Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method, equipment, a computer readable storage medium, a computer program product and a computer program. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal equipment receives a trigger signal; the terminal equipment reports data at a first moment; wherein the first moment is related to waiting duration.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application No. 202280100988.1 with the title of "Communication method and device", filed on November 10, 2022. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, and more particularly, to a communication method, device, computer readable storage medium, computer program product and computer program. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the related art, a mobile communication network supports zero-power terminal access to the network, for example, a zero-power terminal can directly access a base station to report data. However, there can be a large number of zero-power terminals in the coverage range of the base station that need to report data, and therefore, how to ensure that the network normally receives data becomes a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, device, computer readable storage medium, computer program product and computer program.

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, comprising:

[0006] The terminal device receives a trigger signal;

[0007] The terminal device reports data at a first time; wherein the first time is related to a waiting time length.

[0008] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, comprising:

[0009] The core network device sends a first request to the access network device; wherein the first request is used to instruct the access network device to send a trigger signal;

[0010] The core network device receives data reported by a terminal device; wherein the receiving time of the data is related to a waiting time length.

[0011] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, comprising:

[0012] The access network device sends a trigger signal;

[0013] The access network device receives data reported by a terminal device and sends the data to a core network device; wherein the sending time of the data is related to a waiting time length.

[0014] The embodiments of the present application provide a terminal device, comprising:

[0015] A first communication unit is configured to receive a trigger signal and report data;

[0016] The first processing unit is configured to control the first communication unit to report data at a first time point, wherein the first time point is related to the waiting time length.

[0017] The embodiment of the present application provides a core network device, which comprises:

[0018] The second communication unit is configured to send a first request to the access network device, wherein the first request is used to instruct the access network device to send a trigger signal, and receive data reported by the terminal device, wherein the receiving time point of the data is related to the waiting time length.

[0019] The embodiment of the present application provides an access network device, which comprises:

[0020] The third communication unit is configured to send a trigger signal, and receive data reported by the terminal device, and send the data to the core network device, wherein the sending time point of the data is related to the waiting time length.

[0021] The embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, which comprises a transceiver, a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device executes the above method.

[0022] The embodiment of the present application provides an access network device, which comprises a transceiver, a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the access network device executes the above method.

[0023] The embodiment of the present application provides a core network device, which comprises a transceiver, a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the core network device executes the above method.

[0024] The embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which is used to implement the above method.

[0025] Specifically, the chip comprises a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that the device installed with the chip executes the above method.

[0026] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which is used to store a computer program, and when the computer program is run by a device, the device executes the above method.

[0027] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which comprises computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions make a computer execute the above method.

[0028] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to execute the above method.

[0029] By adopting the above scheme, the terminal device reports data only when the first moment is reached after receiving the trigger signal. In this way, the terminal device does not report data immediately after receiving the trigger signal, and the terminal device can determine the waiting time length by itself. Therefore, the network side receives the data reported by the terminal device at different moments, thereby avoiding the network congestion or paralysis problem caused by the network side simultaneously receiving a large amount of data of the terminal, and ensuring that the network side can normally receive the data reported by the terminal device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 2 is a 5G network system architecture diagram according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Figure 3 is a zero-power consumption system architecture schematic diagram.

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 6 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method according to still another embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 7 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 8 is another exemplary flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a core network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a core network device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of an access network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of an access network device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0044] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0048] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, evolved system of NR system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), 5th-Generation (5G) system or other communication systems, etc.

[0049] Generally, the traditional communication system supports a limited number of connections, which is easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, the mobile communication system will not only support the traditional communication, but also support, for example, Device to Device (D2D) communication, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication, or Vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, can also be applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and can also be applied to a standalone (SA) network deployment scenario.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, which can also be regarded as a shared spectrum, or can be applied to a licensed spectrum, which can also be regarded as a non-shared spectrum.

[0052] The embodiments of the present application combine network devices and terminal devices to describe various embodiments, wherein the terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device, etc.

[0053] The terminal device can be a station (STATION, ST) in a WLAN, can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0055] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, or a wireless terminal device in smart home, etc.

[0056] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes, etc. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the clothes or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also has powerful functions through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes devices with full functions, large size, and the ability to realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as smart watches or smart glasses, etc., and devices that focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in cooperation with other devices, such as smart phones, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs, etc.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can be a device for communicating with the mobile device. The network device can be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, a base transceiver station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or an access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0058] By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, a network device can have a mobile characteristic, for example, the network device can be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device can be a satellite, a balloon station. For example, the satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Alternatively, the network device can also be a base station disposed at a location on land, water, etc.

[0059] In embodiments of the present application, a network device can serve a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (for example, a frequency domain resource, or a spectrum resource) used by the cell. The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc., and these small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmit power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0060] Figure 1 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown. The communication system includes one network device 110 and two terminal devices 120. In a possible implementation, the communication system 100 can include multiple network devices 110, and each network device 110 can include other numbers of terminal devices 120 within its coverage range, which is not limited in embodiments of the present application.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the communication system 100 can further include a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF), and other network entities, which are not limited in embodiments of the present application.

[0062] Network equipment can be further divided into access network equipment and core network equipment. That is, the wireless communication system also includes multiple core networks used to communicate with the access network equipment. Access network equipment can be evolved Node Bs (eNBs or e-NodeBs) in Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Next-Generation Radio (NR), or Authorized Auxiliary Access Long-Term Evolution (LAA-LTE) systems, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also called "small base stations"), pico base stations, access points (APs), transmission points (TPs), or new generation Node Bs (gNodeBs).

[0063] It should be understood that devices with communication functions in the network / system of this application embodiment can be referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 Taking the communication system shown as an example, the communication equipment may include network devices and terminal devices with communication functions. The network devices and terminal devices may be specific devices in the embodiments of this application, which will not be described in detail here. The communication equipment may also include other devices in the communication system, such as network controllers, mobility management entities and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0064] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the basic processes and concepts involved in the embodiments of this application are briefly described below. It should be understood that the basic processes and concepts described below do not limit the embodiments of this application.

[0065] In the 5G network system architecture diagram as follows Figure 2The shown, including: NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function) is mainly used for network slice related information management, such as responsible for selecting network slice for terminal equipment; AUSF (Authentication Server Function) is used to complete the identity authentication function of user access; UDM (Unified Data Management) is used to manage and store subscription data, authentication data; AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) is used to complete mobility management, security anchor point and security context management, etc., AMF is responsible for forwarding the session management related messages between UE and SMF in addition to the mobility management of UE; SMF (Session Management Function) is used to complete the session management, UE IP address allocation and management, etc.; PCF (Policy Control Function) is responsible for formulating the policy related to the mobility management, session management, charging, etc. of UE; AF (Application Function) is used for external application server; UPF (User Plane Function) is used for complex user plane processing, such as forwarding traffic between wireless access network and Internet, reporting traffic usage, QoS (Quality of Service) policy implementation, etc.; DN (Data Network) is the 5GC external data network (such as Internet, etc.).

[0066] In addition, data transmission is carried out between various nodes of 5GC (5G core network), between user equipment (UE) and nodes of 5GC, between UE and radio access network (RAN), and between RAN and nodes of 5GC through corresponding interfaces respectively. For example Figure 2As shown: the data transmission between AMF and NSSF in 5GC through interface N22; the data transmission between AMF and SMF through interface N11; the data transmission between AMF and AUSF through N12; the data transmission between AMF and UDM through N8 interface. The data transmission between SMF and UPF through N4 interface. The data transmission between UPF and external data network through N6 interface, and the data transmission between UPF and AN through N3 interface. The access layer connection between UE and AN through Uu interface, and the interaction of access layer messages and wireless data transmission. The non-access layer (NAS) connection between UE and AMF through N1 interface, and the interaction of NAS messages. The data transmission between RAN and AMF through N2 interface, and the data transmission between RAN and UPF through N3 interface. It should be understood that only part of the interfaces between nodes are described above, Figure 2 Other interfaces between other nodes in 5GC are not described one by one.

[0067] Zero-power communication network is a wireless communication technology suitable for short distance and low rate. Zero-power device mainly combines radio frequency energy harvesting technology, backscatter technology and low-power operation technology to realize the advantage of device node without carrying power supply. The basic architecture of zero-power system is as shown in Figure 3 Tag (tag) ; Tag can have energy harvesting, backscatter communication, and low-power computing functions. Among them, energy harvesting can also be called radio frequency energy collection, the core of which is to convert radio frequency energy into direct current. Energy can be stored in batteries or capacitors, or collected directly to drive logic circuits, digital chips or sensor devices, etc., to complete the modulation and transmission of backscatter signals, the collection and processing of sensing information, and other functions and applications. Tag is a kind of zero-power terminal, and it should be understood that in actual scenarios, zero-power terminal can be a tag (Tag), but also a general device (device), which is not limited here.

[0068] With the development of 5G system, the demand for zero-power terminal access network supported by 5G system appears in 3GPP standard. The scene that zero-power terminal access network is mainly aimed at has the following characteristics: extreme environment, not suitable for ordinary terminal work; terminal with very low power consumption and cost; batteryless terminal. Zero-power communication system can be used in wireless industrial sensing network, intelligent agriculture, intelligent warehouse and logistics, smart home and other scenarios. Zero-power terminal can directly access the base station, or access the base station through a relay device. The former is called direct mode, and the latter is called indirect mode.

[0069] Based on the energy source and use mode of zero-power terminal, zero-power terminal can be divided into the following types:

[0070] 1) Passive zero-power terminal, passive zero-power terminal does not need to install a battery, when the passive zero-power terminal is close to the network equipment (such as the reader of the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system), the passive zero-power terminal is in the near-field range formed by the antenna radiation of the network equipment. Therefore, the passive zero-power terminal antenna generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction, and the induced current drives the low-power chip circuit of the zero-power terminal. The zero-power terminal realizes the demodulation of the forward link signal and the modulation of the backward link signal and other work. For the backscatter link, the passive zero-power terminal uses the backscatter implementation mode to transmit signals.

[0071] It can be seen that the passive zero-power terminal does not need to install a battery to drive, whether it is a forward link or a reverse link, and it is a truly zero-power terminal. The passive zero-power terminal does not need a battery, and the radio frequency circuit and the baseband circuit are very simple, for example, it does not need LNA (Low-Noise Amplifier), PA (Power Amplifier), crystal oscillator, ADC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and other devices, so it has many advantages such as small size, light weight, very cheap price, long service life and so on. The characteristics of such a passive zero-power terminal can also be: no battery; obtain energy from the surrounding environment (such as radio waves, solar energy, wind energy, mechanical kinetic energy, etc.); no USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module); and can store energy through the surrounding environment, but the energy is very small, so the supported function logic is much less than that of a common mobile phone terminal.

[0072] 2) Semi-passive zero-power terminal, the semi-passive zero-power terminal itself does not install a conventional battery, but can use an RF energy harvesting module to harvest radio wave energy, and store the harvested energy in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). After the energy storage unit obtains energy, it can drive the low-power chip circuit of the semi-passive zero-power terminal to realize the demodulation of the forward link signal and the modulation of the backward link signal and other work. For the backscatter link, the semi-passive zero-power terminal uses the backscatter implementation mode to transmit signals.

[0073] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power terminal does not need to install a battery to drive, whether it is a forward link or a reverse link, although it uses energy stored in a capacitor during work, but the energy comes from the radio energy harvested by the energy harvesting module, so it is also a truly zero-power terminal. The semi-passive zero-power terminal inherits many advantages of the passive zero-power terminal, so it has many advantages such as small size, light weight, very cheap price, long service life and so on.

[0074] 3) Active zero-power terminal, some zero-power terminals used in some scenarios can also be active zero-power terminals, which can be built-in with a battery. The battery is used to drive the low-power chip circuit of the active zero-power terminal to realize demodulation of the forward link signal and modulation of the backward link signal and other work. However, for the backscatter link, the active zero-power terminal uses the backscatter implementation mode to transmit signals. Therefore, the zero power of this terminal mainly reflects that the signal transmission of the backward link does not require the power of the terminal itself, but uses the backscatter mode. The active zero-power terminal is built-in with a battery to supply power to the RFID chip to increase the read-write distance of the tag and improve the reliability of communication. Therefore, it can be applied in some scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance, reading delay and the like.

[0075] Based on the above description, it can be seen that the zero-power terminal has the characteristics of small size, large quantity, low complexity and the like. For the direct mode, when the base station sends a trigger signal, if there are a large number of zero-power terminals under the base station that need to respond, a large number of reply signals or data can be received by the network at the same time, which can cause network congestion or paralysis. Therefore, how to ensure normal data reception of the network becomes a problem to be solved.

[0076] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

[0077] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be direct indication, indirect indication, or can represent an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained by A directly; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained by C; it can also mean that A and B have an associated relationship.

[0078] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can represent a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, can also represent an associated relationship between the two, or can represent an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, and the like.

[0079] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the related technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described as follows. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application in any way, and all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0080] Figure 4is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises at least part of the following.

[0081] S410, the terminal device receives the trigger signal.

[0082] S420, the terminal device reports data at a first time; wherein the first time is related to the waiting time length.

[0083] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method comprises at least part of the following.

[0084] S510, the core network device sends a first request to the access network device; wherein the first request is used to instruct the access network device to send a trigger signal.

[0085] S520, the core network device receives data reported by a terminal device; wherein the receiving time of the data is related to the waiting time length.

[0086] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method comprises at least part of the following.

[0087] S610, the access network device sends a trigger signal.

[0088] S620, the access network device receives data reported by a terminal device, and sends the data to a core network device; wherein the sending time of the data is related to the waiting time length.

[0089] Here, the access network device can be any one of a base station, a gNB, an eNB, etc. The core network device can be a device in a 5GC. The core network device can be one of the following: an AMF, a UPF, an SMF, etc. In a preferred example, the aforementioned core network device is an AMF.

[0090] The terminal device can be an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device, or an Ambient power enabled Internet of Things (AIoT) terminal device. In some possible examples, the terminal device can be a zero-power-consumption terminal, for example, a zero-power-consumption IoT terminal or a zero-power-consumption AIoT terminal. For another example, the zero-power-consumption IoT terminal can be a semi-passive zero-power-consumption IoT terminal or an active zero-power-consumption IoT terminal, or the zero-power-consumption AIoT terminal can be an active zero-power-consumption AIoT terminal or a semi-passive AIoT terminal. In another possible example, the terminal device can be an IoT-capable or AIoT-capable terminal device.

[0091] It should be understood that the above description of the access network device, the core network device, and the terminal device is applicable to the above Figures 4 to 6 The communication method provided by any one of the embodiments.

[0092] In some possible implementations, when there is a data collection requirement at the network side, a device at the core network side sends a first request to the access network device, so that the access network device sends a trigger signal to the terminal device. At this time, the first request carries first configuration information, and the trigger signal carries the first configuration information. The following is a detailed description:

[0093] The core network device sends the first request to the access network device, including: the core network device sends the first request to the access network device in a case where the core network device receives a second request; the second request is used to instruct the core network device to send the first request.

[0094] The access network device sends the trigger signal, including: the access network device sends the trigger signal to the terminal device in a case where the access network device receives the first request sent by the core network device.

[0095] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the trigger signal, including: the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device. Specifically, the terminal device receiving the trigger signal means that an access stratum (AS) of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device.

[0096] The first request carries first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time length.

[0097] The second request indicates that the target AF needs to acquire data or needs to collect data, in particular, the second request indicates that the target AF needs to trigger the core network device to send the first request to acquire data. The second request carries the first configuration information; or the second request carries second configuration information, the second configuration information is related to the first configuration information. The second request can also carry at least one of a service (Service) identifier (ID) and a service (Service) area. Further, the second request can also carry an ID of the target AF.

[0098] The target AF can be one of one or more AFs. Any AF of the one or more AFs can be an external application server.

[0099] The core network device receiving the second request can include one of the following: the core network device directly receives a second request sent by a target application function (AF); or the core network device receives a second request sent by another core network device. The other core network device can be a device in the core network other than the core network device.

[0100] For example, the core network device is an AMF, and the other core network device includes an SMF. The core network device receiving the second request sent by the other core network device can include the AMF receiving the second request sent by the SMF.

[0101] In this example, the target AF to the SMF processing can further include: when the target AF has data collection requirements, the target AF sends a third request to a NEF (Network Element Function); the NEF sends a fourth request to the SMF upon receiving the third request; the SMF sends the second request to the AMF upon receiving the fourth request. Alternatively, when the target AF has data collection requirements, the target AF sends a fifth request to the SMF; the SMF sends the second request to the AMF upon receiving the fifth request. The fifth request can carry the first configuration information or the second configuration information; the fifth request can also carry at least one of a Service ID and a Service area; further, the fifth request can also carry an ID of the target AF.

[0102] The processing of the fourth request sent by the NEF to the SMF in the case that the third request is received can include: in the case that the NEF determines to allow the target AF to perform service through the 5GC based on the third request after receiving the third request, the NEF sends the fourth request to the SMF. The third request can carry the first configuration information or the second configuration information related to the first configuration information, and the third request can further carry at least one of a service identifier, a service area, and an ID of the target AF. Correspondingly, the determination of the NEF to allow the target AF to perform service through the 5GC based on the third request can include at least one of the following: the NEF can determine whether the target AF is a preset AF allowed to perform service data transmission through the 5GC based on the ID of the target AF in the third request, and if so, it is determined that the target AF is allowed to perform service through the 5GC; the NEF can determine whether the service is a preset service allowed to perform data transmission through the 5GC based on the service identifier (ID) in the third request, and if so, it is determined that the target AF is allowed to perform service through the 5GC. The fourth request can carry the first configuration information or the second configuration information, and the fourth request can further carry at least one of a service ID and a service area. Further, the fourth request can further carry the ID of the target AF.

[0103] Further, the sending of the fourth request by the NEF to the SMF can include: the NEF selects an SMF from a plurality of candidate SMFs according to the service identifier and / or the service area in the third request, and sends the fourth request to the selected SMF.

[0104] The processing of the second request sent by the SMF to the AMF in the case that the fourth request is received can include: the SMF determines an AMF from a plurality of candidate AMFs according to the first correspondence relationship and at least one of the service ID and the service area in the fourth request, and sends the second request to the AMF. The first correspondence relationship can refer to: each candidate AMF in the plurality of candidate AMFs corresponds to a candidate service identifier and / or a candidate service area.

[0105] In the foregoing exemplary description, although part of the content included in the third request, the fourth request, the fifth request, and the second request is the same, the third request, the fourth request, the fifth request, and the second request are respectively carried by different signaling between different device interfaces.

[0106] It should be understood that the foregoing is not an exhaustive enumeration of the processing of the core network device in the case that the core network device is the AMF and the AMF receives the second request.

[0107] The foregoing embodiments have shown that the second request can carry the service identity and / or the service area. In the present embodiment, the foregoing second request can also carry the first configuration information, or can also carry the second configuration information.

[0108] Optionally, the second request carries the first configuration information; correspondingly, the first request sent by the core network device to the access network device includes that the core network device can directly carry the first configuration information in the first request sent to the access network device. In this case, the second configuration information can include the first response time length. The first configuration information can also include the first response time length. Further, the second configuration information can also include the first indication information; correspondingly, the first configuration information can also include the first indication information, which is used to indicate that the random number is generated based on the first response time length. The function used to generate the random number can be a normal function or a uniform distribution function.

[0109] Optionally, the second request carries the second configuration information; correspondingly, the first request sent by the core network device to the access network device includes that the core network device obtains the first configuration information based on the second configuration information in the second request, and carries the first configuration information in the first request sent to the access network device.

[0110] In this case, the second configuration information can include the second response time length. The first configuration information can include the first response time length, which can be obtained based on the second response time length.

[0111] The foregoing second response time length, which can also be referred to as a second response time range, can be in units of milliseconds, and of course other units can also be used, which are not exhaustively listed here. The foregoing first response time length, which can also be referred to as a first response time range, can be in units of milliseconds, and of course other units can also be used, which are not exhaustively listed here.

[0112] For example, the first response duration can be one of: equal to the second response duration; the second response duration reduced by a first specified duration; the second response duration increased by a second specified duration; a second random number not greater than the second response duration. That is, the manner in which the core network device obtains the first configuration information based on the second configuration information in the second request can be one of: the core network device takes the second response duration of the second configuration information in the second request as the first response duration, and generates the first configuration information based on the first response duration; the core network device reduces the second response duration of the second configuration information in the second request by a first specified duration to obtain the first response duration, and generates the first configuration information based on the first response duration; the core network device increases the second response duration of the second configuration information in the second request by a second specified duration to obtain the first response duration, and generates the first configuration information based on the first response duration; the core network device obtains a second random number not greater than the second response duration of the second configuration information in the second request, takes the second random number as the first response duration, and generates the first configuration information based on the first response duration.

[0113] The first specified duration can be set according to actual conditions, such as 1 millisecond or 0.1 millisecond, etc., or larger or smaller, which is not exhaustively listed here. The second specified duration can be set according to actual conditions, such as 0.05 milliseconds or larger or smaller, which is not exhaustively listed here. The function that can be used to generate the aforementioned second random number can be a normal function or a uniform distribution function.

[0114] Optionally, the first request can also carry second indication information, and the second indication information includes identification information corresponding to one or more devices that need to be triggered; and the one or more devices that need to be triggered include the terminal device. That is, in addition to carrying the aforementioned first configuration information in the first request, the core network device can also carry second indication information in the first request to indicate one or more devices that need to be triggered by the access network device. The aforementioned one or more devices that need to be triggered can be determined by the core network device according to actual conditions, such as when the core network device supports multiple AF services at the same time, the core network device can determine one or more devices associated with the target AF in the service area as the aforementioned one or more devices that need to be triggered according to the second request. Any one of the aforementioned one or more devices that need to be triggered can be a zero-power terminal, which can be an AIoT device or an IoT device.

[0115] The access network device can send a trigger signal to the terminal device after receiving the aforementioned first request. The trigger signal carries the first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting duration.

[0116] The trigger signal is one of a paging message and a broadcast signal.

[0117] Optionally, the trigger signal is a paging message. Specifically, the trigger signal can be a paging message in multiplexing technology, that is, a trigger signal for triggering the terminal device to report data is added in the paging message. If the trigger signal is a paging message, the trigger signal is a signal that can be received by the corresponding device. In a preferred example, the second indication information is carried in the first request, and the access network device can determine the identity of each device that needs to be triggered based on the second indication information (for example, the UE ID of each AIoT device that needs to be triggered is included in the second indication information); accordingly, the access network device can send a trigger signal corresponding to a multiplexed paging message to each device that needs to be triggered. Of course, there can also be another example, and the second indication information is not carried in the first request, and the access network device can send a trigger signal corresponding to a multiplexed paging message to all devices in its coverage range.

[0118] Optionally, the trigger signal is a broadcast signal. At this time, the broadcast signal can be a signal different from the broadcast signal specified in the related protocol. If the trigger signal is a broadcast signal, the trigger signal is a signal that can be received by all devices within the coverage range of the access network device. In a preferred example, the second indication information is not carried in the first request, and the access network device can broadcast the trigger signal to all devices in its coverage range. Of course, there can also be another possible example, and the second indication information is carried in the first request, but the access network device still broadcasts the trigger signal to all devices in its coverage range; then the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, judges whether the identity of the terminal device is the same as the identity of any one of the one or more devices that need to be triggered, and if so, sends the data to the core network device.

[0119] The above processing is described for the processing of the core network device sending the first request and the access network device sending the trigger signal to the terminal device after receiving the first request.

[0120] The foregoing terminal device receives the trigger signal, and the terminal device reports data at the first time, which can be: the terminal device receives the trigger signal, and if the trigger signal does not carry the second indication information, the terminal device reports data at the first time; if the trigger signal carries the second indication information, the terminal device judges whether its identity information is any one of the identity information corresponding to the one or more devices that need to be triggered in the second indication information, and if so, the terminal device reports data at the first time. In addition, it can also include: if the identity information of the terminal device is not any one of the identity information corresponding to the one or more devices that need to be triggered in the second indication information, the terminal device does not collect data or does not report data.

[0121] It should be noted that the data reported by the terminal device is the data collected by the terminal device. The time at which the terminal device collects the data can be before receiving the trigger signal or after receiving the trigger signal. The embodiment is not limited in this regard.

[0122] The terminal device reports data at the first time. The terminal device can report data to the core network device through a NAS connection established by a NAS of the terminal device at the first time. Alternatively, the terminal device can report data to the access network device through an AS of the terminal device at the first time.

[0123] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device. The core network device can receive the data reported by the terminal device through the NAS connection established by the NAS of the terminal device. Alternatively, the core network device can receive the data reported by the terminal device through the access network device.

[0124] The first time is the time obtained by adding the waiting time to the time of receiving the trigger signal. That is, the terminal device obtains the first time by adding the waiting time to the time of receiving the trigger signal.

[0125] Whether the terminal device reports data to the core network device through the NAS or reports data to the access network device through the AS can be preconfigured or determined by the terminal device itself. The determination manner is not limited. For example, a user can preconfigure the terminal device to report data to the core network device through the NAS or preconfigure the terminal device to report data to the access network device through the AS. The manner of preconfiguring the terminal device is not limited in the embodiment. The following will be described respectively.

[0126] In one embodiment, the terminal device reports data at the first time. The terminal device can report the data to the core network device through the NAS connection established by the NAS of the terminal device at the first time. Correspondingly, the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device. The core network device can receive the data reported by the terminal device through the NAS connection established by the NAS of the terminal device.

[0127] The establishing of the NAS connection with the core network device and the establishing of the NAS connection between the core network device and the terminal device can be that the terminal device and the core network device perform a service request process. The specific process of performing the service request process between the terminal device and the core network device is not limited in the embodiment.

[0128] Further, if the terminal device determines to report data to the core network device through the NAS, after the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device, the AS of the terminal device can further send the first configuration information to a non-access stratum (NAS) of the terminal device, and the NAS of the terminal device can determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information. In addition, the NAS of the terminal device can add the waiting time length to the time when the trigger signal is received to obtain a first time.

[0129] In a possible example, the first configuration information can include a first response time length. Correspondingly, the waiting time length can be equal to the first response time length.

[0130] The NAS of the terminal device can determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information, and the determination specifically includes that the NAS of the terminal device obtains a first response time length from the first configuration information and directly takes the first response time length as the waiting time length.

[0131] In a possible example, the first configuration information can include a first response time length. Correspondingly, the waiting time length can be a first random number determined based on the first response time length, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response time length.

[0132] The NAS of the terminal device can determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information, and the determination specifically includes that the NAS of the terminal device obtains a first response time length from the first configuration information, determines a first random number that is not greater than the first response time length based on the first response time length, and takes the first random number as the waiting time length. In this example, the terminal device can be preconfigured with a default first strategy, and the default first strategy can indicate that the terminal device needs to determine a first random number based on a first response time length and take the first random number as a waiting time length. The function used to generate the first random number can be a normal function or a uniform distribution function.

[0133] In a possible example, the first configuration information includes a first response duration, and the first configuration information further includes first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that a random number is generated based on the first response duration. The waiting duration is a first random number determined based on the first response duration, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response duration.

[0134] The NAS of the terminal device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information, and specifically includes: in a case where the NAS of the terminal device obtains the first response duration and the first indication information from the first configuration information, generating a first random number that is not greater than the first response duration, and taking the first random number as the waiting duration.

[0135] On the side of the core network device in the embodiment, the receiving time of the data is a time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting duration. Since the terminal device directly reports the data to the core network device, and the data is reported at a first time after the receiving time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting duration, the duration between the sending time of the first request and the receiving time of the data sent by the core network device is necessarily not less than the foregoing waiting duration. Specifically, the receiving time of the data can be equal to the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting duration; or, due to the delay caused by transmission or the delay caused by other network requests, the receiving time of the data can be later than the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting duration. Regardless of which of the above cases, the time at which the core network device side receives the data reported by the terminal device is after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting duration.

[0136] In the embodiment, the core network device can also determine the waiting duration, and the processing can include: determining the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. It should be understood that the processing of determining the waiting duration by the core network device is the same as the processing of determining the waiting duration by the NAS or the AS of the terminal device based on the first configuration information, for example, if the terminal device adopts a default first strategy, the corresponding core network device can also adopt the same default first strategy, which is not described herein.

[0137] In an embodiment, the terminal device reports the data at the first time, including: the AS of the terminal device reports the data to the access network device at the first time.

[0138] Correspondingly, the processing of the access network device can include: the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, and sends the data to the core network device.

[0139] The processing of the core network device comprises: receiving, by the core network device, the data reported by the terminal device. Specifically, the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device through the access network device.

[0140] After the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal, the method can further comprise: determining, by the AS of the terminal device, the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. In this way, the AS of the terminal device does not need to pass the first configuration information to the NAS, and can directly determine the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. Further, the AS of the terminal device adds the waiting duration to the time when the trigger signal is received to obtain the first time.

[0141] In a possible example, the first configuration information can comprise a first response duration. Correspondingly, the waiting duration can be equal to the first response duration.

[0142] The AS of the terminal device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information, specifically comprising: the AS of the terminal device obtains a first response duration from the first configuration information, and directly takes the first response duration as the waiting duration.

[0143] In a possible example, the first configuration information can comprise a first response duration. Correspondingly, the waiting duration is a first random number determined based on the first response duration, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response duration.

[0144] The AS of the terminal device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information, specifically comprising: the AS of the terminal device obtains a first response duration from the first configuration information, and determines a first random number that is not greater than the first response duration based on the first response duration, and takes the first random number as the waiting duration. In this example, the terminal device can pre-set a default first strategy, which can instruct the terminal device to determine a first random number based on the first response duration, and take the first random number as the waiting duration.

[0145] In a possible example, the first configuration information comprises a first response duration, and the first configuration information further comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that a random number is generated based on the first response duration. The waiting duration is a first random number determined based on the first response duration, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response duration.

[0146] The AS of the terminal device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information, specifically including: in the case that the AS of the terminal device obtains the first response duration and the first indication information from the first configuration information, generating a first random number that is not greater than the first response duration, and taking the first random number as the waiting duration.

[0147] Different from the foregoing embodiments, the AS of the terminal device reports data to the access network device at the first time. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device and sends the data to the core network device, specifically including: in the case that the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, directly sending the data to the core network device. That is, as long as the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, it sends the data to the core network device.

[0148] In this embodiment, in the process of sending the data by the access network device to the core network device, the sending time of the data can be the time after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the trigger signal. Since the terminal device reports the data at the first time after adding the waiting duration to the receiving time of the trigger signal, the duration between the sending time of the trigger signal and the sending time of the data by the access network device is necessarily not less than the foregoing waiting duration. Specifically, the sending time of the data can be equal to the time after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the trigger signal, or the sending time of the data can be later than the time after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the trigger signal. Regardless of the above cases, the time of sending the data by the access network device to the core network device is after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the trigger signal.

[0149] The core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device through the access network device. Similarly, on the side of the core network device, the receiving time of the data is the time after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the first request. This is because the terminal device reports the data at the first time after adding the waiting duration to the receiving time of the trigger signal, so the sending time of the data by the access network device to the core network device is also after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the trigger signal, and correspondingly, the duration between the sending time of the first request and the receiving time of the data by the core network device is necessarily not less than the foregoing waiting duration. Specifically, the receiving time of the data can be equal to the time after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the first request; or due to the delay caused by transmission or due to the delay caused by other network requests, the receiving time of the data can be later than the time after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the first request. Regardless of the above cases, the time of receiving the data by the core network device is after adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the first request.

[0150] In this embodiment, the processing of the access network device can further include determining the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. Similarly, the processing of the core network device can also include determining the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. The processing of determining the waiting duration by the access network device and the core network device respectively should be the same as the processing of determining the waiting duration by the terminal device. For example, if the terminal device adopts the default first strategy, the corresponding core network device and access network device can also adopt the same default first strategy, and thus details are not described herein.

[0151] In another embodiment, the foregoing access network device can not send the first configuration information to the terminal device, that is, the first configuration information can not be carried in the foregoing trigger signal, and the trigger signal is only used to trigger the terminal device to report data.

[0152] In this embodiment, the foregoing core network device still receives the second request sent by the target AF and sends the first request to the access network device. The related description of the second request and the first request is the same as that in the foregoing embodiment, and thus details are not described herein.

[0153] In this embodiment, the access network device does not send the first configuration information to the terminal device. The processing of the access network device can include that the access network device sends a trigger signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the processing of the terminal device can include that the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device, and the AS of the terminal device reports data to the access network device. Here, before the AS of the terminal device reports data to the access network device, the terminal device also collects data, and details of the processing of collecting data are not described herein.

[0154] The method further includes that the access network device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. The processing of determining the waiting duration by the access network device based on the first configuration information is the same as that in the foregoing embodiment, and thus details are not described herein.

[0155] Further, the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device and sends the data to the core network device, including that the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, and the access network device sends the data to the core network device when the sending time of the data is reached. It should be noted that the sending time of the data is determined by the access network device in this embodiment, and thus the sending time of the data can be the time obtained by adding the waiting duration to the sending time of the trigger signal.

[0156] In combination with Figure 7Taking the terminal device as an example of UE, in an example, the UE can be a zero-power terminal device, such as a zero-power IoT UE or a zero-power AIoT UE; taking the access network device as an example of a radio access network (RAN), and taking the core network device as an example of an AMF, and taking other core network devices as examples of NEF and SMF, the communication method provided in the foregoing embodiments is exemplarily described, including:

[0157] S701, in the case that the target AF has a data collection requirement, the target AF sends a third request to the NEF, the third request carrying first configuration information, a service ID, and a service area; the first configuration information includes a first response time length.

[0158] It should be understood that, in another example, the third request can not carry the first configuration information, but can carry second configuration information related to the first configuration information, and the second configuration information includes a second response time length. Figure 7 In order to be brief, this case is not illustrated.

[0159] In addition, the first configuration information can carry first indication information for indicating generation of a random number in addition to the first response time length. The specific description of the first configuration information is the same as that in the foregoing embodiments, and thus is not repeated.

[0160] The response time length can also be represented as a response time range, and all possible names of the response time length are not enumerated here.

[0161] S702, the NEF sends a fourth request to the SMF, the fourth request carrying the first configuration information, the service ID, and the service area; the first configuration information includes the first response time length.

[0162] Specifically, the NEF can send the fourth request to the SMF in the case that the NEF determines, based on the third request, that the target AF is allowed to perform service through the 5GC. The specific processing manner is the same as that in the foregoing embodiments, for example, the NEF can select an SMF from a plurality of candidate SMFs according to the service ID and / or the service area in the third request, and send the fourth request to the selected SMF, in the case that the NEF determines, based on the ID of the target AF, that the target AF is a preset AF allowed to perform data transmission through the 5GC, and the NEF determines, based on the service ID, that the service is a preset service allowed to perform data transmission through the 5GC.

[0163] In addition, the first configuration information can carry first indication information in addition to the first response duration, which is used to instruct to generate a random number. The specific description of the first configuration information is the same as the foregoing embodiments, and thus will not be described herein.

[0164] S703, the SMF sends a second request to the AMF, the second request carrying first configuration information, a service ID, and a service area; the first configuration information including a first response duration.

[0165] Specifically, the SMF determines an AMF from a plurality of candidate AMFs according to a first correspondence relationship and the service identifier and / or the service area in the second request, and sends the second request to the AMF. The first correspondence relationship can refer to that each candidate AMF in the plurality of candidate AMFs corresponds to a candidate service identifier and / or a candidate service area.

[0166] In addition, the first configuration information can carry first indication information in addition to the first response duration, which is used to instruct to generate a random number. The specific description of the first configuration information is the same as the foregoing embodiments, and thus will not be described herein.

[0167] S704, the AMF sends a first request to the RAN, the first request carrying first configuration information including a first response duration.

[0168] The first request can carry second indication information in addition to the first configuration information, the second indication information including one or more UE IDs of AioT UEs that need to be triggered; the one or more AioT UEs that need to be triggered can include the foregoing UE. It should be noted that if the first request carries the second indication information, the RAN can only trigger the corresponding AioT UE, and if the first request does not carry the second indication information, the RAN triggers all AioT UEs within its coverage range.

[0169] S705, the RAN sends a trigger signal carrying the first configuration information.

[0170] S706, the UE determines a waiting duration based on the first configuration information.

[0171] Specifically, the UE receives the trigger signal; and the UE determines a waiting duration based on the first configuration information carried in the trigger signal. The UE receiving the trigger signal refers to that an AS of the UE receives the trigger signal sent by the RAN.

[0172] In one case, if the UE needs to perform a service request procedure subsequently, the AS of the UE sends the first configuration information to the NAS layer of the UE, and the NAS layer of the UE determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. Further, the NAS layer of the UE increases the waiting duration based on the receiving time of the trigger signal to obtain the first time.

[0173] In another case, if the UE does not need to perform a service request procedure subsequently, i.e., the AS of the UE directly reports data, the AS of the UE determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. Further, the AS of the UE increases the waiting duration based on the receiving time of the trigger signal to obtain the first time.

[0174] As to whether the UE needs to perform a service request procedure subsequently, it can be pre-set or pre-determined, which is not limited herein. The purpose of performing the service request procedure is to establish a NAS connection between the UE and the AMF.

[0175] The processing of the waiting duration is the same as the foregoing embodiments, and thus is not repeated.

[0176] After the foregoing S706 is completed, the following S707a processing can be performed, or the S707b processing can be performed:

[0177] S707a. The AS of the UE reports data to the RAN at the first time, and the RAN sends the data to the AMF.

[0178] S707b. The NAS of the UE establishes a NAS connection with the AMF at the first time, and reports data to the AMF through the NAS connection.

[0179] It should be understood that after the foregoing S707a is completed, or after the foregoing S707b is completed, the AMF can also send data to the target AF through the NEF and the SMF. This part of the procedure is not exemplarily illustrated in the Figure 7 for the sake of brevity.

[0180] It should be noted that although the foregoing embodiments are described in Figure 7In some possible embodiments, the terminal device pre-registers in the core network and obtains the first configuration information; and when the network side has a data collection requirement, a device on the core network side triggers the access network device to send the trigger signal, and at this time the trigger signal does not carry the first configuration information. In the following, specific descriptions are given:

[0181] In combination with the foregoing embodiments, it can be seen that the terminal device waits until the first time arrives before reporting the data. In this way, the terminal device does not report the data immediately after receiving the trigger signal, and the terminal device can determine the waiting time by itself. Therefore, the time when the network side receives the data reported by the terminal device can also be different, thereby avoiding the problem of network congestion or paralysis that may be caused by receiving a large amount of data from terminals at one time, and ensuring that the network side can normally receive the data reported by the terminal device.

[0182] In some possible embodiments, the terminal device pre-registers in the core network and obtains the first configuration information; and when the network side has a data collection requirement, a device on the core network side triggers the access network device to send the trigger signal, and at this time the trigger signal does not carry the first configuration information. In the following, specific descriptions are given:

[0183] Before the terminal device receives the trigger signal, the terminal device can also receive the first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time. Specifically, the terminal device receives the first configuration information, including that the NAS of the terminal device receives the first configuration information sent by the core network device.

[0184] The process of sending the first configuration information by the core network device can include that the core network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time.

[0185] The foregoing first configuration information can include a first response time. Further, the first configuration information can also include first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a random number is generated based on the first response time. The detailed description of the first response time and the first indication information is the same as that in the foregoing embodiments, and is not repeated here.

[0186] Before the terminal device receives the first configuration information, the terminal device can further send capability information, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on energy collection. Correspondingly, before the core network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, the core network device can further receive the capability information of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT AIoT capability based on energy collection.

[0187] Here, the Ambient IoT capability can also be described as the capability of data collection in Ambient IoT, or the capability of data collection and reporting in Ambient IoT, and the like, which is not limited here.

[0188] The capability information can be sent to the core network device. For example, the terminal device sending the capability information specifically means that the terminal device sends the capability information to the core network device; the capability information can be carried by any kind of NAS message. For another example, the terminal device sending the capability information can mean that the terminal device sends the capability information to the access network device, and the access network device sends the capability information to the core network device; when the terminal device sends the capability information to the access network device, the capability information can be carried by air interface signaling, such as any one of RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element), and the like.

[0189] In a preferred example, the first configuration information is obtained by the terminal device in a registration process, and is specifically carried by a registration accept message.

[0190] The terminal device sending the capability information includes that the NAS of the terminal device sends a registration request message to the core network device; the registration request message carries the capability information. Correspondingly, the core network device receiving the capability information of the terminal device includes that the core network device receives the registration request message sent by the terminal device; the registration request message carries the capability information of the terminal device.

[0191] In this example, the registration request message can specifically include an indication of whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability; the indication can be a bit in a 5G system mobility management (5GS Mobility Management, 5GMM) capability parameter, that is, a specified bit in the 5GMM capability parameter can be defined to indicate whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability. Further, the value of the bit can be used to indicate whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability, such as the value of the bit being a first value, indicating that the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability, and the value of the bit being a second value, indicating that the terminal device does not support Ambient IoT capability. The first value and the second value are different, such as the first value being 1 and the second value being 0, or the first value being 0 and the second value being 1, which is not limited here.

[0192] In this example, after the core network device receives the capability information of the terminal device, the core network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. Wherein, the core network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, including: the core network device sends the registration accept message to the terminal device in the case that the core network device determines that the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on the capability information of the terminal device; the registration accept message carries the first configuration information. Correspondingly, the NAS of the terminal device receives the first configuration information sent by the core network device, including: the NAS of the terminal device receives the registration accept message sent by the core network device in the case that the terminal device sends the registration request message to the access network device; the registration accept message carries the first configuration information.

[0193] The core network device sends the registration accept message to the terminal device in the case that the core network device determines that the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on the capability information of the terminal device, including: the core network device judges whether to authorize the terminal device to access the network as an Ambient IoT terminal based on the subscription information of the terminal device in the case that the core network device determines that the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on the capability information of the terminal device; if it is determined to be authorized, the core network device sends the registration accept message to the terminal device; the registration accept message carries the first configuration information. Here, the subscription information of the terminal device can be preset in the core network device, and the way to obtain the subscription information of the terminal device is not limited in this embodiment.

[0194] The core network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, including: the core network device sends a registration accept message to the terminal device in a case where the core network device receives a registration request message sent by the terminal device; the registration accept message carries the first configuration information.

[0195] In another example, the first configuration information is carried in a NAS message after the terminal device completes registration.

[0196] The terminal device sends the capability information, including: the NAS of the terminal device sends a registration request message to the core network device; the registration request message carries the capability information. Correspondingly, the core network device receives the capability information of the terminal device, including: the core network device receives the registration request message sent by the terminal device; the registration request message carries the capability information of the terminal device. The registration request message can specifically include an indication of whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability, and the specific description thereof is the same as the foregoing example and will not be repeated.

[0197] Different from the foregoing example, in this example, the core network device performs registration processing based on only the capability information of the terminal device, specifically including: the core network device determines whether to authorize the terminal device to access the network as an Ambient IoT terminal based on the subscription information of the terminal device in a case where the core network device determines that the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on the capability information of the terminal device; and if it is determined to be authorized, the core network device sends the registration accept message to the terminal device. The registration accept message does not carry the first configuration information.

[0198] The core network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, including: the core network device sends a NAS message to the terminal device after the terminal device completes registration; the NAS message carries the first configuration information. Correspondingly, the non-access NAS of the terminal device receives the first configuration information sent by the core network device, including: after the terminal device completes registration, the NAS of the terminal device receives a NAS message sent by the core network device; the NAS message carries the first configuration information.

[0199] Here, the NAS message can be any NAS message sent by the core network device to the terminal device after the terminal device completes registration, which is not limited here.

[0200] The terminal device determines the waiting time length, and the processing of the terminal device includes the following: if the terminal device determines that the service request procedure is not needed to be performed, the NAS of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the AS of the terminal device. Further, the AS of the terminal device determines the waiting time length based on the first configuration information.

[0201] If the terminal device determines that the service request procedure is needed to be performed, the NAS of the terminal device determines the waiting time length based on the first configuration information.

[0202] Based on the processing of the foregoing embodiments, the terminal device can obtain the first configuration information. As to the processing occasion of the terminal device determining the waiting time length, the terminal device can determine the waiting time length after receiving the first configuration information, or the terminal device can determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information when receiving the trigger signal, which are both within the protection scope of the present embodiment.

[0203] Next, the processing of triggering the terminal device to report data is described.

[0204] The core network device sends the first request to the access network device, including: the core network device sends the first request to the access network device in the case that the core network device receives the second request; and the second request is used to instruct the core network device to send the first request.

[0205] The access network device sends the trigger signal, including: the access network device sends the trigger signal to the terminal device in the case that the access network device receives the first request sent by the core network device.

[0206] The terminal device receives the trigger signal, including: the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device. Specifically, the terminal device receiving the trigger signal means that the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device.

[0207] The second request indicates that the target AF needs to obtain data or collect data. Specifically, the second request indicates that the target AF needs to trigger the core network device to send the first request to obtain data. The second request can carry at least one of a service ID and a service area. Further, the second request can also carry an ID of the target AF.

[0208] The core network device receives the second request in the same manner as in the foregoing embodiments, and the difference from the foregoing embodiments is that the second request does not carry the first configuration information and does not carry the second configuration information. In addition, the core network device receives the second request from another core network device, and the processing between the other core network device and the target AF is the same as in the foregoing embodiments, and the difference is that the third request, the fourth request, and the fifth request do not carry the first configuration information and do not carry the second configuration information. Details of the processing procedure are not repeated here.

[0209] The first request can carry second indication information, and the second indication information includes identification information corresponding to one or more devices that need to be triggered. The one or more devices that need to be triggered include the terminal device. The second indication information is described in the same manner as in the foregoing embodiments, and details are not repeated.

[0210] In an embodiment, the first request can further carry first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time length. Since the core network device has generated the first configuration information in advance and sent the first configuration information to the terminal device, the core network device can obtain the first configuration information corresponding to the terminal device saved by itself in the case of receiving the second request, and send the first request carrying the first configuration information to the access network device.

[0211] In this embodiment, the access network device can determine the time length for waiting for the terminal device to report data based on the first response time length in the first configuration information, and if the time length is exceeded, the access network device can no longer continue to wait for the terminal device to report data. The time length for waiting for the terminal device to report data can be greater than the first response time length, for example, the first response time length plus a third specified time length, and the third specified time length can be preset, which is not limited here. Alternatively, the time length for waiting for the terminal device to report data can be equal to the first response time length.

[0212] In another embodiment, the first request can not carry the first configuration information. Since the core network device has sent the first configuration information to the terminal device in advance, it can not need to send the first configuration information to the access network device again, but the terminal device itself determines the first time for reporting data. In this embodiment, the core network device sends the first request carrying no first configuration information to the access network device in the case of receiving the second request. In this embodiment, the access network device can always wait for the terminal device to report data.

[0213] The access network device can send a trigger signal to the terminal device after receiving the first request. In this embodiment, the trigger signal does not carry the first configuration information. The trigger signal is one of a paging message and a broadcast signal. Optionally, the trigger signal is a paging message. Specifically, the trigger signal can be a paging message in the related art, that is, a trigger signal for triggering the terminal device to report data is added in the paging message. If the trigger signal is a paging message, the trigger signal is a signal that can be received by the corresponding device. Optionally, the trigger signal is a broadcast signal. At this time, the broadcast signal can be a signal different from the broadcast signal specified in the related protocol. If the trigger signal is a broadcast signal, the trigger signal is a signal that can be received by all devices within the coverage of the access network device. The details of the trigger signal being a paging message or a broadcast signal are the same as those in the foregoing embodiments, and thus are not described herein.

[0214] The above processing describes the processing of the core network device sending the first request and the access network device sending the trigger signal to the terminal device after receiving the first request. After the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device, the terminal device can perform data collection processing to obtain data, and then report the data at the first time. That is, the terminal device can perform data collection to obtain data after receiving the trigger signal, and then report the collected data only at the first time. Here, the manner in which the terminal device performs data collection processing to obtain data is the same as that in the foregoing embodiments, and thus is not described herein.

[0215] The terminal device reporting the data at the first time can be that the NAS of the terminal device establishes a NAS connection with the core network device at the first time, and reports the data to the core network device through the NAS connection. Alternatively, the terminal device reporting the data at the first time can be that the AS of the terminal device reports the data to the access network device at the first time.

[0216] Correspondingly, the core network device receiving the data reported by the terminal device includes that the core network device establishes a NAS connection with the terminal device, and receives the data reported by the terminal device through the NAS connection, or the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device through the access network device.

[0217] The first time is a time obtained by adding the waiting time to the reception time of the trigger signal. That is, the terminal device obtains the first time by adding the waiting time to the reception time of the trigger signal.

[0218] Whether the terminal device reports data to the core network device by NAS or reports data to the access network device by AS can be preconfigured or determined by the terminal device itself, and the detailed description is the same as the foregoing embodiments, and thus is not described herein.

[0219] In an embodiment, the terminal device reports data at a first time, including that the NAS of the terminal device establishes a NAS connection with the core network device at the first time, and reports the data to the core network device through the NAS connection. Correspondingly, the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, including that the core network device establishes a NAS connection with the terminal device, and receives the data reported by the terminal device through the NAS connection.

[0220] The establishment of the NAS connection between the terminal device and the core network device, and the establishment of the NAS connection between the core network device and the terminal device can be that the terminal device and the core network device establish the NAS connection by performing a service request process. The specific process of performing the service request process between the terminal device and the core network device is not limited in the embodiment.

[0221] It should be noted that the terminal device can determine the waiting time based on the first configuration information after the AS receives the trigger signal, or the NAS layer of the terminal device can have determined the waiting time based on the first configuration information before the AS receives the trigger signal after receiving the first configuration information. The description of the waiting time and the determination of the waiting time by the NAS of the terminal device based on the first configuration information has been described in the foregoing embodiments, and thus is not described herein.

[0222] Further, if the terminal device determines to report data to the core network device through NAS, after the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device, the terminal device can further include that the NAS of the terminal device increases the waiting time based on the reception time of the trigger signal to obtain a first time.

[0223] At the side of the core network device in the embodiment, the receiving time of the data is the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time length. Since the terminal device directly reports the data to the core network device, and the terminal device reports the data at the first time after the receiving time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting time length, the time length between the sending time of the first request and the receiving time of the data sent by the core network device is necessarily not less than the foregoing waiting time length. Specifically, the receiving time of the data can be equal to the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time length; or, due to the delay caused by transmission or due to the delay caused by other requests of the network, the receiving time of the data can be later than the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time length. Regardless of which of the above cases, the time at which the core network device side receives the data reported by the terminal device is after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time length.

[0224] In the embodiment, the core network device can also determine the waiting time length, and the processing can include: determining the waiting time length based on the first configuration information. It should be understood that the processing of determining the waiting time length by the core network device is the same as the processing of determining the waiting time length by the NAS or the AS of the terminal device based on the first configuration information, for example, if the terminal device adopts a default first strategy, the corresponding core network device can also adopt the same default first strategy, which is not described herein.

[0225] In an embodiment, the terminal device reports the data at the first time, including: the AS of the terminal device reports the data to the access network device at the first time.

[0226] Correspondingly, the processing of the access network device can include: the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, and sends the data to the core network device.

[0227] The processing of the core network device includes: the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device. Specifically, the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device includes: the core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device through the access network device.

[0228] In the embodiment, the NAS layer of the terminal device can send the first configuration information to the AS of the terminal device when the first configuration information is received. Alternatively, the NAS layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the AS of the terminal device when the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal; or, the AS of the terminal device obtains the first configuration information from the NAS layer of the terminal device when the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal.

[0229] If the NAS layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the AS of the terminal device when the first configuration information is received, the AS of the terminal device can determine the waiting duration based on the first configuration information after the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal; or the AS of the terminal device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information as soon as the first configuration information is received.

[0230] If the NAS layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the AS of the terminal device when the first configuration information is received, the AS of the terminal device can determine the waiting duration based on the first configuration information after the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal; or the AS of the terminal device determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information as soon as the first configuration information is received.

[0231] Further, if the terminal device determines to report data to the access network device through the AS, after the AS of the terminal device receives the trigger signal sent by the access network device, the AS of the terminal device can further include: the AS of the terminal device increases the waiting duration based on the time when the trigger signal is received to obtain a first time.

[0232] The AS of the terminal device reports data to the access network device at the first time. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device and sends the data to the core network device, specifically: the access network device directly sends the data to the core network device when the data reported by the terminal device is received. That is, as long as the access network device receives the data reported by the terminal device, the access network device sends the data to the core network device.

[0233] In this embodiment, in the process of sending the data to the core network device by the access network device, the sending time of the data can be a time after the sending time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting duration. Since the terminal device reports the data at the first time after the receiving time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting duration, the duration between the sending time of the trigger signal and the sending time of the data by the access network device is necessarily not less than the waiting duration. Specifically, the sending time of the data can be equal to the time when the sending time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting duration, or the sending time of the data can be later than the time when the sending time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting duration. Regardless of the above cases, the time when the access network device sends the data to the core network device is after the sending time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting duration.

[0234] The core network device receives the data reported by the terminal device through the access network device. Similarly, on the side of the core network device, the receiving time of the data is the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time. This is because the terminal device reports the data at the first time after the receiving time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting time, and therefore the sending time of the data sent by the access network device to the core network device is also after the sending time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting time, and accordingly, the time length between the sending time of the first request and the receiving time of the data by the core network device is necessarily not less than the aforementioned waiting time. Specifically, the receiving time of the data can be equal to the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time; or due to the delay caused by transmission or due to the delay caused by other network requests, the receiving time of the data can be later than the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time. Regardless of which of the above cases, the aforementioned receiving time of the data by the core network device is after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time.

[0235] In the embodiment, if the first request received by the access network device carries the first configuration information, the processing of the access network device can further include determining the waiting time based on the first configuration information. Similarly, the processing of the core network device can also include determining the waiting time based on the first configuration information. Further, the access network device waits to receive the data reported by the terminal device before the time after the sending time of the trigger signal is increased by the waiting time, and will no longer wait for the terminal device to report data at other times. The processing of the access network device and the core network device to determine the waiting time is the same as the processing of the terminal device to determine the waiting time, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0236] In combination with Figure 8 Taking the terminal device as an example of UE, in one example, the UE can be a zero-power terminal device, such as a zero-power IoT UE or a zero-power AIoT UE; taking the access network device as a wireless access network, and taking the core network device as an AMF, and taking other core network devices including an NEF and an SMF as examples, another exemplary description is provided for the communication method provided in the foregoing embodiments, including:

[0237] S801, the UE sends a registration request message to the AMF, and the registration request message carries an Ambient IoT capability indication. The indication can be a bit in a 5GMM capability parameter, and exemplarily, a value of the bit is 0 to indicate that the Ambient IoT capability is not supported, and a value of the bit is 1 to indicate that the Ambient IoT capability is supported;

[0238] S802, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the UE, and the registration acceptance message carries first configuration information including a first response time.

[0239] Further, the first configuration information can further include first indication information for indicating that a random number is generated based on the first response time length.

[0240] Specifically, in a case that the AMF determines that the UE supports the capability of IoT data collection based on the capability information of the UE, the AMF judges whether to authorize the UE to access the network as an Ambient IoT terminal based on the subscription information of the UE; if it is determined to be authorized, the AMF carries the first configuration information in the registration acceptance message, wherein the first configuration information carries the first response time length, which can also be referred to as a first response timer range.

[0241] For example, the first response time length (i.e. the first response timer range) can be in milliseconds, which is used to indicate the time range of the UE before replying to the trigger signal, so as to reach the purpose of diverging the reply time of different UEs and avoid congestion. In addition, the first configuration information can further include an indication of whether the UE needs to generate a random number. If there is no such indication, the UE directly uses the range as the waiting time length.

[0242] Further, if the UE does not need to perform the service request process, it can directly reply to the data, and therefore the NAS layer of the UE sends the first configuration information to the AS of the UE.

[0243] S803, when there is a data collection requirement, the target AF sends a third request to the NEF, wherein the third request carries a service ID and a service area.

[0244] In some possible examples, the third request can also be referred to as a data collection request.

[0245] S804, the NEF sends a fourth request to the SMF, wherein the fourth request carries a service ID and a service area.

[0246] Specifically, the NEF judges whether the service indicated by the target AF or the service ID is allowed to pass through the 5GC. If allowed, the NEF selects a corresponding SMF according to the service ID and the service area, and sends the third request to the SMF.

[0247] S805, the SMF sends a second request to the AMF, wherein the second request carries a service ID and a service area.

[0248] Specifically, the SMF selects a corresponding AMF according to the service ID, the service area in the second request and the first correspondence relationship previously saved, and sends the second request to the AMF, which carries the service ID and the service area.

[0249] The AMF sends a first request to the RAN, which carries the first configuration information including the first response duration.

[0250] Specifically, the AMF sends the first request to the RAN in the service area.

[0251] The first request is used to trigger the RAN to collect data, specifically, the first request is used to trigger the RAN to send a trigger signal. The first response duration can be used to indicate the time allowed for the RAN to wait for the UE response. The first configuration information in the first request can also carry first indication information, which can also be referred to as AioT indication, which is used to indicate the AioT UE that the RAN needs to trigger. Specifically, the first indication information includes one or more UE IDs corresponding to the AioT UE that needs to be triggered.

[0252] It should be noted that in another example, the first request can only be used to instruct the RAN to send a trigger signal, that is, the first request can not carry the first indication information, nor can it carry the first configuration information.

[0253] The RAN sends a trigger signal.

[0254] Specifically, if the first request contains the UE ID of one or more AioT UEs that need to be triggered, the trigger signal can be sent to the corresponding one or more AioT UEs. The one or more AioT UEs can contain the UE.

[0255] The trigger signal can be multiplexed with the existing paging message, or it can be a new broadcast signal.

[0256] After S807, the processing on the UE side can include: the UE determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information, and then the UE reports the data. Specifically, the UE can perform S808a and S809a, or perform S808b and S809b:

[0257] In one case, S808a, if the UE needs to perform a service request procedure subsequently, the NAS layer of the UE determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. Further, the NAS layer of the UE increases the waiting duration based on the receiving time of the trigger signal to obtain the first time. As to the specific manner of determining the waiting duration, it has been described in the foregoing embodiments, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0258] S809a, the NAS of the UE establishes a NAS connection with the AMF at the first time, and reports data to the AMF through the NAS connection.

[0259] In another case, S808b, if the UE does not need to perform a service request procedure subsequently, the AS of the UE determines the waiting duration based on the first configuration information. Further, the AS of the UE increases the waiting duration based on the receiving time of the trigger signal to obtain the first time. As to the specific manner of determining the waiting duration, it has been described in the foregoing embodiments, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0260] S809b, the AS of the UE reports data to the RAN at the first time, and the RAN sends the data to the AMF.

[0261] It should be understood that after the foregoing S809a is completed, or after the foregoing S809b is completed, the AMF can also send data to the target AF through the NEF and the SMF. For the sake of brevity, this part of the process will not be exemplarily illustrated in the following. Figure 8

[0262] In combination with the foregoing embodiments, the terminal device will report data only when the first time is reached after receiving the trigger signal. In this way, the terminal device can not report data immediately after receiving the trigger signal, and the terminal device can determine the waiting duration by itself. Therefore, the network side can receive the data reported by the terminal device at different times, thereby avoiding the problem of network congestion or paralysis that can be caused by the network side simultaneously receiving a large amount of data of terminals, and ensuring that the network side can normally receive the data reported by the terminal device.

[0263] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application, which comprises:

[0264] The first communication unit 901 is configured to receive a trigger signal and report data.

[0265] The first processing unit 902 is configured to control the first communication unit to report data at a first time, wherein the first time is related to a waiting duration.

[0266] The first time is a time obtained by adding the waiting duration to the receiving time of the trigger signal. ​

[0267] As Figure 10 indicated by the first communication unit 901, comprising: a first AS communication subunit 1011, configured to receive the trigger signal sent by the access network device.

[0268] It should be pointed out that the first AS communication subunit can be a communication subunit in the AS of the terminal device.

[0269] The trigger signal carries first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time length.

[0270] The first processing unit 902 comprises a first NAS processing subunit 1021, configured to determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information.

[0271] The first AS communication subunit 1011 is configured to send the first configuration information to the first NAS processing subunit.

[0272] It should be pointed out that the first NAS processing subunit can be a processing subunit in the NAS layer of the terminal device. The first AS communication subunit can be a communication subunit in the AS of the terminal device.

[0273] The first communication unit is configured to receive the first configuration information before receiving the first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time length.

[0274] The first communication unit is configured to send capability information before receiving the first configuration information, and the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on energy harvesting.

[0275] The first communication unit 901 comprises a first NAS communication subunit 1012, configured to receive the first configuration information sent by the core network device.

[0276] It should be pointed out that the first NAS communication subunit can be a communication subunit in the NAS layer of the terminal device.

[0277] The first NAS communication subunit is configured to send a registration request message to the core network device, and the registration request message carries the capability information.

[0278] The first NAS communication subunit is configured to receive a registration acceptance message sent by the core network device, and the registration acceptance message carries the first configuration information.

[0279] The first NAS communication subunit is configured to receive a NAS message sent by the core network device after the terminal device completes registration, wherein the NAS message carries the first configuration information.

[0280] The first processing unit 902 includes a first NAS processing subunit 1021 configured to determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information.

[0281] The first processing unit 902 further includes a first AS processing subunit 1022 configured to acquire the first configuration information from the first NAS communication subunit.

[0282] The first NAS communication subunit 1012 is configured to send the first configuration information to the first AS communication subunit.

[0283] The first processing unit further includes a first AS processing subunit configured to determine the waiting time length based on the first configuration information.

[0284] The first communication unit includes a first NAS communication subunit configured to establish a NAS connection with a core network device at a first time and report data to the core network device through the NAS connection.

[0285] The first communication unit includes a first AS communication subunit configured to report data to the access network device at a first time.

[0286] The first configuration information includes a first response time length.

[0287] The first configuration information further includes first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a random number is generated based on the first response time length.

[0288] The waiting time length is equal to the first response time length.

[0289] The waiting time length is a first random number determined based on the first response time length, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response time length.

[0290] The trigger signal is one of a paging message and a broadcast signal.

[0291] The terminal device is an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device or an Ambient IoT terminal device.

[0292] The core network device is an Access and Mobility Management Network Element (AMF).

[0293] The terminal device of the embodiments of the present application can realize the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation manners and advantages of the respective modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device can be referred to the corresponding descriptions in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. The functions described with respect to the respective modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device of the embodiments of the present application can be realized by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.), or can be realized by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0294] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of the core network device according to an embodiment of the present application, comprising:

[0295] The second communication unit 1101 is configured to send a first request to the access network device, wherein the first request is used to instruct the access network device to send a trigger signal, and receive data reported by a terminal device, wherein the receiving time of the data is related to a waiting time length.

[0296] The receiving time of the data is the time after the sending time of the first request is increased by the waiting time length.

[0297] The second communication unit is configured to send the first request to the access network device in the case of receiving a second request, wherein the second request is used to instruct to send the first request.

[0298] The first request carries second indication information, and the second indication information includes identification information corresponding to one or more devices that need to be triggered; the one or more devices that need to be triggered include the terminal device.

[0299] The first request carries first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time length.

[0300] The second request carries the first configuration information; or the second request carries second configuration information, and the second configuration information is related to the first configuration information.

[0301] The second communication unit is configured to send the first configuration information to the terminal device before sending the first request to the access network device, and the first configuration information is used to determine the waiting time length.

[0302] The second communication unit is configured to receive the capability information of the terminal device before sending the first configuration information to the terminal device, and the capability information of the terminal device is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports Ambient IoT based on energy collection.

[0303] The second communication unit is configured to receive a registration request message sent by the terminal device, and the registration request message carries the capability information of the terminal device.

[0304] As shown in Figure 12 The core network device further includes a second processing unit 1102, configured to, in a case where it is determined that the terminal device supports Ambient IoT capability based on the capability information of the terminal device, send, through the second communication unit, the terminal device with the registration acceptance message, and the registration acceptance message carries the first configuration information.

[0305] The second communication unit 1101 is configured to send the terminal device with the registration acceptance message.

[0306] The second communication unit is configured to, after the terminal device completes registration, send the terminal device with a NAS message, and the NAS message carries the first configuration information.

[0307] The second communication unit is configured to establish a NAS connection with the terminal device, receive data reported by the terminal device through the NAS connection, or receive data reported by the terminal device through the access network device.

[0308] The first configuration information includes a first response time length.

[0309] The first configuration information further includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a random number is generated based on the first response time length.

[0310] The waiting time length is equal to the first response time length.

[0311] The waiting time length is a first random number determined based on the first response time length, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response time length.

[0312] The terminal device is an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device or an Ambient IoT terminal device.

[0313] The core network device is an access and mobility management network element (AMF).

[0314] The core network device in this application embodiment can implement the corresponding functions of the core network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation methods, and beneficial effects of each module (sub-module, unit, or component, etc.) in this core network device can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. The functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) of the core network device in this application embodiment can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit, or component, etc.).

[0315] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of an access network device according to an embodiment of this application, including:

[0316] The third communication unit 1301 is used to send a trigger signal; and to receive data reported by the terminal device and send the data to the core network device; wherein the time of sending the data is related to the waiting time.

[0317] The data transmission time is the time after the waiting period is added to the transmission time of the trigger signal.

[0318] The third communication unit is used to send the trigger signal to the terminal device upon receiving a first request from the core network device.

[0319] The first request carries second indication information, which includes identification information corresponding to one or more devices that need to be triggered; the one or more devices that need to be triggered include the terminal device.

[0320] The first request carries first configuration information, which is used to determine the waiting time.

[0321] The trigger signal carries the first configuration information.

[0322] like Figure 14 As shown, the access network device further includes a third processing unit 1302, used to determine the waiting time based on the first configuration information.

[0323] The third communication unit is used to receive data reported by the terminal device; and when the data transmission time arrives, to send the data to the core network device.

[0324] The first configuration information includes the first response duration.

[0325] The first configuration information also includes first indication information, which is used to indicate the generation of random numbers based on the first response duration.

[0326] The waiting duration is equal to the first response duration.

[0327] The waiting duration is a first random number determined based on the first response duration, and the first random number is less than or equal to the first response duration.

[0328] The terminal device is an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device, or an Ambient IoT terminal device based on energy collection.

[0329] The core network device is an AMF.

[0330] The trigger signal is one of a paging message and a broadcast signal.

[0331] The access network device of the embodiments of the present application can realize the corresponding functions of the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation manners, and beneficial effects of the respective modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) in the access network device can be referred to the corresponding descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here. The functions described with respect to the respective modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) in the access network device of the embodiments of the present application can be realized by different modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.), or can be realized by the same module (sub-module, unit, or component, etc.).

[0332] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1500 according to the embodiments of the present application. The communication device 1500 includes a processor 1510, and the processor 1520 can call and run a computer program from a memory to enable the communication device 1500 to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0333] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device 1500 can further include a memory 1520. The processor 1510 can call and run a computer program from the memory 1520 to enable the communication device 1500 to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0334] The memory 1520 can be a separate device independent of the processor 1510, or can be integrated in the processor 1510.

[0335] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device 1500 can further include a transceiver 1530, and the processor 1510 can control the transceiver 1530 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0336] The transceiver 1530 can include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1530 can further include an antenna, and the number of antennas can be one or more.

[0337] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1500 can be an access network device of the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 1500 can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the access network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For brevity, details are not described herein. In a possible implementation, the communication device 1500 can be a core network device of the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 1500 can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the core network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For brevity, details are not described herein. In a possible implementation, the communication device 1500 can be a terminal device of the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 1500 can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For brevity, details are not described herein.

[0338] Figure 16 FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 1600 according to the embodiments of the present application. The chip 1600 includes a processor 1610, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of the present application.

[0339] In a possible implementation, the chip 1600 can further include a memory 1620. The processor 1610 can call and run a computer program from the memory 1620 to implement the methods performed by the access network device or the core network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0340] The memory 1620 can be a separate device independent of the processor 1610, or can be integrated in the processor 1610.

[0341] In a possible implementation, the chip 1600 can further include an input interface 1630. The processor 1610 can control the input interface 1630 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, information or data sent by other devices or chips can be acquired.

[0342] In a possible implementation, the chip 1600 can further include an output interface 1640. The processor 1610 can control the output interface 1640 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, information or data can be output to other devices or chips.

[0343] In a possible implementation, the chip can be applied to the access network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the access network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For brevity, details are not described herein. In a possible implementation, the chip can be applied to the core network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the core network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For brevity, details are not described herein. In a possible implementation, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For brevity, details are not described herein.

[0344] The chip applied to the access network device, the core network device, and the terminal device can be the same chip or different chips.

[0345] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a system-on-chip, a system chip, a chip system, or a system-on-chip, etc.

[0346] The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor mentioned above can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0347] The memory mentioned above can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM).

[0348] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memory is an example but not a limiting description, for example, the memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be 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 memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM) and the like. That is, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable type of memory.

[0349] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 1700 according to the embodiments of the present application. The communication system 1700 includes an access network device 1710, a core network device 1720, and a terminal device 1730.

[0350] Wherein, the access network device 1710 can be used to implement the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned method implemented by the access network device, the core network device 1720 can be used to implement the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned method implemented by the core network device, and the terminal device 1730 can be used to implement the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned method implemented by the terminal device. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0351] In the above embodiments, all or part of the processes can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the processes can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions generate all or part of the processes or functions in the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center through a wired (for example, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (for example, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. containing one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, DVD), or a semiconductor medium (for example, solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0352] It should be understood that the size of the sequence number of each process described above in various embodiments of the present application does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0353] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0354] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising: The core network device sends a first request to the access network device; wherein, the first request is used to instruct the access network device to send a trigger signal; The core network equipment receives data reported by the terminal equipment; wherein the time of receiving the data is related to the waiting time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The core network device sends a first request to the access network device, including: Upon receiving a second request, the core network device sends a first request to the access network device; wherein the second request is used to instruct the core network device to send the first request.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The second request carries at least one of the following: business identifier ID, business area, and identifier ID of the target application function AF.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The first request carries second indication information, which includes identification information corresponding to one or more devices that need to be triggered; the one or more devices that need to be triggered include the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein, The first request carries first configuration information, which is used to determine the waiting time.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The core network equipment receives data reported by the terminal equipment, including: The core network device establishes a non-access stratum (NAS) connection with the terminal device and receives data reported by the terminal device through the NAS connection. Alternatively, the core network device may receive data reported by the terminal device through the access network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The terminal device is an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device, or an Ambient IoT terminal device based on energy harvesting.

8. A communication method, comprising: The access network device receives the first request sent by the core network device and sends a trigger signal to the terminal device; The access network device receives data reported by the terminal device and sends the data to the core network device; wherein, the time of data transmission is related to the waiting time.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first request carries second indication information, which includes identification information corresponding to one or more devices that need to be triggered; the one or more devices that need to be triggered include the terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, The first request carries first configuration information, which is used to determine the waiting time.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The access network device receives data reported by the terminal device and sends the data to the core network device, including: The access network device receives data reported by the terminal device; When the data transmission time arrives, the access network device sends the data to the core network device.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The first configuration information includes the first response duration.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-12, wherein, The terminal device is an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device, or an Ambient IoT terminal device based on energy harvesting.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8-13, wherein, The triggering signal is one of the following: a paging message or a broadcast signal.

15. A core network device, comprising: The second communication unit is configured to send a first request to the access network device, wherein the first request is configured to instruct the access network device to send a trigger signal; and to receive data reported by the terminal device, wherein the time of receiving the data is related to the waiting time.

16. An access network device, comprising: The third communication unit is used to receive the first request sent by the core network equipment and send a trigger signal to the terminal equipment; as well as The system receives data reported by the terminal device and sends the data to the core network device; wherein the time of data transmission is related to the waiting time.

17. A core network device, comprising: A transceiver, a processor, and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory to cause the core network device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

18. An access network device, comprising: A transceiver, a processor, and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory to cause the access network device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 14.

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