the first core network element can flexibly adopt multiple methods to obtain the location information of the terminal device with the first capability.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second information is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device, the second information includes identification information of the first terminal device, and based on the first information and the second information, determining the first terminal device among the terminal devices with the first capability to operate the first Internet of Things device includes: determining that the first terminal device meets the first condition to determine that the first terminal device operates the first Internet of Things device, wherein the first condition includes: the identification information of the first terminal device is included in the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability, wherein the first information includes the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability.

[0019] Based on this technical solution, the second information includes the identification information of the first terminal device, allowing the first core network element to determine whether the first terminal device has the capability to operate the IoT device. The first core network element supports the requester to specify the terminal device as the reader / writer and provides capability determination. This technical solution can be applied in a variety of scenarios.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first condition also includes one or more of the following: the location of the first terminal device is within the first area, and the second information includes information about the first area where the first Internet of Things device is located; the coverage of the first capability of the first terminal device overlaps with the first area, and the second information includes information about the first area where the first Internet of Things device is located; the first information includes information about the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, the second information includes information about the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device, and the information about the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability includes information about the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0021] Based on this technical solution, the first core network network element can further determine the capabilities of the first terminal device, such as whether the first terminal device is in the first area where the first Internet of Things device can be operated, whether the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device is the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, and further determine whether the first terminal device can operate the first Internet of Things device, thereby improving the reliability of operations on the Internet of Things device.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the first information includes: sending a subscription request message, the subscription request message is used to request information of a terminal device with the first capability; receiving a notification message in response to the subscription request message, the notification message includes the first information.

[0023] Based on this technical solution, the first core network element can subscribe to first information indicating a terminal device with a first capability, so that a suitable first terminal device can be selected as a reader / writer based on the first information obtained by subscription.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: sending a request message to a core network network element serving the first terminal device, the request message being used to request the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device; receiving information about the first Internet of Things device from the first terminal device; and sending information about the first Internet of Things device in response to the second information.

[0025] Based on this technical solution, the first core network network element can send a request to the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device, and can return the information of the returned first Internet of Things device to the operation requester to realize the request to operate the first Internet of Things device.

[0026] In a second aspect, a method for determining a terminal device is provided, which can be performed by a second core network element. Unless otherwise specified, the "second core network element" can refer to the core network element itself or a device that can support the first core network element in implementing the function. The method includes: sending first information, the first information indicating a terminal device with a first capability, the first capability including the ability to operate an Internet of Things device, and the first information being used to determine, among the terminal devices with the first capability, a first terminal device that is to operate the first Internet of Things device.

[0027] Exemplarily, the second core network element is UDM, AMF or NRF.

[0028] For the description of the technical effects of various implementation methods of the second aspect, reference may be made to the description of the various implementation methods of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the terminal device with the first capability, location information of the terminal device with the first capability, capability information of the terminal device with the first capability, core network element information serving the terminal device with the first capability, information indicating the coverage of the first capability of the terminal device with the first capability, and information indicating the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving subscription request information, where the subscription request information is used to request the first information.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: sending location request information, the location request information is used to request location information of a terminal device with a first capability; receiving location information of a terminal device with a first capability, the first information including the location information of the terminal device with the first capability.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving capability information, the first information is generated based on the capability information, and the capability information indicates one or more of the following: whether the terminal device has the first capability, the coverage of the first capability, and the service requester corresponding to the terminal device.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving request information, the request information being used to request the first terminal to operate the first Internet of Things device; sending information for requesting to operate the first Internet of Things device to the first terminal device; receiving information about the first Internet of Things device from the first terminal device; and sending information about the first Internet of Things device in response to the request information.

[0034] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, configured to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and / or a transceiver unit, configured to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof.

[0035] In one implementation, the apparatus is a first core network element or a second core network element. When the apparatus is the first core network element or the second core network element, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface is an input / output circuit.

[0036] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a first core network element or a second core network element. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in the first core network element or the second core network element, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory for storing programs; and at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to perform the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0038] In one implementation, the device is a first core network element or a second core network element.

[0039] In another implementation, the device is a chip, a chip system or a circuit used in the first core network element or the second core network element.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor is configured to retrieve a computer program or instruction stored in a memory through the communication interface to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0041] In one implementation, the device further includes the memory.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0043] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as operations such as processor output, reception, and input, or as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes a method for executing any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0046] In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0047] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or its implementation methods.

[0048] When the method provided in this application is executed by a chip, this application does not limit the number of chips that implement the method. For example, the method can be executed by one chip or by two or more chips. Furthermore, when the number of chips implementing the method of this application is two or more, the chip manufacturers are not limited and can be the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the first core network element or the second core network element described above.

[0050] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation to be executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 This is an example of a communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0052] Figure 2 is an example of another communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an Internet of Things architecture to which embodiments of the present application may be applied;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the access network device as a reader / writer;

[0055] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the terminal device as a reader / writer;

[0056] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a method for obtaining first information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8is a schematic flowchart of another method for obtaining first information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining a first terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of another method for determining a first terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figures 11 to 13 It is a schematic structural diagram of the device provided in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Figure 1 This is an example of a communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0064] The functions of the terminal device and each network entity are described below.

[0065] Figure 1 The UE shown in the figure represents a terminal. A terminal refers to various types of devices that can provide voice and / or data connectivity to users and can communicate with one or more core networks via a radio access network (RAN). A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, a subscriber unit, a terminal station, a terminal agent, a terminal device, an access terminal, a terminal in V2X communication, a user unit, a user equipment (UE), a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device.

[0066] The terminal in the embodiments of the present application may also be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a holographic projector, a video player, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system, a tactile terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wireless terminal in self-driving, a communication terminal in a drone, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, 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), or a similar device. assistant, PDA), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks or terminals in future evolution networks, etc.

[0067] Among them, wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices. It is a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as head-mounted XR glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those with full functions, large sizes, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that 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.

[0068] The terminal can be applied to various communication scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, aerospace equipment, drone equipment, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip used in the above-mentioned devices can also be called a terminal.

[0069] Figure 1(R)AN in the RAN represents a (radio) access network (RAN) device. For example, the access network device in the embodiment of the present application can be any communication device with wireless transceiver functions for communicating with user equipment. The access network equipment includes but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved Node B (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 in an NR system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) 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.

[0070] In some deployments, the access network device may include a CU, a DU, or both a CU and a DU, or a device comprising a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), and a DU node. For example, the access network device may include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU. The CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP) implements some functions of the access network device, while the DU implements some functions of the access network device. 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. The information of the RRC layer is generated by the CU, and will eventually be encapsulated by the PHY layer of the DU to become PHY layer information, or converted from PHY layer information. Therefore, under this architecture, high-level signaling such as RRC layer signaling can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or sent by the DU+AAU. It can be understood that the access network device can be a device including one or more of the CU node, DU node, and AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into an access network device in the access network, and the CU can also be divided into an access network device in the core network (CN), and this application does not limit this.

[0071] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0072] It should be noted that the device for implementing the functions of the access network device can be the access network device; it can also be a device that can support the access network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit and software module. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in conjunction with the access network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the functions of the access network device is used as an example to illustrate, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0073] The access network device and / or tag can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface; it can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the access network device and the tag are located. In addition, the tag and the access network device can be a hardware device, or it can be a software function running on dedicated hardware, a software function running on general-purpose hardware, such as a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), or an entity including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the tag and the access network device.

[0074] In addition, in order to support artificial intelligence (AI) technology in wireless networks, AI nodes may also be introduced into the network. Optionally, the AI node can be deployed in one or more of the following locations in the communication system: access network equipment, tags, or core network elements, or the AI node can be deployed separately, for example, in a location other than any of the above devices, such as a host or cloud server in an over-the-top (OTT) system. The AI node can communicate with other devices in the communication system, and the other devices can be, for example, one or more of the following: access network equipment, tags, or core network elements.

[0075] Figure 1 The AMF in the core network belongs to the core network element, which is mainly responsible for terminal access management, mobility management, network slice selection and SMF selection. In addition, it is also responsible for transmitting user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF).

[0076] Figure 1 The SMF in the network is mainly responsible for the control plane functions of terminal session management, including the selection and control of user plane function (UPF), Internet protocol (IP) address allocation, session establishment, session QoS management, and obtaining policy and charging control (PCC) policies (from PCF).

[0077] Figure 1 The UPF in the protocol data unit (PDU) serves as the anchor point for the session connection. It is responsible for filtering terminal data packets, data transmission / forwarding, rate control, generating billing information, etc., and provides connection to the data network (DN).

[0078] Figure 1 The DN in the 5G network refers to the specific data service network that the terminal accesses. The DN is responsible for providing carrier services, internet access, or third-party services. The DN includes servers that perform tasks such as video source encoding and rendering. Typical DNs include the Internet and IP Multimedia Service (IMS) networks. In 5G networks, the DN is identified by a data network name (DNN).

[0079] Figure 1 The unified data management (UDM) network element in the UE is mainly used to manage and control user data, for example, the management of contract information, including obtaining contract information from the unified data repository (UDR) and providing it to other network elements (such as AMF); generating the third generation partnership project (3GPP) authentication credentials for terminal devices; registering and maintaining the network element currently serving the terminal, for example, the AMF currently serving the terminal (i.e., serving AMF); and notifying the corresponding network element when the contract data is modified.

[0080] Figure 1 The network repository function (NRF) network element in the IEEE 802.11ac network is mainly used to support the registration and discovery of network functions.

[0081] Figure 1 The network exposure function (NEF) element in the 3GPP is used to expose the services and capabilities of the 3GPP network function to the application function (AF), and also allows the AF to provide information to the 3GPP network function.

[0082] Figure 1The AF interacts with core network elements to provide some services, for example, interacting with the PCF to perform service policy control, interacting with the NEF to obtain some network capability information or provide some application information to the network, and providing some data network access point information to the PCF to generate routing information for corresponding data services.

[0083] Figure 1 The authentication server function (AUSF) in the DHCP server is used to perform security authentication on the terminal device when the terminal device accesses the network.

[0084] Figure 1 The network slice selection function (NSSF) element in the NSSF selects a set of slice instances for the terminal device. The network slice instances that the terminal device is allowed to access are determined based on the terminal device's network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and contract information.

[0085] Figure 1 The PCF in the network provides configuration policy information for terminal devices and provides policy information for controlling terminal devices to the control plane network elements of the network (for example, AMF, SMF); it generates terminal device access policy and QoS flow control policy.

[0086] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application is connected to the RAN device via wireless means, and the RAN device is connected to the 5G core network (5GC) device via wireless or wired means. The 5GC device and the RAN device can be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the 5GC device and the logical functions of the RAN device can be integrated into the same physical device, or the functions of some 5GC devices and some RAN devices can be integrated into one physical device. The terminal device can be fixed or mobile.

[0087] 5GC equipment mainly includes the above-mentioned NEF network elements, PCF network elements, AF network elements, AMF network elements, UDM network elements, SMF network elements and UPF network elements.

[0088] It should be noted that the above-mentioned "network element" may also be referred to as an entity, device, apparatus, or module, etc., and this application does not specifically limit this. Moreover, in this application, for ease of understanding and explanation, the description of "network element" is omitted in some descriptions. For example, the AMF network element is referred to as AMF. In this case, the "AMF" should be understood as the AMF network element or AMF entity. The description of the same or similar situations will be omitted below.

[0089] It should be noted that Figure 1 The naming of each network element included in is just a name, and the name does not limit the function of the network element itself. In 5G networks and other future networks, the above-mentioned network elements may also have other names, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may continue to use the terminology used in 5G, or may have other names, etc., which are uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0090] It should be noted that Figure 1 The various network elements in the network do not have to exist at the same time, and the required network elements can be determined based on the needs. Figure 1 The connection relationship between each network element in the network is not unique and can be adjusted according to needs.

[0091] It should also be understood that the above naming is only used to distinguish different functions and does not mean that these network elements are independent physical devices. This application does not limit the specific form of the above network elements. For example, they can be integrated into the same physical device or they can be different physical devices. In actual deployment, network elements or devices can be co-located. For example, the access and mobility management network element can be co-located with the session management network element; the session management network element can be co-located with the user plane network element. When two network elements are co-located, the interaction between the two network elements provided in the embodiments of the present application becomes the internal operation of the co-located network element or can be omitted.

[0092] It is understandable that the above-mentioned network elements or functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

[0093] Figure 2 This is an example of another communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0094] A brief introduction to the service-oriented architecture and its communication methods. Figure 1 The service-based network architecture 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes multiple network functions (NFs):

[0095] 1. Network Slice Selection Element: This element is primarily used to provide slice selection. In 5G communications, the network slice selection element can be the network slice selection function (NSSF). Nnssf is a service-based interface provided by NSSF, through which NSSF can communicate with other network functions.

[0096] 2. Network Exposure Element: This element securely exposes services and capabilities provided by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network functions to the outside world. In 5G communications, this element can be a Network Exposure Function (NEF) element. Nnef is a service-based interface provided by the NEF, through which the NEF can communicate with other network functions.

[0097] 3. Network Repository Element: This element is used to store descriptions of network function entities and the services they provide, and supports service discovery and network element entity discovery. In 5G communications, the network repository element can be a network repository function (NRF) element. Nnrf is a service-based interface provided by NRF, through which NRF can communicate with other network functions.

[0098] 4. Policy Control Element: A unified policy framework used to guide network behavior, providing policy rule information to control plane functional elements (such as AMF and SMF). In 5G communications, the policy control element can be a policy control function (PCF) element. Npcf is a service-based interface provided by the PCF, through which the PCF can communicate with other network functions.

[0099] 5. Data Management NE: This element handles user identification, access authentication, registration, or mobility management. In 5G communications, the data management NE can be a unified data management (UDM) NE. Nudm is a service-based interface provided by UDM, through which UDM can communicate with other network functions.

[0100] 6. Application Network Element: This element is used for routing application-influenced data, accessing network open functions, or interacting with the policy framework for policy control. In 5G communications, an application network element can be an application function (AF) network element. The NAF is a service-based interface provided by the AF, through which the AF can communicate with other network functions.

[0101] 7. Authentication service network element: This is primarily used for user authentication. In 5G communications, the authentication service network element can be an authentication server function (AUSF) network element. Nausf is a service-based interface provided by AUSF, through which AUSF can communicate with other network functions.

[0102] 8. Access Management NE: This element is primarily used for mobility management and access management. It can be used to implement other functions of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) besides session management, such as lawful interception or access authorization (or authentication). In 5G communications, the access management NE can be the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) NE. NAMF is a service-based interface provided by the AMF, through which the AMF can communicate with other network functions.

[0103] 9. Session Management NE: This element is primarily used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user equipment plane functions, policy control, or charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification. In 5G communications, the session management NE can be a session management function (SMF) NE. Nsmf is a service-based interface provided by SMF, through which SMF can communicate with other network functions.

[0104] 10. User equipment (UE): This includes various handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of terminals, including mobile stations (MS), terminals, user equipment (UE), and soft terminals, such as water meters, electricity meters, and sensors.

[0105] 11. Radio access network (R)AN element: Provides network access for authorized user devices in a specific area and can use transmission tunnels of different qualities based on the level of user devices and service requirements.

[0106] RAN can manage wireless resources, provide access services for terminal devices, and then complete the forwarding of control signals and user equipment data between the terminal and the core network. RAN can also be understood as the base station in the traditional network.

[0107] 12. User plane network element: used for packet routing and forwarding, or quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data. In 5G communications, the user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0108] 13. Data network (DN) element: A network used to transmit data, such as the Internet. A DN element can be a data network authentication, authorization, and accounting function, or an application server.

[0109] In the embodiment of the present application, the core network elements, RAN and UE can be used for an IoT management, such as passive IoT (P-IoT). Figure 3 This architecture is explained as an example. For detailed descriptions of some network elements involved in this architecture, such as RAN, AMF, etc., please refer to the above Figure 1 and Figure 2 Instructions in .

[0110] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an Internet of Things architecture to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. Figure 1 Provide a brief description of the network elements or devices involved.

[0111] 1. Tags

[0112] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal may be a passive IoT terminal device, or an AIoT device. The passive terminal device may be in the form of a tag or any other terminal form. This application uses the passive terminal device in the form of a tag as an example, but this application does not limit this.

[0113] Electronic tag: consists of a tag antenna and a tag-specific chip. Generally, electronic tags can be divided into active tags, passive tags and semi-passive tags according to the different power supply methods of electronic tags. Active tags have built-in batteries, passive tags do not have built-in batteries, and semi-passive tags partially rely on batteries to work. Depending on the frequency, electronic tags can be divided into low-frequency electronic tags, high-frequency electronic tags, ultra-high-frequency electronic tags and microwave electronic tags. Of course, they can also be classified according to different packaging forms, which will not be introduced in detail here. Passive tags can also be called passive Internet of things devices (IoT) or passive terminals of this application.

[0114] It should be noted that the device for realizing the function of the tag can be a tag, or it can be a device that can support the tag to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the tag or used in combination with the tag. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. In the embodiment of the present application, only the device for realizing the function of the tag is used as an example for description, and does not limit the solution of the embodiment of the present application.

[0115] 2. Reader

[0116] The reader interacts with the passive IoT device through a radio frequency signal or a wireless signal. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the name of the reader. The reader can also be named a reader-writer or other names, that is, it can be understood that the titles of reader and reader-writer are interchangeable. The reader here has the functions involved in the reader in this application, such as the reader has the function of performing the operations described in this application on the terminal (such as a passive IoT device) (such as obtaining passive IoT device information, inventory operations, read operations, write operations, or failure operations or message interaction operations with passive IoT devices, etc.), and has the function of obtaining billing-related information and / or billing information, and sending billing information to CHF, etc. In a possible implementation, the reader can send instructions from a server or application function to the passive IoT device, or the reader can send messages from a passive IoT device to the server or application function. In a possible implementation, the reader can obtain the information stored in the specified passive IoT device according to the instructions issued by the server. For example, if it is an inventory operation (or it can be called an inventory operation), the reader obtains the identification information of the passive IoT device; the identification information can be the unique identification of the passive IoT device, or it can be a temporary identification of the passive IoT device. For example, if it is a read operation, the reader reads the data in the storage area of the passive IoT device. Optionally, in some situations where it is necessary to rewrite the information stored in the passive IoT device, the reader can also have a write function. For example, if it is a write operation, the reader writes the data into the storage area of the passive IoT device. In addition, the reader can also perform an invalidation operation on the passive IoT device. After the invalidation operation is executed, the passive IoT device becomes invalid and cannot be used to perform operations such as obtaining passive IoT device information, inventory operations, read operations, message interaction operations with the passive IoT device, or write operations. In one possible implementation method, the passive IoT device cannot be used to obtain passive IoT device information after it fails. This can be understood as the reader cannot obtain the passive IoT device information of the invalid passive IoT device after the passive IoT device fails. In another possible implementation, the inability to perform message interaction operations with a passive IoT device upon failure can be understood as the inability of the reader to exchange messages with the failed passive IoT device after the passive IoT device fails. In this application, the reader can be a terminal device, or an access network device, a pole station, an eNodeB, a gNodeB, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, etc. This application does not limit the form of the reader.

[0117] 3. IoT terminal management function

[0118] IoT terminal management function (or passive IoT device management function), for example, IoT terminal management function can be Figure 1The passive IoT device management function (tag management function, TMF), or the IoT terminal management function can be an ambient IoT management function (AIoTMF), and the IoT terminal management function is used to execute the transmission of business data of the terminal device 101 or to execute the management of the IoT terminal (or passive IoT device). For example, when the terminal device is a passive IoT device, the transmission and / or management of business data of the passive IoT device can be executed. This application does not limit the naming of the IoT terminal management function (or the passive IoT device management function), which can be other names.

[0119] For ease of description, the embodiments of the present application mainly introduce TMF as the IoT terminal management function. TMF is mainly responsible for managing tags, such as for tag inventory and access management. TMF can be an independent network element, or it can be jointly established or deployed with other network elements, such as with the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, user plane function (UPF), UDM or UDR, etc. TMF is jointly established with AMF, UPF, UDM or UDR, etc., which can be understood as improving other network elements so that the network elements have the functions that TMF is responsible for, such as improving AMF, UPF, UDM or UDR so that AMF, UPF, UDM or UDR has the functions of TMF, which can also be understood as that TMF has the functions of AMF, UPF, UDM or UDR, etc. in addition to the functions of managing tags, such as for tag inventory and access management. For example, TMF can undertake the functions of label mobility management, label user data delivery, label mobility management, label data unified management, or label data cache, etc.

[0120] 4. Operation requester (also known as business requester or third party)

[0121] The operation requester can be a server or an application function. In the embodiment of the present application, the operation requester can be understood as a device that sends an operation instruction, for example, the operation requester can be a server (server) or an A-IoT server or an application function (AF) or other device that sends an operation instruction. The operation requester can correspond to a certain type of user, and this type of user can include enterprises, tenants, third parties or companies, without restriction. Among them, the operation requester corresponding to a certain type of user can be understood as the operation requester belonging to this type of user and being managed by this type of user. For the sake of convenience of description, the embodiment of the present application mainly uses AF as the operation requester for illustrative explanation.

[0122] The AF can interact with the IoT terminal management function through core network functions (such as NEF). The core network functions can be used to expose the services and capabilities of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network functions to the AF, and also allow the AF to provide information to the 3GPP network functions. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are mainly introduced using the NEF as an example.

[0123] Figure 3The IoT architecture shown can be a passive IoT (P-IoT; also known as an ambient IoT (A-IoT), hereinafter collectively referred to as the A-IoT, but not limited to the name). That is, some network nodes can be passive, semi-passive, or active. Passive and semi-passive terminals can communicate via reflected carrier waves, meaning they rely on an external carrier source for communication. Passive terminals may or may not have energy storage capacitors. If they do not have energy storage capacitors, they must rely on the external environment to obtain energy for communication, such as radio frequency energy. Semi-passive terminals can have power amplifiers, thereby increasing the communication range compared to passive terminals. Semi-passive terminals typically have energy storage capacitors that can store energy from the environment, such as solar energy or radio frequency energy. Active terminals can actively generate carrier waves (or can be understood as having carrier recovery capabilities), eliminating the need for external carrier sources for communication and thus possessing active communication capabilities. At the same time, active terminals are also backward compatible with the communication mechanisms of passive or semi-passive terminals. That is, they can be triggered by external stimuli to initiate a random access procedure and send identification information. In one possible implementation, they can also have energy storage capacitors and obtain energy through solar, radio frequency, wind, hydro, or tidal energy, with no restrictions on the energy acquisition method. These nodes do not have their own power supply devices or rely on batteries, but instead obtain energy from the environment to support data perception, transmission, and distributed computing. Nodes can also store the energy they obtain. The IoT architecture for environmental energy harvesting can include IoT terminals, readers, IoT functions, and servers. IoT terminals can be passive IoT devices, sensors, or any other terminal form factor, without limitation. Readers can be access network devices such as base stations, pole sites, micro base stations, macro base stations, relay points (such as integrated access and backhaul nodes (IAB nodes), and mobile base stations. Readers can also be terminal devices such as mobile phones, IoT devices, and handheld readers. The briefing document uses passive IoT devices as an example to illustrate IoT terminals, but the scope is not limited to passive IoT devices. Unless otherwise specified, IoT terminals and passive IoT devices are interchangeable. Readers utilize wireless radio frequency (RF) for contactless, two-way data communication, reading and writing to electronic passive IoT devices or RFID tags, thereby achieving target identification and data exchange.It operates in two ways: When a passive IoT device enters the reader's effective recognition range, it receives the reader's radio frequency signal and, using the energy gained from the induced current, transmits the information stored in the chip (this corresponds to a passive IoT device). Alternatively, a passive IoT device can store some electrical energy through solar energy or other means, allowing it to actively transmit a signal at a certain frequency (this type of device is also called a semi-passive or semi-active IoT device). The reader receives and decodes the information and sends it to a central information system for processing. This technology is widely used in various industries, and two application scenarios are briefly listed below:

[0124] 1. Warehouse / Transportation / Supplies: Passive or semi-passive IoT devices are embedded or attached to goods and stored in warehouses, shopping malls, etc. During the logistics process, the goods-related information is automatically collected by readers. Managers can quickly query the goods information in the system, reducing the risk of abandonment or theft, improving the speed and accuracy of goods delivery, and preventing channeling and counterfeiting;

[0125] 2. Fixed asset management: Places with large assets or valuable items, such as libraries, art galleries, and museums, require complete management procedures or rigorous protection measures. When there are abnormal changes in the storage information of books or valuable items, the administrator will be reminded in the system immediately to deal with the relevant situation.

[0126] When the server operates a passive IoT device, it can send an operation instruction to the core network. The operation instruction may include but is not limited to obtaining passive IoT device information, inventory operations (or inventory operations), read operations, write operations, disable operations (Disable), and information interaction operations with passive IoT devices. The instruction may include regional location information, identification information of the passive IoT device, etc. The base station sends an access instruction to the passive IoT device. When the passive IoT device successfully accesses the device randomly, the base station will send an instruction to the passive IoT device (the base station can forward the instruction sent by the core network to the passive IoT device). The passive IoT device obtains or sends corresponding information according to the instruction. For example, when the instruction is an inventory instruction or is to perform an inventory operation, the passive IoT device will send its identification information; when the instruction is a read instruction or is to perform a read operation, the passive IoT device will send data information stored in its storage area; when the instruction is a write instruction or is to perform a write operation, the passive IoT device will store the data information to be written to the passive IoT device included in the instruction in its storage area. The base station sends (or forwards) the information sent by the passive IoT device to the core network; and the core network sends this information to the server.

[0127] The server can send instructions through the control plane channel, such as Figure 3As shown: the server sends instructions to AMF (or other core network devices that have the function of managing passive IoT devices or executing passive IoT device instructions or supporting passive IoT, such as the passive IoT device management function (Tag Management Function, TMF)); at this time, the server can be an application function (AF), an application server (AS) or a passive IoT application function (P-IoT AF or A-IoT AF). One possible implementation method is that P-IoT AF sends instructions to AMF or TMF through NEF. Through the above architecture, after AMF or TMF obtains the instructions, it parses the instructions from AF, and AMF or TMF triggers the access network device (such as RAN) to execute the random access process of the passive IoT device (or IoT terminal), and sends instructions to the passive IoT device through RAN to complete the operation of the passive IoT device.

[0128] In some implementations, the service requester may not actively trigger the service inventory, but rather pre-configure the network to periodically report the IoT terminals in the park. Alternatively, passive IoT devices may be attached to goods, and the network periodically inventories the passive IoT devices, thereby obtaining the status of goods in the enterprise park or factory and realizing the function of automated warehouse management. In this case, compared with the service inventory mentioned above, the difference is that the trigger of the inventory service is not necessarily the service requester (i.e. Figure 3 Therefore, when the network triggers random access of IoT terminals and obtains identification information, it needs to report the information to the service requester to implement periodic basic inventory services.

[0129] As can be seen from the above, both RAN and UE can act as readers and writers to manage passive IoT devices.

[0130] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the RAN as a reader / writer (or small cell). As can be seen, the RAN can interact directly with the electronic tag to transmit relevant information. In this case, the RAN can report its capabilities to the core network element, which then selects an appropriate RAN as the reader / writer based on the service requester's request.

[0131] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a UE acting as a reader / writer. As can be seen, the RAN can function as a macro base station, the UE as an intermediate node, and the electronic tag interacts with the UE. In this scenario, the RAN can transparently transmit signaling between the UE and core network elements.

[0132] However, if the UE is used as a reader / writer, how the core network selects a suitable UE as a reader / writer is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0133] This application provides a method for determining UE, which can be applied to Figures 1 to 3 The system architecture introduced in .

[0134] Figure 6 It is a schematic flow chart of a method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0135] S610: A first core network element obtains first information.

[0136] The first information indicates a terminal device having a first capability, where the first capability includes the ability to operate an IoT device. Thus, the first core network element can obtain the first information indicating the terminal device having the first capability, determine a first terminal device capable of operating the first IoT device based on the first information, and operate the first IoT device after determining a suitable first terminal device, thereby completing the request to operate the first IoT device.

[0137] It is understandable that the first core network element can be the above Figure 3 For example, the first core network element may be a TMF or an AMF, which is not particularly limited in this application. For ease of description, the embodiment is mainly illustrated by taking the first core network element as a TMF.

[0138] It is also understandable that the first IoT device may be the Figure 3 For the sake of simplicity, the labels shown are not described here in detail.

[0139] It can also be understood that the first capability includes the capability to operate the IoT device. In other words, the first capability can refer to the Figure 3 The reader described in the specification can interact with IoT devices through radio frequency signals or wireless signals and obtain information about IoT devices through interaction. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device with the first capability can be understood as Figure 3 The reader (or reader / writer) introduced.

[0140] The operations performed on the first IoT device and the information of the first IoT device are related to the application scenario of the method of the present application. For example, if the method is applied to an inventory operation, the information of the first IoT device may include identification information of the first IoT device, and the terminal device, as a reader / writer, obtains the identification information of the first IoT device to implement the inventory operation. For another example, if the method is applied to a read operation, the information of the first IoT device may include information in the memory of the first IoT device, and the terminal device, as a reader / writer, obtains the information in the memory of the first IoT device to implement the read operation.

[0141] The first information indicates a terminal device with a first capability, so that the first core network element can know which terminal device or devices can be used as a reader / writer based on the first information.

[0142] Exemplarily, the first information may include identification information of a terminal device with the first capability, so that the first core network element can learn about the terminal device with the reader / writer function based on the identification information. The identification information of the terminal device with the first capability may be SUPI or ReaderID. This application does not limit the specific form of the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability.

[0143] In some implementations, the first information may also include location information of the terminal device having the first capability, so that the first core network element can subsequently select a suitable terminal device as the reader / writer based on the location information.

[0144] In some implementations, the first information may also include information about a second core network element serving the terminal device with the first capability, such as identification information of the second core network element. Exemplarily, the second core network element may be the AMF (serving AMF) serving the terminal device. Thus, the first core network element can determine which AMF will subsequently interact with the terminal device.

[0145] In some implementations, the first information also includes information indicating the coverage range of the first capability of the terminal device having the first capability. Exemplarily, the first information may indicate the maximum distance at which the terminal device, as a reader / writer, can interact with the IoT device. For example, if the first information indicates that the maximum distance supported by the terminal device as a reader / writer is 10 meters, then the first core network element may deem that the terminal device can obtain information of IoT devices at a distance less than or equal to 10 meters, and the coverage range may be understood as an area within a radius of 10 meters with the terminal device as the center.

[0146] In some implementations, the first information may indicate information of the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, for example, the AF ID / owner ID corresponding to the terminal device, the enterprise / user ID to which the terminal device belongs, and the like.

[0147] The above is an exemplary description of the content that the first information can carry. It can be understood that this application does not exclude the information about the terminal device with the first capability that can be obtained by other first core network network elements.

[0148] The first core network network element can obtain the first information in a variety of ways. In a first implementation, the first core network network element can obtain the first information from the UDM, for example, the first core network network element can subscribe to the UDM to obtain the first information. In a second implementation, the first core network network element can obtain the first information from the AMF, for example, the first core network network element can subscribe to the AMF to obtain the first information, or the AMF actively sends the first information to the first core network network element during the registration process of the terminal device. This application does not specifically limit this. For example, if the NRF can store the first information, then the first core network network element can also obtain the first information from the NRF. Please refer to the following text for a more detailed description of obtaining the first information. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The description is not repeated here.

[0149] It is understandable that the first core network element can store the first information. For example, the first core network element can establish the first information as the context of the terminal device. Thus, the first core network element can subsequently determine the terminal device to be used as the reader / writer based on the context of the terminal device.

[0150] S620: The third core network element sends second information to the first core network element. Correspondingly, the first core network element receives the second information from the third core network element.

[0151] The second information is used to request an operation on the first IoT device. The third core network element can be used to receive a message from the operation requester and send a message to the first core network element. For example, the third core network element can be Figure 1 NEF in. NEF can be Figure 3 The operation request method (e.g., AF) shown in the figure obtains the second information and sends the second information to the first core network element. The second information requests management services for the first IoT device, so that the first core network element can determine a suitable reader / writer to provide services for it.

[0152] The third core network element can request to operate the first Internet of Things device in multiple ways.

[0153] In a first implementation, the second information may include location information of the first area where the first IoT device is located, such as an identifier and coordinates of the first area. Thus, the first core network element can select a terminal device at a suitable location as a reader / writer based on the location information of the first area.

[0154] In a second implementation, the second information may include identification information of the terminal device. For example, the second information may be a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI), a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), a Reader ID, etc. of the terminal device. Thus, the first core network element may determine the terminal device requested by the application function element, that is, whether the terminal device has reader / writer capabilities based on the first information obtained in step S610.

[0155] Optionally, in this second implementation, the second information may further include location information of the first area. Thus, the first core network element may further determine whether the coverage range of the first capability of the terminal device in the second information overlaps with the first area, and determine whether the terminal device can interact with the first IoT device in the first area.

[0156] S630: The first core network element determines, based on the first information and the second information, information for a first terminal device among terminal devices with the first capability to operate the first Internet of Things device.

[0157] The first core network element can select a suitable terminal device (ie, the first terminal device) as a reader / writer based on the contents of the first information and the second information to operate the first Internet of Things device.

[0158] In the first implementation method, the first information includes the location information of the terminal device with the first capability, and the second information includes the location information of the first area. The first core network network element can determine the first terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device with the first capability and the location information of the first area.

[0159] For example, the first core network element may select a terminal device within the first area as the first terminal device. Alternatively, the first core network element may select one or more terminal devices closest to the center of the first area as the first terminal device. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0160] As another example, the first core network element can determine the coverage area of the terminal device based on the capability information of the terminal device, for example, the coverage area is an area with the terminal device as the center and the first threshold as the radius. The first threshold can be the coverage capability reported by the terminal device or predefined by the network, and this application does not specifically limit this. The first core network element can select one or more first terminal devices based on the coverage area, so that the entire set of coverage areas of the first or multiple first terminal devices can cover the first area. This ensures reliable communication within the first area.

[0161] In a second implementation, the first information includes identification information of a terminal device with a first capability, and the second information includes identification information of a terminal device (hereinafter referred to as terminal device #1). The first core network network element can determine whether terminal device #1 meets the first condition. If the first condition is met, then the terminal device #1 is determined to be the first terminal device to obtain information about the first Internet of Things device in the first area. If the terminal device #1 does not meet the first condition, then it is determined that the terminal device #1 cannot be used as the first terminal device to obtain information about the first Internet of Things device in the first area. Among them, the first condition is that the identification information of the first terminal device is included in the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability.

[0162] Optionally, the first condition further includes one or more of the following: terminal device #1 is located within a first area, and the second information includes information about the first area where the first IoT device is located; the coverage of the first capability of terminal device #1 overlaps with the first area, and the second information includes information about the first area where the first IoT device is located; the first information includes information about the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, and the second information includes information about the service requester corresponding to terminal device #1; and the information about the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability includes information about the service requester corresponding to terminal device #1.

[0163] Exemplarily, after the first core network element determines that the identification information of terminal device #1 is included in the identification information of terminal devices with the first capability, it can further determine whether terminal device #1 can interact with the first IoT device. For example, if terminal device #1 is within the first area, then it is determined that terminal device #1 can interact with the first IoT device. Alternatively, even if terminal device #1 is not within the first area, but the coverage area of the terminal device overlaps with the first area, the first core network element can determine that terminal device #1 can at least interact with the first IoT device. The first core network element can determine that terminal device #1 acts as the first terminal device, i.e., as a reader / writer, to interact with the first IoT device. Alternatively, the first core network element can further check whether the service requester corresponding to terminal device #1 is authorized to request terminal device #1 to operate the first IoT device. That is, the first information can include information about the service requester authorized to operate the IoT device, and the second information includes information about the service requester of terminal device #1. The first core network element can determine whether terminal device #1 can operate the first IoT device through comparison.

[0164] It is understandable that each of the above first conditions can be implemented individually or in combination, and this application does not impose any special restrictions on this.

[0165] In some implementations, if terminal device #1 does not meet the first condition, the first core network element may return feedback information to the AF via a third core network element. This feedback information may indicate that terminal device #1 is unable to obtain information about the first IoT device within the first area. Optionally, the feedback information also indicates the reason why terminal device #1 is unable to obtain information about the first IoT device within the first area, for example, terminal device #1 does not have the first capability. For another example, the coverage area of the first capability of terminal device #1 does not overlap with the first area.

[0166] After AF obtains the feedback information, AF can re-provide the identification information of the terminal device, such as the information of terminal device #2, and the first core network network element can repeat the judgment process described above to judge terminal device #2. Alternatively, after the first core network network element determines that terminal device #1 does not meet the first condition, it can actively select a terminal device that can serve as a reader / writer. For example, the first core network network element can determine the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device with the first capability and the location information of the first area based on the first implementation method above, and carry the identification information of the terminal device in the feedback information. Thus, AF determines whether to adopt the terminal device determined by the first core network network element. Alternatively, the first core network network element can instruct the determined terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device without confirmation from AF (that is, the feedback information can notify the terminal device determined by AF, or the first core network network element does not send feedback information). This application does not specifically limit this.

[0167] It should be noted that the first core network element can obtain the location information of the terminal device #1 in a variety of ways.

[0168] In a first possible implementation, the first core network element may obtain the location information of the terminal device #1 from the first information. That is, the first information includes the location information of the terminal device #1 having the first capability.

[0169] In a second possible implementation, the first core network element may request to obtain the location information of the terminal device #1.

[0170] Exemplarily, the first core network element can obtain the location information of the terminal device #1 from the UDM. For example, the first core network element can obtain location request information from the UDM, so that the UDM can return the location information of the terminal device #1 to the first core network element, such as the location information pre-configured when the terminal device #1 signed the contract. For another example, the first core network element can send a location request message to the location function element (such as LMF), and the LMF locates the terminal device #1 to obtain the location information and returns the location information to the first core network element. The location information can be the real-time location of the terminal device #1, the user location information (ULI) of the terminal device #1, the restricted molibity area of the terminal device #1 and / or the pre-configured location of the terminal device #1, etc. This application does not specifically limit this. Among them, the restricted mobility area is used to indicate that the terminal device is only regarded as a reader / writer (with the first capability) within the restricted mobility area. If the terminal device is outside the restricted mobility area, it is regarded as an ordinary terminal device. The restricted mobility area may be represented by a cell, a tracking area, etc., which is not particularly limited in this application. The first core network element (or other core network elements) may determine whether the terminal device has the first capability based on the restricted mobility area and the location of the terminal device.

[0171] It is understandable that the above-mentioned method of obtaining location information is only an example, and it does not exclude that the first core network network element may also adopt other methods of obtaining location information. For example, the first core network network element may determine the method of obtaining location information based on the location information requirement. For example, if the first core network network element needs approximate location information, then the first core network network element may obtain a static location by obtaining pre-configured location information. Conversely, if the first core network network element needs precise location information, then the first core network network element may obtain the location information by requesting LMF for positioning. For another example, the first core network network element may obtain the location information from the pre-configured information of the contract by default, but if the first core network network element fails to query the location information, the first core network network element may adopt other methods for positioning, such as requesting LMF for positioning. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0172] After determining the first terminal device, the first core network element may request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. In other words, the first core network element may further perform the following steps S640 to S670.

[0173] Optionally, in S640, the first core network element sends request information #1 to the second core network element serving the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the second core network element receives the request information #1 from the first core network element.

[0174] The request message #1 is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. Exemplarily, the request message #1 includes identification information of the first terminal device, such as SUPI. The request message #1 may also include an IoT management function container (TM container).

[0175] In some implementations, the first core network element may obtain information about the second core network element serving the first terminal device from the first information, such as identification information of the AMF serving the first terminal device.

[0176] Optionally, in S650, a second core network element serving the first terminal device sends request information #2 to the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the request information #2 from the second core network element.

[0177] Request #2 is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. For example, the AMF may generate Request #2 based on Request #1. For example, the AMF may route the TM container in Request #1 to the first terminal device via a NAS message.

[0178] Optionally, in S660, the first terminal device operates the first Internet of Things device.

[0179] For example, the first terminal device can randomly access the IoT devices in the first area in response to the request for information #2 and read the information of the IoT devices. This step can be referred to the functional description of the reader above and will not be repeated here.

[0180] Optionally, in S670, the first terminal device sends information about the first IoT device to a second core network element serving the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the second core network element receives the information about the first IoT device from the first terminal device.

[0181] The first terminal device obtains information about the first IoT device, such as identification information (e.g., device ID), and can return the information of the first IoT device to the second core network element, such as AMF, through a NAS message.

[0182] Optionally, in S680, the second core network element sends information about the first IoT device to the first core network element. Correspondingly, the first core network element may receive the information about the first IoT device from the second core network element.

[0183] Exemplarily, the second core network element, such as AMF, can send the information of the first IoT device obtained by the first terminal device to the first core network element.

[0184] Optionally, in S690, the first core network element sends information about the first IoT device to the third core network element. Correspondingly, the third core network element may receive the information about the first IoT device from the first core network element.

[0185] For example, the first core network element may send the information of the first IoT device obtained by the first terminal device to a third core network element, such as NEF. The third core network element may then return the information of the first IoT device to the operation request method (e.g., AF).

[0186] Based on this technical solution, the first core network element can obtain first information indicating a terminal device with a first capability, and receive second information for requesting to operate the first networking device. Thus, based on the first information and the second information, the first terminal device capable of operating the first IoT device can be determined, and the appropriate first terminal device is determined to operate the first IoT device to complete the request to operate the first IoT device.

[0187] The above describes the method for the first core network element to determine the first terminal device as a reader / writer. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Two ways in which the first core network element obtains the first information are exemplified.

[0188] For ease of description, in the following embodiments, TMF is taken as the first core network element for example.

[0189] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for obtaining first information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0190] S701: The terminal device sends capability information to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the capability information from the terminal device.

[0191] The capability information indicates whether the terminal device has the first capability. For an introduction to the first capability, see Figure 6 The description of S610 in

[15] is omitted here.

[0192] In some implementations, the terminal device may send capability information to the AMF via the RAN. The RAN may transparently transmit the capability information for the terminal device.

[0193] In some implementations, the terminal device may send a registration request message (registration request) to the AMF, where the registration request message carries the capability information.

[0194] In some implementations, the capability information may include one or more of the following: identification information of the terminal device, location information of the terminal device, information indicating the coverage range of the first capability of the terminal device, and information indicating the service request corresponding to the terminal device. Figure 6 The description of S610 in

[15] is omitted here.

[0195] Optionally, in S702, the terminal device, RAN, and AMF complete the registration process.

[0196] The AMF can complete the registration process for the terminal device based on the registration request message. For example, the AMF can authenticate the terminal device. For details about the registration process, please refer to the description of the relevant existing technology. For the sake of simplicity, it is not detailed here.

[0197] S703: AMF sends capability information to UDM.

[0198] Exemplarily, the AMF may send a message carrying the capability information to the UDM, such as a Nudm_SDM_get message.

[0199] The AMF can learn through the above registration process that the terminal device has the first capability, namely, that it is a reader UE. For example, the AMF can learn that the terminal device has the first capability based on the capability information in the registration request message. For another example, the AMF can learn that the terminal device has the first capability by querying the terminal device's subscription information. Thus, after completing authentication of the terminal device, the AMF can inform the UDM of the terminal device's capability information.

[0200] In some implementations, the AMF may also send information to the UDM indicating the AMF serving the terminal device. In other words, the AMF may inform the UDM that it is the serving AMF for the terminal device.

[0201] In some implementations, if the network replaces the AMF serving the terminal device, AMF relocation occurs. The old AMF before the replacement or the new AMF after the replacement can notify the UDM of the updated AMF serving the terminal device. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0202] Optionally, in S704, UDM sends a response message to AMF.

[0203] The UDM may generate the first information based on the information provided by the AMF and proactively send the first information to the TMF. Alternatively, the UDM may request the first information from the UDM. In this case, the TMF may execute the following step S704.

[0204] Optionally, in S705 , the TMF sends a subscription request message to the UDM.

[0205] The subscription request information is used to request information of a terminal device having a first capability. That is, the subscription request information can request the UDM to return the first information. For a detailed description of the first information, please refer to Figure 6 The description of S610 in

[15] is omitted here.

[0206] In some implementations, the TMF may also determine the UDM. For example, the TMF requests the NRF for UDM information based on the location area it serves. For another example, the TMF sends a subscription request to all UDMs within the PLMN. This application does not impose any particular limitations on this.

[0207] This application does not impose any special restrictions on the message type of the subscription request information.

[0208] In a first possible implementation, the subscription request information may be a new message type, such as Nudm_AIoTReader_Subscription. The TMF can access the information of all UEs with Reader capability in the UDM.

[0209] In a second possible implementation, the subscription message can be an existing message type. The TMF can reuse the existing message type and add a new information element to express the desire to obtain the reader UE information. Exemplarily, the information element may include one or more of the following: Information element #1 (e.g., AIoT UE Reader Information get), which is used to request the information of the AIoT reader UE; Information element #2 (e.g., TMF ID), which is used to indicate the identifier of the TMF sending the request.

[0210] Optionally, in S706 , the UDM determines whether to locate the terminal device.

[0211] Exemplarily, the UDM may determine whether it is necessary to locate the terminal device based on the subscription requirements expressed in the subscription request information. Exemplarily, if the information of the terminal device subscribed to by the subscription request information contains the location information of the terminal device (or information conditioned on the location information), then the UDM may determine to locate the terminal device. Conversely, if the subscribed terminal device information does not contain location information, then the UDM may determine not to locate the terminal device. This application does not impose any special restrictions on this.

[0212] This application does not specifically limit the positioning method of the terminal device.

[0213] Exemplarily, the UDM may query the location information pre-configured for the terminal device in the contract, or the location information pre-configured in other network elements. Thus, the UDM may obtain the static location of the first terminal. Furthermore, the UDM may request the LMF to locate the terminal device. The following example uses the UDM requesting the LMF to locate the terminal device as an example. That is, the UDM may execute steps S707 to S709.

[0214] Optionally, in S707, UDM sends location request information to LMF.

[0215] The location request message is used to request the location information of a terminal device with the first capability. Exemplarily, the location request message may include identification information of the terminal device, such as SUPI. Thus, the LMF can locate the terminal device based on the identification information.

[0216] In some implementations, the UDM may send a message carrying location request information, such as Nlmf_location_subscription.

[0217] Optionally, in S708, LMF obtains location information of the terminal device.

[0218] LMF can locate the terminal device based on the location request information. The method for LMF to obtain the terminal device location information can refer to the existing positioning method and will not be described in detail here.

[0219] Optionally, in S709, the LMF sends location information of the terminal device with the first capability to the UDM.

[0220] Exemplarily, the LMF sends a message, such as Nlmf_location_eventnotify, carrying the location information of the terminal device with the first capability to the UDM. In some implementations, the message may also carry identification information of the terminal device, such as SUPI. This allows the UDM to obtain more accurate location information of the terminal device from the LMF.

[0221] It is understandable that the above positioning methods are only exemplary, and it does not exclude that UDM may also adopt other methods to obtain location information. UDM can determine the method of obtaining location information based on the demand for location information. For example, if UDM needs approximate location information, then UDM can obtain static location by obtaining pre-configured location information. On the contrary, if UDM needs precise location information, then UDM can obtain location information by requesting LMF for positioning. For another example, UDM can obtain location information from the pre-configured information of the contract by default, but if UDM does not query the location information, UDM can use other methods for positioning, such as requesting LMF for positioning. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0222] S710: UDM sends first information to TMF.

[0223] The first information indicates a terminal device having a first capability. Figure 6 In some implementations, the UDM may send a message carrying the first information to the TMF, such as Nudm_AloTReader_Notify.

[0224] If TMF requests location information, when UDM finds that the location has changed (such as LMF reports new location information, or the configured location information has changed), UDM also updates the latest information of the terminal device with the first capability (Reader UE) to TMF

[0225] When UDM feeds back the subscribed Reader UE information to TMF, it can use a new message type or reuse the existing message type, but use a new information element to represent it, such as the parameters for TMF to initiate subscription to UDM, indicating that the information is used to feed back Reader UE information.

[0226] The information of the Reader UE stored by the TMF can be stored in various data formats, for example, using the UE ID, such as the SUPI, as a storage index (key); or using the UE's geographic location as a storage index; or using the UE's corresponding serving AMF as a storage index. This application does not impose any specific restrictions on this.

[0227] Based on the above technical solution, Figure 7 A method for obtaining the first information from the UDM is introduced. Figure 8 A method for obtaining first information from AMF is described.

[0228] Figure 8This is a schematic flowchart of another method for obtaining first information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0229] S801, the terminal device sends capability information to the AMF.

[0230] For this step, please refer to Figure 7 The description of step S701 is omitted here.

[0231] Optionally, in S802, the terminal device, RAN, and AMF complete the registration process.

[0232] For this step, please refer to Figure 7 The description of step S702 is omitted here.

[0233] The AMF may generate the first information based on the information provided by the terminal device and proactively send the first information to the AMF. Alternatively, the TMF may request the first information from the AMF. In this case, the TMF may execute the following step S803.

[0234] Optionally, in S803, TMF sends a subscription request message to AMF.

[0235] The subscription request information is used to request information of a terminal device having the first capability. That is, the subscription request information can request the AMF to return the first information. For a detailed description of the first information, please refer to Figure 6 The description of S610 in

[15] is omitted here.

[0236] In some implementations, the TMF may also determine the AMF. For example, the TMF requests AMF information from the NRF based on the location area it serves. For another example, the TMF sends a subscription request message to all AMFs within the PLMN. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0237] This application does not impose any special restrictions on the message type of the subscription request information.

[0238] In a first possible implementation, the subscription request information may be a new message type, such as

[0239] Namf_AIoTReader_Subscription. TMF can access the information of all UEs with the first capability in AMF.

[0240] In a second possible implementation, the subscription message can be an existing message type. The TMF can reuse the existing message type and add a new information element to express the desire to obtain the reader UE information. Exemplarily, the information element may include one or more of the following: Information element #1 (e.g., AIoT UE Reader Information get), which is used to request the information of the AIoT reader UE; Information element #2 (e.g., TMF ID), which is used to indicate the identifier of the TMF sending the request.

[0241] Optionally, in S804, AMF determines to locate the terminal device.

[0242] Regarding how AMF determines whether to locate the terminal device, please refer to Figure 7 For the sake of simplicity, the description of the UDM determining whether to locate the terminal device in step S706 is not repeated here. The following is an example of the AMF requesting the LMF to locate the terminal device. That is, the AMF can execute the following steps S707 to S709.

[0243] Optionally, in S805, AMF sends location request information to LMF.

[0244] The location request message is used to request the location information of a terminal device with the first capability. Exemplarily, the location request message may include identification information of the terminal device, such as SUPI. Thus, the LMF can locate the terminal device based on the identification information.

[0245] In some implementations, the UDM may send a message carrying location request information, such as Nlmf_location_subscription.

[0246] Optionally, in S806, the LMF obtains location information of the terminal device.

[0247] LMF can locate the terminal device based on the location request information. The method for LMF to obtain the terminal device location information can refer to the existing positioning method and will not be described in detail here.

[0248] Optionally, in S807, LMF sends the location information of the terminal device to AMF.

[0249] Exemplarily, the LMF sends a message, such as Nlmf_location_eventnotify, carrying the location information of the terminal device with the first capability to the AMF. In some implementations, the message may also carry identification information of the terminal device, such as SUPI. This allows the UDM to obtain more accurate location information of the terminal device from the LMF.

[0250] S808, AMF sends the first information to LMF.

[0251] The first information indicates a terminal device having a first capability. Figure 6 In some implementations, the AMF may send a message carrying the first information to the TMF, such as Namf_AloTReader_Notify.

[0252] Based on the above technical solution, TMF can obtain the first information from UDM or AMF, so that it can subsequently select the first terminal device based on the first information to obtain the information of the IoT device in the first area. Figure 9 and Figure 10 Two possible ways of selecting the first terminal device are introduced. In the following example, for the convenience of description, TMF is used as the first core network element, AMF is used as the second core network element, and NEF is used as the third core network element. It is understandable that these network elements can be based on Figure 3 The introduction is replaced by other network elements.

[0253] Figure 9 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining a first terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0254] S901: AF sends second information to NEF.

[0255] The second information is used to request an operation on the first IoT device. The second information includes the location information of the first area where the first IoT device is located, such as the location information of the first area where the first IoT device is located. For detailed description of the second information, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S620 in FIG. is omitted here.

[0256] In some implementations, the AF may send a message carrying the second information to the NEF, such as Nnef_AloT_Inventory. Optionally, the message may also carry the AF's identification information, such as the AF ID, so that subsequent core network elements (such as the NEF and TMF) can perform contract verification on the AF based on the AF's identification information to confirm whether the AF is authorized to request operations on the IoT device. If the AF is authorized, subsequent operations will continue. If the AF is not authorized, the core network element that verifies whether the AF is authorized may return information to the AF indicating that it is not authorized to operate.

[0257] Optionally, in S902 , NEF selects TMF.

[0258] Exemplarily, the NEF may select a suitable TMF based on the location information of the first area.

[0259] S903: NEF sends second information to TMF.

[0260] For example, the NEF may send the second information provided by the AF to the TMF. For example, the NEF may send a message carrying the second information to the TMF, such as Ntmf_AloT_Inventory. Optionally, the message may also carry identification information of the AF, such as AF ID.

[0261] S904: TMF obtains first information.

[0262] TMF can be used as Figure 7 The method described above can be used to obtain the first information, or it can be used to obtain the first information. Figure 8 The method for obtaining the first information is not described here in detail.

[0263] S905 , the TMF determines the first terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device with the first capability and the location information of the first area.

[0264] For example, the TMF may select a terminal device in the first area as the first terminal device, or a terminal device whose coverage area overlaps with the first area as the first terminal device. For a more detailed description of this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of the first implementation method in step S630 is not repeated here.

[0265] Optionally, in S906, TMF sends request information #1 to AMF.

[0266] The request information #1 is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S640 is omitted here.

[0267] Optionally, S907, AMF sends request information #2 to the first terminal device.

[0268] The request information #2 is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S650 is omitted here.

[0269] Optionally, S908, the first terminal device operates the first Internet of Things device.

[0270] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S660 is omitted here.

[0271] Optionally, S909, the first terminal device sends information of the first IoT device to AMF.

[0272] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S670 is omitted here.

[0273] Optionally, in S910, AMF sends information of the first IoT device to TMF.

[0274] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S680 is omitted here.

[0275] Optionally, in S911, TMF sends information of the first IoT device to NEF.

[0276] Exemplarily, the TMF may send a message carrying information of the first IoT device to the NEF, such as Ntmf_AloT_Inventory_Notify.

[0277] Optionally, in S912, the NEF sends information of the first IoT device to the AF.

[0278] Exemplarily, the NEF may send a message carrying information of the first IoT device to the AF, such as Nnef_AloT_Inventory_Notify.

[0279] Based on this technical solution, the first core network network element can further determine the capabilities of the first terminal device, such as whether the first terminal device is in the first area where the first Internet of Things device can be operated, whether the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device is the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, and further determine whether the first terminal device can operate the first Internet of Things device, thereby improving the reliability of operations on the Internet of Things device.

[0280] Figure 10 This is a schematic flowchart of another method for determining a first terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0281] S1001: AF sends second information to NEF.

[0282] The second information may include identification information of the first terminal device. For detailed description of this step, please refer to Figure 9 The description of step S901 is omitted here.

[0283] S1002, NEF selects TMF.

[0284] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 9The description of step S902 is omitted here.

[0285] S1003, NEF sends second information to TMF.

[0286] The AF provides the NEF with the identification information of the first terminal device. The identification information of the first terminal device can be in the form of SUPI, SUCI, GPSI, or a special external reader / writer identifier. In some implementations, if the identification information provided by the AF is not SUPI, the NEF may convert the identification information provided by the AF into SUPI (or a special internal reader / writer identifier).

[0287] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 9 The description of step S903 is omitted here.

[0288] S1004, TMF obtains first information.

[0289] TMF can be used as Figure 7 The method described above can be used to obtain the first information, or it can be used to obtain the first information. Figure 8 The method for obtaining the first information is not described here in detail.

[0290] S1005: The TMF determines whether the first terminal device meets the first condition.

[0291] The first condition includes that the identification information of the first terminal device is included in the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability. Optionally, the first condition also includes one or more of the following: the location of the first terminal device is within the first area, the coverage of the first capability of the first terminal device overlaps with the first area, and the information of the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability includes the information of the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device. For detailed description of this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of the second implementation method in step S630 is omitted here.

[0292] Optionally, in S1006 , the TMF sends feedback information to the AF.

[0293] The feedback information can indicate whether the first terminal device meets the first condition. If the first condition is not met, the reason for non-satisfaction can also be indicated. The TMF stores the capabilities, identification, and servingAMF information of the terminal device with the first capability. After receiving the SUPI of the first terminal device provided by the AF, the TMF determines whether it is a UE with the first capability. If so, a subsequent AF contract check is performed. If not, an optional reason value can be fed back to the AF to notify it that the operation failed because the authorization of the first terminal device failed.

[0294] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of the second implementation method in step S630 is omitted here.

[0295] Optionally, in S1007, TMF sends request information #1 to AMF.

[0296] The request information #1 is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S640 is omitted here.

[0297] Optionally, S1008, AMF sends request information #2 to the first terminal device.

[0298] The request information #2 is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first IoT device. For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S650 is omitted here.

[0299] Optionally, in S1009, the first terminal device obtains information of the first Internet of Things device.

[0300] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S660 is omitted here.

[0301] Optionally, S1010, the first terminal device sends information of the first IoT device to AMF.

[0302] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S670 is omitted here.

[0303] Optionally, in S1011, AMF sends information of the first IoT device to TMF.

[0304] For detailed instructions on this step, please refer to Figure 6 The description of step S680 is omitted here.

[0305] Optionally, in S1012 , the TMF sends information of the first IoT device to the NEF.

[0306] Exemplarily, the TMF may send a message carrying information of the first IoT device to the NEF, such as Ntmf_AloT_Inventory_Notify.

[0307] Optionally, in S1013 , the NEF sends information of the first IoT device to the AF.

[0308] For example, the NEF may send a message carrying information of the first IoT device to the AF, such as:

[0309] Nnef_AloT_Inventory_Notify.

[0310] Based on this technical solution, the first core network element can further determine the capabilities of the first terminal device, such as whether the first terminal device is in the first area where the first IoT device can be operated, whether the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device is the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, and further determine whether the first terminal device can operate the first IoT device, thereby improving the reliability of the operation of the IoT device.

[0311] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0312] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, devices in existing network architectures are mainly used as examples for illustrative purposes, and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0313] It can be understood that in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device (such as the first core network network element, the second core network network element, the third core network network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device) can also be implemented by components that can be used for the device (such as chips or circuits).

[0314] It can also be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the order of steps can be determined according to their internal logic, and the step numbers do not limit the order of steps. For example, the first core network element can execute S610 first and then S620, or execute S620 first and then S610.

[0315] It can also be understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of the present application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, and may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios, without limitation.

[0316] Above, combined Figures 6 to 10 The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail. The above communication method is mainly introduced from the perspective of the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device, or the Internet of Things device. It is understandable that in order to implement the above functions, the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device, or the Internet of Things device includes the corresponding hardware structure and / or software modules for performing each function.

[0317] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware 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 to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0318] The following, combined Figures 11 to 13 The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment, so that the content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be repeated.

[0319] In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules of the transmitting device or the receiving device can be divided according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0320] Figure 11 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used to process data. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, while the processing module 12 is used to perform operations other than receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0321] Optionally, the device 10 may further include a storage module 13, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device implements the actions of the devices in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0322] In a first design, the apparatus 10 may correspond to the first core network element in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the first core network element.

[0323] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the first core network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform operations related to transceiver transmission of the first core network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform operations related to processing of the first core network element in the above method embodiment.

[0324] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0325] In a second design, the device 10 may correspond to the second core network element in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the second core network element.

[0326] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the second core network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform operations related to transceiver operation of the second core network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform operations related to processing of the second core network element in the above method embodiment.

[0327] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0328] In a third design, the apparatus 10 may correspond to the third core network element in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the third core network element.

[0329] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the third core network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform operations related to transceiver operation of the third core network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform operations related to processing of the third core network element in the above method embodiment.

[0330] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0331] In a fourth design, the apparatus 10 may correspond to the first terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the first terminal device.

[0332] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the first terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing-related operations of the first terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0333] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0334] It should also be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 10 may be specifically the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments; or, the device 10 may be specifically the terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0335] The apparatus 10 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device (such as the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device) in the above-mentioned method. This function can be implemented by hardware, or it can be implemented by hardware executing the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0336] In addition, the transceiver module 11 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module may be a processing circuit.

[0337] Figure 12 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 20 includes a processor 21, which is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, there are one or more processors 21.

[0338] Alternatively, as Figure 12As shown, the device 20 further includes a memory 22, which is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 can be integrated with the processor 21, or can be separately provided. Optionally, there are one or more memories 22.

[0339] Alternatively, as Figure 12 As shown, the device 20 further includes a transceiver 23, which is used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 21 is used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals.

[0340] As a solution, the device 20 is used to implement the operations performed by the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device in the above method embodiments.

[0341] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may 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 may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0342] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0343] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0344] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0345] Figure 13 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32 .

[0346] The logic circuit 31 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0347] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device in the above method embodiments.

[0348] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first core network network element, the second core network network element, the third core network network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0349] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0350] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods performed by the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device in each embodiment of the above method.

[0351] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first core network element, the second core network element, the third core network element, the first terminal device or the Internet of Things device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0352] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first core network element, second core network element, third core network element, first terminal device or Internet of Things device.

[0353] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0354] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only 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. In addition, 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.

[0355] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0356] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining a terminal device, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire first information, where the first information indicates a terminal device having a first capability, where the first capability includes an ability to operate an Internet of Things device; receiving second information, where the second information is used to request an operation to be performed on the first IoT device; Based on the first information and the second information, a first terminal device among the terminal devices with the first capability is determined to operate the first Internet of Things device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the terminal device with the first capability, location information of the terminal device with the first capability, core network element information serving the terminal device with the first capability, information indicating the coverage range of the first capability of the terminal device with the first capability, and information indicating the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The determining, based on the first information and the second information, that a first terminal device among the terminal devices with the first capability operates the first Internet of Things device includes: Based on the location information of the terminal device with the first capability and the location information of the first area where the first Internet of Things device is located, determine that the first terminal device among the terminal devices with the first capability is to operate the first Internet of Things device, wherein the second information includes the location information of the first area.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first information includes location information of the terminal device with the first capability; or, The method further comprises: Sending location request information, where the location request information is used to request location information of the terminal device with the first capability; Receive location information of the terminal device with the first capability.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The second information is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device, and the second information includes identification information of the first terminal device. The determining, based on the first information and the second information, that a first terminal device among the terminal devices with the first capability operates the first Internet of Things device includes: Determining that the first terminal device meets a first condition, so as to determine that the first terminal device operates the first Internet of Things device, The first condition includes: the identification information of the first terminal device is included in the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability, wherein the first information includes the identification information of the terminal device with the first capability.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The first condition also includes one or more of the following: The first terminal device is located in a first area, and the second information includes information about the first area where the first IoT device is located; The coverage range of the first capability of the first terminal device overlaps with the first area, and the second information includes information about the first area where the first IoT device is located; The first information includes information of the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability, the second information includes information of the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device, and the information of the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability includes information of the service requester corresponding to the first terminal device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The obtaining of the first information includes: Sending a subscription request message, where the subscription request message is used to request information of the terminal device having the first capability; A notification message is received in response to the subscription request message, where the notification message includes the first information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending a request message to a core network element serving the first terminal device, wherein the request message is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device; receiving information of the first Internet of Things device from the first terminal device; In response to the second information, information of the first IoT device is sent.

9. A method for determining a terminal device, characterized in that: The method comprises: Send first information, where the first information indicates a terminal device with a first capability, where the first capability includes an ability to operate an Internet of Things device, and the first information is used to determine a first terminal device that operates the first Internet of Things device among the terminal devices with the first capability.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The first information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the terminal device with the first capability, location information of the terminal device with the first capability, capability information of the terminal device with the first capability, core network element information serving the terminal device with the first capability, information indicating the coverage range of the first capability of the terminal device with the first capability, and information indicating the service requester corresponding to the terminal device with the first capability.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The method further comprises: A subscription request message is received, where the subscription request message is used to request the first information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending location request information, where the location request information is used to request location information of the terminal device with the first capability; Receive location information of the terminal device with the first capability, where the first information includes the location information of the terminal device with the first capability.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive capability information from a terminal device, where the first information is generated based on the capability information, and the capability information indicates one or more of the following: whether the terminal device has the first capability, the coverage of the first capability, and the service requester corresponding to the terminal device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a request message, where the request message is used to request the first terminal device to operate the first Internet of Things device; Sending information for requesting an operation on the first Internet of Things device to the first terminal device; Receiving information from the first IoT device of the first terminal device; In response to the request information, information of the first Internet of Things device is sent.

15. A communication system, characterized in that: Includes at least one of the following devices: A communication device for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8; or, A communication device for performing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processing circuit and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program or instructions, the processing circuit being used to execute the computer program or the instructions stored in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that The device is a chip.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, or instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 9 to 14.

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