Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device. In the communication method, when the terminal device leaves the current area, the terminal device judges whether to continue or re-execute the AIoT service, which is beneficial to the terminal device to continue or re-execute the AIoT service in the case of moving, and is beneficial to reduce the possibility of destroying the continuity of the AIoT service.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined the Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) technology. In AIoT and other related technologies, communication systems can include readers and tags. Readers can be implemented by network devices (such as base stations) or user equipment (UE), while tags can be IoT terminals, such as passive / semi-passive / active tags.

[0003] The core network can designate a UE as a read / write device to communicate with tags specified by the service requester to execute AIoT services. However, the continuity of AIoT services may be disrupted as the UE moves. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that enables terminals to continue or resume AIoT services even when they are moving, thus helping to avoid disruption of the continuity of AIoT services.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions. Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, the method includes: sending first information, the first information requesting whether to continue or re-execute a first environment Internet of Things (AIoT) service; receiving second information, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0006] By determining whether to continue or re-execute the AIoT service through the first information request, the terminal can continue or re-execute the first AIoT service while in motion, which helps maintain the continuity of the first AIoT service.

[0007] In some implementations, the terminal switches between one or more cells.

[0008] In this implementation, when a terminal device undergoes a handover within one or more cells, it can determine whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, which is beneficial for maintaining the continuity of the first AIoT service in the event of a handover.

[0009] In some implementations, the second information instructs the terminal to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or instructs the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. The method further includes: receiving third information, which instructs the resumption or continued use of a first resource and / or a second resource, where the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, and the second resource is used for communication between the terminal and the access network device. The AIoT device is associated with the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device to which the terminal accesses. Alternatively, receiving fourth and / or fifth information, where the fourth information instructs the first resource and the fifth information instructs the second resource. In some implementations, the method further includes: sending sixth information, which requests the access network device to configure the first resource and / or the second resource.

[0010] Through the third, fourth, or fifth information, the terminal can use the first resource to communicate with the AIoT device to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, and the terminal can use the second resource to communicate with the access network device to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0011] In some implementations, before receiving the third information, or before receiving the fourth and / or fifth information, the method further includes: sending a sixth information, which requests the access network device to configure the first and / or second resources.

[0012] In some implementations, the first information includes the location of the terminal after it leaves the first area.

[0013] The first information indicates the location of the terminal after it leaves the first area, which helps to determine whether to execute the first AIoT service based on the location of the terminal.

[0014] In some implementations, sending the first information includes: sending a first radio resource control (RRC) message to the access network device, the first RRC message including the first information. Receiving the second information includes: receiving a second RRC message from the access network device, the second RRC message including the second information.

[0015] In some implementations, sending the first information includes: sending a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to a core network element, the first NAS message including the first information. Receiving the second information includes: receiving a second NAS message from a core network element, the second NAS message including the second information.

[0016] In some implementations, sending the first information includes: sending a first protocol data unit (PDU) session message to a core network element, the first PDU session message including the first information. Receiving the second information includes: receiving a second PDU session message from a core network element, the second PDU session message including the second information.

[0017] In some implementations, the method further includes: sending a seventh message, which includes first data and / or an eighth message, wherein the first data is associated with a first AIoT service, and the eighth message is used to achieve any of the following: indicating that the first AIoT service has ended or been completed; indicating that the first data is associated with the first AIoT service; or requesting the release or cessation of the use of a first resource and / or a second resource, wherein the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, the second resource is used for communication between the terminal and the access network device, the AIoT device is associated with the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device to which the terminal accesses; or releasing or ceasing the use of the first resource and / or the second resource.

[0018] In some implementations, before releasing or ceasing the use of the first resource and / or the second resource, the method further includes: receiving a ninth message indicating the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource.

[0019] Based on the eighth and ninth pieces of information above, the terminal can align the processing methods of the first resource and / or the second resource with the access network equipment.

[0020] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to the network side, such as an access network device or a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, etc.) within the access network device, or it can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. Taking the application of this method to an access network device as an example, the method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to request whether the terminal should continue or re-execute a first AIoT service; sending second information, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0021] In some implementations, determining whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the first information includes: obtaining the location of the terminal; obtaining a first region, which is related to the first AIoT service; and determining whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the location of the terminal and the first region.

[0022] The access network equipment determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the relationship between the terminal's location and the first area, which helps maintain the continuity of the first AIoT service.

[0023] In some implementations, the determination of whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service is based on the location of the terminal and the first region, including: if the location of the terminal is in the first region, the determination is made that the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service; or if the location of the terminal is not in the first region, the determination is made that the terminal should not continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0024] In some implementations, the second information instructs the terminal to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or instructs the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. The method further includes: sending a third information, the third information indicating the resumption or continued use of a first resource and / or a second resource, the first resource being used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, the second resource being used for communication between the terminal and the access network device, the AIoT device being related to the first AIoT service, and the access network device being the access network device to which the terminal accesses; or, sending a fourth information and / or a fifth information, the fourth information indicating the first resource, and the fifth information indicating the second resource.

[0025] In some implementations, before receiving the third information, or before receiving the fourth and / or fifth information, the method further includes: receiving a sixth information, which requests the access network device to configure the first and / or second resources.

[0026] In some implementations, the first information includes the location of the terminal after it leaves the first area.

[0027] In some implementations, receiving the first information includes: receiving a first RRC message from the terminal, the first RRC message including the first information. Sending the second information includes: sending a second RRC message to the terminal, the second RRC message including the second information.

[0028] In some implementations, the method also includes: sending first information to the core network element; and receiving second information from the core network element.

[0029] In some implementations, the method further includes: receiving seventh information, which includes first data and / or eighth information, wherein the first data is associated with a first AIoT service, and the eighth information is used to achieve any of the following: indicating that the first AIoT service ends or is completed, indicating that the first data is associated with the first AIoT service, or requesting the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource, wherein the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, the second resource is used for communication between the terminal and the access network device, the AIoT device is associated with the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device to which the terminal accesses; and releasing or ceasing the use of the first resource and / or the second resource.

[0030] In some implementations, before releasing or ceasing the use of the first resource and / or the second resource, the method further includes sending a ninth message that indicates the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource.

[0031] Based on the eighth and ninth pieces of information mentioned above, the access network device can align the processing methods of the first resource and / or the second resource with the terminal.

[0032] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a core network element. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to request whether a terminal should continue or re-execute a first AIoT service; sending second information, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0033] In some implementations, determining whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the AIoT service based on the first information includes: obtaining the location of the terminal; obtaining a first region, which is related to the first AIoT service; and determining whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the location of the terminal and the first region.

[0034] In some implementations, the determination of whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the AIoT service is based on the location of the terminal and the first region, including: if the location of the terminal is in the first region, the terminal is determined to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service; or, if the location of the terminal is not in the first region, the terminal is determined not to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0035] In some implementations, the first information includes the location of the terminal after it leaves the first area.

[0036] In some implementations, receiving the first information includes receiving a first NAS message from the terminal, the first NAS message including the first information. Sending the second information includes sending a second NAS message to the terminal, the second NAS message including the second information.

[0037] In some implementations, receiving the first information includes: receiving a first PDU session message from the terminal, the first PDU session message including the first information. Sending the second information includes: sending a second PDU session message to the terminal, the second PDU session message including the second information.

[0038] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions. Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, the method includes: receiving first area information, the first area information indicating a first area, the first area being related to a first AIoT service; and determining, under the condition of satisfying a first condition, whether the terminal continues or re-executes the first AIoT service.

[0039] When the terminal receives information from the first region and meets the first condition, the terminal can decide to continue or re-execute the AIoT service. This helps reduce the interaction between the terminal and access network devices and / or core network elements, and can support the reduction of signaling overhead and energy saving.

[0040] In some implementations, the first condition includes: the location of the terminal is switched to any of the multiple regions of the first region.

[0041] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects. Each module or unit can implement its corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0042] For example, the communication device in the fifth aspect is a terminal or a component configured in a terminal, such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.; or, the communication device in the fifth aspect is an access network device or a component configured in an access network device, such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.; or, the communication device in the fifth aspect is a core network element or a component configured in a core network element.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, including a processor, which is configured to execute the communication methods in the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0044] Optionally, the communication device includes a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to a processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0045] Optionally, the communication device includes a communication interface for communicating with other communication devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface.

[0046] For example, the communication device provided in the sixth aspect is a chip or chip system, or it may correspond to a terminal or access network device.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the methods of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0048] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods of the first and fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0049] The fifth to eighth aspects of the embodiments of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of the embodiments of this application. The beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0050] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the access network equipment used in the embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of Topology 1 in the AIoT network architecture;

[0053] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of Topology 2 in the AIoT network architecture;

[0054] Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram of Topology 3 in the AIoT network architecture;

[0055] Figure 3D This is a schematic diagram of Topology 4 in the AIoT network architecture;

[0056] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram of the logical system architecture corresponding to Topology 2;

[0060] Figure 7B This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for the RRC-based transmission solution (Solution 1) under Topology 2 architecture;

[0061] Figure 7C This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for a NAS-based transmission solution (Solution 2) under Topology 2 architecture;

[0062] Figure 7D This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for the solution (Solution 3) based on user plane (UP) transmission under Topology 2 architecture;

[0063] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in yet another embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0069] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0070] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship, but it does not exclude the possibility of indicating that the preceding and following related objects are in an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0071] In this embodiment of the application, the use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" is merely for the purpose of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size, or quantity of things. For example, "first parameter" and "second parameter" are simply different parameters, and there is no temporal or quantitative relationship between them.

[0072] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0073] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0074] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture is shown. (e.g.) Figure 1As shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 1 110a and 110b (collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1 RAN 100, denoted as RAN 120a-120j, is collectively referred to as RAN 120. RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). Terminal device 120 is connected to RAN node 110 wirelessly. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 wirelessly or via wired connection. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0075] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 5G mobile communication system or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0076] RAN node 110, sometimes referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are relative, for example... Figure 1 Network element 120i can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j that access RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example... Figure 1 Network elements 110a and 110b can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, while network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0077] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system, etc. Figure 1 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 In CRAN scenarios, RAN nodes can be 110b, relay nodes, donor nodes, or wireless controllers. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0078] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control planes (CU-CPs), CU-user planes (CU-UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0079] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an open-CU (open-CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open-DU (open-DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open-CU-CP (open-CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open-CU-UP (open-CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open-RU (open-RU, O-RU). For ease of description, the embodiments of this application use CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0080] Terminal devices can also be called terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. They can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0081] In this embodiment of the application, the access network device may be, for example, a... Figure 1 The RAN node 110 shown can be, for example, a terminal device that could be Figure 1 The terminal device 120 shown can be transmitted to a single terminal device simultaneously by multiple network devices. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the types of access network devices and terminal devices.

[0082] In addition, terminal devices and access network devices can be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware or general-purpose hardware. For example, they can be virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of terminal devices and access network devices.

[0083] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an access network device used in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the access network equipment includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more RUs. For clarity, Figure 2 Only one CU, DU, and RU are shown. The CU is used to connect to the core network and one or more DUs. Optionally, the CU may have some of the functions of the core network. The CU may include CU-CP and CU-UP.

[0084] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or the Physical (PHY) layer). Alternatively, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0085] The CU (e.g., PDCP layer and higher) connects to the DU (e.g., RLC layer and lower) through interfaces such as the F1 interface. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, defining the F1 signaling procedures in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0086] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0087] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF network element in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0088] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) network elements in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0089] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0090] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0091] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the technologies and terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly explained below.

[0092] 1. Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT):

[0093] Devices in AIoT technology can include network devices and Type I terminals; or, in other words, AIoT-based communication systems can include network devices and Type I terminals. Type I terminals can be terminals with AIoT device functionality, also referred to as AIoT devices. In this case, both AIoT-enabled UEs and AIoT devices can be implemented based on cellular network infrastructure. In other words, both AIoT-enabled UEs and AIoT devices can be devices within cellular networks.

[0094] For example, the functionality of an AIoT-enabled terminal can be implemented by network devices, such as base stations; or, the functionality can also be implemented by the terminal itself. AIoT devices, also known as devices, can be implemented by terminals in a cellular network, such as ultra-low-power, ultra-low-complexity Internet of Things (IoT) terminals (e.g., Type I terminals). Network devices can perform contactless data communication with Type I terminals, thereby reading information from and / or writing information to be stored in Type I terminals. AIoT technology can be used to implement one or more of the following services: inventory, location, sensing, or command. In terms of application scope, AIoT technology can be applied to scenarios such as logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, or environmental monitoring.

[0095] Inventory management involves using readers (e.g., base stations or terminals) to connect to AIoT devices within the coverage area. Successfully connected devices need to send their unique identifier (a network-recognizable identifier, such as the electronic product code (EPC) in passive radio frequency identification (RFID)) to the reader. Inventory management, also known as a checklist operation, retrieves tag identification information. For example, readers can use commands like `query` and `ACK` to obtain tag identification information. To facilitate tag inventory, tags include four session identifiers, each corresponding to two inventory states: A and B. The inventory state is indicated by a sessionInventory flag. When a reader selects a tag, the selection command sent to it includes a session identifier, which the tag then stores. When the reader performs inventory management on the tag, the query command sent to it includes the session identifier, at which point the tag can flip its inventory state from A to B. If the reader sends a query command to perform inventory operations again, the tag will not respond to the reader because the inventory status of the tag is B, thus avoiding the same tag being inventoried multiple times in the same inventory cycle.

[0096] Positioning is the process of using location signals to pinpoint the location of AIoT devices.

[0097] Sensing involves AIoT devices reporting sensor data to the base station, such as temperature data.

[0098] Commands are operational instructions, such as read, write, disable, enable, kill, or lock. Read operations can read the EPC, tag identifier (TID), content stored in the tag's reserved area, or content stored in the user's storage area from the tag's memory. Write operations can perform write operations on the tag's storage area; for example, a network device (e.g., a base station) can send a downlink command and data to instruct the AIoT device to write data to its storage area. Disable operations are used to request the AIoT device to permanently or temporarily disable its RF transmission capabilities. Enable operations are used to request the activation of a temporarily disabled AIoT device. Kill operations can permanently disable the tag. Lock operations can lock the tag's information, preventing read or write operations on that tag. Alternatively, locking can also lock the storage area to prevent or disallow read or write operations on that storage area. For example, a network device can send a downlink command to instruct the AIoT device to lock the location of a specified address in the storage area, making the contents of that storage area unchangeable and / or unreadable.

[0099] 2. AIoT devices:

[0100] With the evolution and development of 5G IoT, the demand for supporting lower-power terminals in 5G networks is increasing. Passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology provides a good technical reference in the low-power direction, supporting microwatt-level power consumption. RFID terminals (tags) use low-precision, low-power mid-to-low frequency ring oscillators or completely oscillator-less receivers to receive downlink signals. When the tag is working, the energy and carrier wave for communication are supplied by the reader, and communication is based on reflected carrier waves.

[0101] Given the low power consumption advantage of RFID communication technology, 5G AIoT has emerged. To meet ultra-low power consumption requirements, terminals in AIoT also use low-precision, low-power mid-to-low frequency ring oscillators or receivers without a local oscillator to receive downlink signals. This receiving method can further reduce the power consumption of downlink reception. However, for such low-power receiving methods, only amplitude detection, such as envelope detection, can be performed because a low-precision ring oscillator alone cannot guarantee accurate demodulation of signal phase information.

[0102] AIoT devices can be divided into three categories: device A, device B, and device C.

[0103] (1) Device A (similar to a passive tag): It has no energy storage, cannot generate independent signals, and uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0104] (2) Device B (similar to a semi-passive tag): It has energy storage but cannot generate signals independently; it uses backscattering to transmit signals. The energy it stores can amplify the reflected signal.

[0105] (3) Device C (similar to an active tag): It has energy storage, can generate signals independently, and has active radio frequency (RF) components for transmission.

[0106] In addition, the following three types of AIoT devices have been further defined: device 1, device 2a, and device 2b.

[0107] (1) Device 1: Peak power consumption is approximately 1μW, with energy storage function, and initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) reaches 10. X At parts per million (ppm), it cannot amplify downlink (DL) or uplink (UL) signals. It requires an external carrier signal for backscatter communication to enable uplink transmission.

[0108] (2) Device 2a: Peak power consumption less than or equal to several hundred μW, with energy storage function, and initial sampling frequency offset of 10. X ppm can amplify DL and / or UL signals. An external carrier signal is required for backscatter communication in order to perform uplink transmission.

[0109] (3) Device 2b: Peak power consumption less than or equal to several hundred μW, with energy storage function, and initial sampling frequency offset of 10. X ppm, capable of DL and / or UL signal amplification. The device can perform uplink transmission without relying on an externally provided carrier.

[0110] 3. AIoT data and / or signaling:

[0111] AIoT data and / or signaling are related to AIoT services. For example, for inventory services, AIoT data and / or signaling may include a device ID or an encrypted device ID; for read services in command services, AIoT data and / or signaling may include read commands and / or read response data; for write services in command services, AIoT data and / or signaling may include write commands and / or write feedback; for other AIoT services, AIoT data and / or signaling may include the corresponding uplink (UL) data (UL Data) reported by the AIoT device to the AIoT-enabled UE.

[0112] according to Figure 1 The communication system shown is defined by 3GPP in four AIoT network architectures. Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of Topology 1 in the AIoT network architecture. Figure 3A As shown, the AIoT network under the Topology 1 architecture includes AIoT devices and access network devices.

[0113] In this context, AIoT devices can be understood as extremely low-power, low-complexity Internet of Things (IoT) devices, specifically categorized into active, passive, and semi-active types. AIoT devices are analogous to tags in an RFID system. In Topology 1, AIoT devices communicate directly and bidirectionally with access network devices. The communication between the access network devices and AIoT devices can include AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling.

[0114] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of Topology 2 in the AIoT network architecture. Figure 3B As shown, the AIoT network in Topology 2 includes AIoT devices, intermediate nodes, and access network devices. Specifically, intermediate nodes can be repeaters, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, and terminal devices. It should be noted that terminal devices can also be described as UE readers or AIoT-enabled UEs.

[0115] In Topology 2 architecture, AIoT devices communicate bidirectionally with intermediate nodes, and intermediate nodes also communicate bidirectionally with access network devices. That is, AIoT devices transmit AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling to access network devices through intermediate nodes, achieving indirect bidirectional communication between AIoT devices and access network devices via intermediate nodes. For ease of description, this application embodiment uniformly uses "terminal" to describe the intermediate nodes in Topology 2 architecture.

[0116] Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram of Topology 3 in the AIoT network architecture. Figure 3C As shown, the AIoT network under Topology 3 includes AIoT devices, auxiliary nodes, and access network devices. Specifically, auxiliary nodes can be repeaters, IAB nodes, and UEs, etc.

[0117] In Topology 3 architecture, AIoT devices send AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling to access network devices and receive AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling from auxiliary nodes. Alternatively, AIoT devices receive AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling from access network devices and send AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling to auxiliary nodes.

[0118] Figure 3D This is a schematic diagram of Topology 4 in the AIoT network architecture. Figure 3D As shown, the AIoT network under Topology 4 includes terminals and AIoT devices.

[0119] In the Topology 4 architecture, AIoT devices and terminals communicate directly in both directions. The communication content between the terminal and the access network device may include AIoT data and / or AIoT-related signaling.

[0120] In the above topology, the device communicating with the AIoT device can be understood as a device with read / write capabilities. In this embodiment, devices with read / write capabilities are uniformly described as readers / writers. Specifically, the access network device in topology 1 is equivalent to a reader / writer, the intermediate node in topology 2 is equivalent to a reader / writer, the auxiliary node in topology 3 is equivalent to a reader / writer, and the terminal in topology 4 is equivalent to a reader / writer.

[0121] by Figure 3B Taking the illustrated topology 2 architecture as an example, multiple terminals access the access network device. These terminals are located within a cell controlled by the access network device, which can be understood as a macro-cell. The core network can select one terminal from these multiple terminals and instruct that terminal to communicate with the AIoT device in its current area to execute AIoT services. In this embodiment, executing AIoT services can be understood as the terminal communicating with the AIoT device and / or the terminal communicating with the access network device, where the AIoT device is associated with the AIoT service.

[0122] However, the terminal may move, and as it moves, it may leave the area corresponding to the AIoT service indicated by the core network. In this case, the terminal will stop executing the AIoT service, and the continuity of the AIoT service may be disrupted.

[0123] For example, the access network equipment accessing the terminal controls a first cell, which includes multiple areas such as area A, area B, and area C. The terminal is currently located in area A. The core network instructs the terminal to perform AIoT services in area A, that is, the terminal communicates and interacts with AIoT devices in area A to perform AIoT services. However, if the terminal moves and leaves area A, the terminal stops performing AIoT services, and AIoT devices in other areas of the first cell (excluding area A) no longer communicate and interact with the terminal, causing AIoT devices in other areas to be unable to perform AIoT services.

[0124] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus that enable terminals to continue or resume AIoT services even when they are moving, thereby helping to prevent disruption of the continuity of AIoT services.

[0125] In the embodiments described below, the interaction between the terminal, the access network device, and the core network element is used as an example. It should be understood that the terminal can be replaced by components configured in the terminal (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or by logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal; the access network device can also be replaced by components configured in the access network device (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or by logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0126] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 4, for the topology 2 architecture, in the RRC-based transmission solution, the AIoT-enabled access network device and the AIoT function (AIoTF) network element are connected via an AMF network element in a non-direct connection architecture, where Nx / XX is the NG interface. This communication system includes access network device 401, UE 402, AIoT device 403, AMF 404, and AIoTF 405. The AIoT-enabled network device 401 and AIoTF 405 are not directly connected, for example, connected via AMF 404 (indirect path via AMF). That is, the AIoT data / signaling transmitted between AIoTF 405 (or AIoTCN) and network device 401 (A-IoT-enabled gNB) is carried on the next generation application protocol (NGAP).

[0127] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application. It is understood that... Figure 5This is merely an example; the communication method provided in this application embodiment may include more or similar steps. This communication method is applied to a Topology 2 architecture, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the communication method may include steps S501 to S503.

[0128] S501, the terminal sends first information to the access network device, the first information being used to request whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information from the terminal.

[0129] In this process, multiple terminals access the access network equipment. The first area is related to the first AIoT service. Based on the requirements of the first AIoT service, the core network determines the terminal in this step from among the multiple terminals. This terminal is located in the second area. The first area includes multiple areas, including the second area. In the second area, the terminal acts as an intermediate node in the topology 2 architecture, transmitting AIoT data and / or signaling with AIoT devices to execute AIoT services.

[0130] As one possible implementation, the terminal can handover within one or more cells. It is understood that as the terminal moves, it may leave the second area. If the terminal leaves the second area but does not leave the cell containing the second area, it is equivalent to the terminal handover within a cell controlled by the access network. If the terminal leaves the second area and the cell containing the second cell, entering other cells, it is equivalent to the terminal handover within multiple cells. These multiple cells can be cells controlled by the access network device the terminal is currently connected to, or cells controlled by the access network device after the terminal hands over. That is, when the terminal handovers within multiple cells, it can be within multiple cells controlled by the same access network device, or it can be within multiple cells controlled by different access network devices.

[0131] It should be noted that "continuing to execute" the AIoT service in this application embodiment can also be understood as "re-executing" the AIoT service. The meanings of continuing to execute the AIoT service and re-executing the AIoT service are the same, and this application embodiment does not limit its specific description.

[0132] S502, the access network device determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0133] It is understood that the access network device to which the terminal connects supports AIoT capabilities. In the embodiments of this application, it can be understood that the access network device to which the terminal connects supports one or more of the following capabilities: scheduling AIoT radio resources, allocating AIoT radio resources, controlling AIoT radio resources, managing and scheduling AIoT radio resources, and transmitting (including sending and / or receiving) data and / or signaling related to AIoT services. The specific manifestation of the AIoT capabilities supported by the access network device is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0134] In this step, after receiving the first information, the access network device can determine whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0135] As one possible implementation, such as Figure 5 As shown in the optional steps S502a to S502c, in step S502a, the access network device obtains location information, and the location information indicates the location of the terminal.

[0136] For example, when a terminal leaves the second area, it sends first information to the access network device. Therefore, the location information indicates the location of the terminal, which can be considered as the location of the terminal after leaving the first area. Here, the location is a fine-grained location of the terminal in the cell controlled by the access network device. For example, the location can be a location with the same granularity as the second area.

[0137] As an example, the terminal can obtain the above location information through a location service and send the location information to the access network device. In specific forms, the location information can be coordinates, beams, topology (area), or identification information, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0138] In step S502b, the access network device obtains the first area, which is related to the first AIoT service.

[0139] The first AIoT service is a service configured by the core network. Based on the actual needs of the application scenario, the core network can configure corresponding AIoT services to serve different regions. In step S502b, as an example, the access network device can obtain a first region from the core network elements. The first region is related to the first AIoT service and includes multiple regions, including a second region.

[0140] For example, the first AIoT service configured in the core network can be an inventory service, and the corresponding inventory area is related to the first area. As can be seen from step S501, the first area includes multiple areas, including the second area.

[0141] In step S502c, the access network device determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the terminal's location and the first area.

[0142] In this step, the relationship between the terminal's location and the first area provides a possible basis for the access network device to determine whether the terminal should continue or re-execute AIoT services.

[0143] As an example, if the terminal is located in the first area, the access network device can determine whether the terminal will continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Alternatively, if the terminal is not located in the first area, the access network device can determine whether the terminal will continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0144] As described above, the first region includes multiple regions, including the second region. The location of the terminal is a point. If any of the above regions includes the location of the terminal, it is equivalent to the terminal being located in the first region. This can be understood as the terminal moving from the second region to other regions of the first region. After the terminal switches between one or more cells, the access network device can use this information to determine whether the terminal continues or executes the first AIoT service again.

[0145] If any area in the first region does not include the location of the terminal, it is equivalent to the terminal not being located in the first region. This can be understood as the terminal leaving the first region after switching between one or more cells. The access network device uses this to determine that the terminal will not continue or will not execute the first AIoT service again.

[0146] In some implementations, the first information in step S501 may include the location of the terminal after leaving the first area. In this implementation, in step S502a, the access network device can obtain the location of the terminal based on the first information.

[0147] S503, the access network device sends second information to the terminal, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service again, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

[0148] It is understandable that the terminal, as an intermediate node between the access network device and the AIoT device, is responsible for communicating with the AIoT device to execute the first AIoT service. Therefore, after the access network device makes a judgment in step S502, it also needs to indicate to the terminal through the second information whether it should continue or execute the first AIoT service again, and / or indicate whether the terminal should continue or act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service again.

[0149] The second information instructing the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service is equivalent to implicitly instructing the terminal to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service. Similarly, the second information instructing the terminal not to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service is equivalent to implicitly instructing the terminal not to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service.

[0150] In this embodiment, when the terminal leaves the second area, that is, when the terminal switches between one or more cells, it can request the access network device to determine whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, so that the terminal can continue or re-execute the first AIoT service while moving, which is beneficial to maintaining the continuity of the first AIoT service.

[0151] It should be noted that after leaving the second area and entering any area within the first area other than the second area, the terminal may continue to move. As the terminal moves, it may leave the second area, enter other areas within the first area, and then leave other areas within the first area again. For example, the terminal may leave the second area and enter a third area within the first area, which is a different area from the second area. As the terminal moves, it may leave this third area.

[0152] The communication method provided in this application embodiment is also applicable to the above scenario. That is, when the terminal leaves other areas of the first area, it can request the access network device to determine whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, and the access network device can instruct the terminal whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0153] After the terminal continues to move and leaves the first area other than the second area, the access network device can obtain the current location of the terminal and, based on the current location of the terminal and the first area, determine in real time whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, which is conducive to further supporting the maintenance of the continuity of the first AIoT service.

[0154] The above embodiments describe the process by which a terminal determines whether to execute an AIoT service after leaving the second area. It is understood that there are multiple possible implementations for each step in the above process. The following describes the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, starting with configuring AIoT services in the core network element.

[0155] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this communication method is applied in a Topology 2 architecture, where the terminal can be understood as an intermediate node in the Topology 2 architecture. Figure 6 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0156] S601, the core network element sends an AIoT service request to the terminal. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the second area information.

[0157] The core network elements support or enable AIoT capabilities. Specifically, these can be tag management functions (TMF), AIoTF network elements, AIoT management function (AIoTMF) network elements, or other core network elements that support AIoT capabilities, such as AMF network elements integrating TMF. The specific names of these elements are not limited in this application embodiment. For ease of description, all core network elements involved in this application embodiment are core network elements that support or enable AIoT capabilities.

[0158] In this step, the core network element configures the corresponding first AIoT service according to the specific requirements of the application scenario and sends an AIoT service request to the terminal. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and a second region. This identification information can be used to identify a single AIoT device or a group of AIoT devices; for example, a single AIoT device can be identified by a mask, and the entire group of AIoT devices can be identified by a group ID.

[0159] The first region is related to the first AIoT business. The first region includes multiple regions, including the second region, which is one of the regions in the cell controlled by the access network equipment.

[0160] As an example, the second area information may include Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) information / coordinate information), which means that the core network element can indicate the second area through one or more GNSS information / coordinate information. Alternatively, the first area can be processed into a two-dimensional raster, and the second area information can indicate the second area through the raster information. For example, the first area can be rasterized according to signal quality, such as reference signal receiving power (RSRP) and signal interference noise ratio (SINR), or according to signal strength, such as received signal strength indication (RSSI). The raster corresponds one-to-one with the multiple areas included in the first area. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0161] In some implementations, the AIoT service request may further include identification information of the first AIoT service. This identification information can be used to identify the first AIoT service. For example, the identification information of the first AIoT service may include one or more of a service ID, session ID, task ID, or transaction ID.

[0162] Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram of the logical system architecture corresponding to Topology 2. For example... Figure 7A As shown in Topology 2, the XX interface between the AIoT-enabled gNB and the AIoT CN is an NG interface. In this embodiment, "XX" is used to refer to the interface between the access network device and the core network element that supports AIoT capabilities. The AIoT-enabled access network device includes the AIoT RAN node function, and the AIoT-enabled terminal includes the commonreader function.

[0163] It should be noted that under the Topology 2 architecture, there are currently three possible transmission solutions. These three solutions can be used to transmit one or more of the following AIoT service-related messages, data, or signaling: The terminals involved in these three transmission solutions are AIoT-enabled terminals, and the access network devices are AIoT-enabled access network devices.

[0164] Figure 7B This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for the RRC-based transmission solution (Solution 1) under Topology 2 architecture. As an example, the XX interface between the AIoT-enabled access network device and the AIoT CN is the NG control plane (NG-C) interface. For instance, the interface between the access network device and the AMF network element is the next generation (NG) interface, and communication between the access network device and the AMF network element is via NGAP. Correspondingly, communication between the access network device and the core network element supporting AIoT capabilities is via the "XX" protocol (XX application protocol, XXAP).

[0165] like Figure 7B As shown, an AIoT device includes AIoT radio protocol layers that communicate with an AIoT-enabled UE. An AIoT-enabled UE includes the AIoT radio protocol layers that communicate with the AIoT device, as well as the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and physical PHY layer that communicate with access network devices.

[0166] A gNB supporting AIoT includes the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers for communication with AIoT-enabled UEs, and the XXAP, Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Internet Protocol (IP), Layer 2 (L2), and Layer 1 (L1) layers for communication with AIoT core network equipment. AIoT core network equipment includes the XXAP, SCTP, IP, L2, and L1 layers for communication with access network equipment. This AIoT core network equipment may be, for example, an AIoTF, or an AMF capable of executing AIoT services or implementing AIoT functions.

[0167] Specifically, after a gNB supporting AIoT receives a request related to AIoT services from an AIoT CN via XXAP, it can further send the relevant information to the AIoT-supporting UE via RRC messages; when an access network device receives AIoT service-related data / signaling from an AIoT-supporting UE via RRC, it can further transmit the relevant information to the AIoT core network device via XXAP.

[0168] Figure 7C This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for a solution based on non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under topology 2 (Solution 2).

[0169] like Figure 7C As shown, an AIoT device includes an AIoT radio protocol layer that communicates with AIoT-enabled terminals. An AIoT-enabled UE includes an AIoT radio protocol layer that communicates with AIoT devices, a NAS layer that communicates with AIoT core network equipment, an AIoT application layer (AIoT-AP) that communicates with the AIoT CN, and 5G-access network protocol layers (AN protocol layers) that communicate with access network equipment. An AIoT-enabled gNB includes a 5G-access network protocol layer that communicates with the AIoT radio protocol layer, and also includes NGAP, SCTP, IP, L2, and L1 layers that communicate with the AIoT CN. An AIoT-enabled CN includes an AIoT-AP layer that communicates with AIoT-enabled UEs, and a 5GC internal protocol layer that communicates with AMF-enabled network elements. The AIoT CN can be, for example, a TMF, or an AMF capable of executing AIoT services or implementing AIoT functions. AMF network elements include the NAS layer for communicating with AIoT-enabled UEs, the NGAP layer, SCTP layer, IP layer, L2 and L1 layer for communicating with AIoT-enabled gNBs, and the 5GC internal protocol layer for communicating with AIoT CNs.

[0170] Solution 2 can be understood as follows: at least one of the AIoT service-related messages, data, or signaling between the AIoT CN and the AIoT-enabled UE is carried in the DL NAS or UL NAS message of the AIoT-enabled UE (wherein, the AIoT-enabled gNB transparently transmits the NAS packet). The AIoT-enabled gNB can process the NAS packets of the AIoT-enabled UE through DL NAS Transport msg and / or UL NAS Transport msg on the NGAP interface. In other words, the AIoT-enabled gNB does not see the AIoT-related processes; these processes are implemented within the NAS layer of the AIoT-enabled UE. A NAS layer exists between the AIoT-enabled UE and the AIoT CN for transmitting AIoT service-related information. When the AIoT CN knows about the AIoT-enabled UE and the AIoT-enabled gNB, AIoT service-related information (e.g., service requests) can be transmitted through the NAS between the AIoT-enabled UE and the AIoT CN.

[0171] Figure 7D This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for the solution (Solution 3) based on user plane (UP) transmission under Topology 2 architecture.

[0172] like Figure 7D As shown, an AIoT device includes an AIoT radio protocol layer for communicating with AIoT-enabled terminals. An AIoT-enabled UE includes an AIoT radio protocol layer for communicating with AIoT-enabled AIoT devices, an AIoT-AP layer and a transport / IP layer for communicating with the AIoT CN, a protocol data unit (PDU) layer for communicating with AMF network elements, and a 5G-access network protocol layer for communicating with the AIoT-enabled gNB. The AIoT-enabled gNB includes a 5G-access network protocol layer for communicating with the AIoT-enabled UE, and also includes a GPRS tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) layer, a user datagram protocol (UDP) layer, an IP layer, L2, and L1 for communicating with AMF network elements. An AIoT CN (e.g., AIoTF) includes an AIoT-AP layer and a transport / IP layer for communicating with the AIoT-enabled UE, and a 5GC internal protocol layer for communicating with AMF network elements.

[0173] Solution 3 can be understood as follows: the access network equipment does not see the AIoT-related processes. AIoT service-related data / signaling between the AIoT CN and the AIoT-enabled UE can be transmitted over the PDU session of the AIoT-enabled UE (the AIoT-enabled gNB can transmit this information transparently). The AIoT-enabled gNB can process the user plane data of the AIoT-enabled UE through channels such as the next generation userplane (NG-U) or GTP-U. A PDU layer exists between the AIoT-enabled UE and the AIoT CN for transmitting AIoT service-related information. When the AIoT CN knows about the AIoT-enabled UE and the AIoT-enabled gNB, AIoT service-related information (e.g., service requests) can be transmitted through the PDU between the AIoT-enabled UE and the AIoT CN.

[0174] Understandable. Figures 7A to 7D The AIoT-enabled gNB shown includes at least one of the following functions: allocating time-frequency resources for communication between AIoT-enabled UEs and AIoT devices, or transmitting AIoT service-related data and / or signaling. The AIoT CN can be at least one of the following: core network user plane equipment such as UPF, AMF, TMF network elements, AIoTMF, AIoTF, AIoT-aware core network, or other core network elements / nodes / devices that support or enable AIoT. An AIoT-enabled UE refers to a UE that acts as an AIoT-enabled terminal, and can be called an AIoT-enabled UE or an intermediate node. An AIoT-enabled gNB refers to a gNB that acts as an AIoT-enabled gNB, and can be called an AIoT-enabled gNB. An AIoT-enabled CN refers to a CN that acts as an AIoT CN.

[0175] in, Figures 7B to 7D These are merely exemplary protocol stacks corresponding to the three solutions mentioned above. Alternatively, any one or more of the three solutions mentioned above may correspond to other forms of protocol stacks, without limitation.

[0176] In step S601, the core network element can combine the above three transmission solutions to send AIoT service requests to the terminal.

[0177] In one possible implementation, the core network element can send AIoT service requests to the terminal based on Solution 1 described above, such as... Figure 6As shown in steps S601a to S601c, in step S601a, the core network element can send an AIoT service request to the access network device via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the second area information. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the AIoT service request from the core network element.

[0178] Optionally, the AIoT service request sent by the above core network elements to the access network device via XXAP or NGAP messages may also include the identification information of the first AIoT service.

[0179] After receiving an AIoT service request, the access network device, such as Figure 6 As shown in step S601b, the access network device sends an AIoT service request response to the core network element via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service request response from the access network device.

[0180] like Figure 6 As shown in step S601c, the access network device can send an AIoT service request to the terminal via an RRC message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the second area information. Accordingly, the terminal receives the AIoT service request from the access network device.

[0181] Optionally, the AIoT service request sent by the above access network devices to the terminal via RRC messages may also include the identification information of the first AIoT service.

[0182] It is understandable that when the access network device sends an AIoT service request to the terminal via an RRC message, it also sends first resource information and second resource information to the terminal. The first resource information indicates a first resource used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, such as the AIoT radio resources used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device via the AIoT interface. The second resource information indicates a second resource used for communication between the terminal and the access network device, such as the NR Uu resources used for communication between the terminal and the access network device via the NR Uu interface. The AIoT device mentioned above is related to the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device currently connected to by the terminal.

[0183] The first resource and / or the second resource mentioned above can be resources effective in a single cell, or the first resource and / or the second resource can be resources effective in multiple cells.

[0184] As an example, the first resource information can be used to indicate the AIoT radio resource configuration, including both time and frequency domains. The time-domain resource configuration can indicate the duration of the resources. If the terminal determines that the duration of the AIoT radio resources configured by the access network device is insufficient to complete the first AIoT service, the terminal can request AIoT radio resources from the access network device. Accordingly, the access network device can reallocate or reschedule new AIoT radio resources for the terminal. Optionally, the first resource information can also be used to indicate the maximum power at which the terminal transmits signals to the AIoT device.

[0185] The second resource information can be used to indicate the NR Uu resource configuration, including both time and frequency domains. The time-domain resource configuration can indicate the resource duration. If the terminal determines that the time span of the NR Uu resources configured by the access network device is insufficient for transmitting data or signaling, the terminal can request NR Uu resources from the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device can reallocate or reschedule new NR Uu resources for the terminal. Optionally, the second resource information can also be used to indicate the maximum power at which the terminal transmits signals to the access network device.

[0186] In another possible implementation, core network elements can send AIoT service requests based on either Solution 2 or Solution 3 described above. For example... Figure 8 As shown in steps S601d and S601e, in step S601d, the core network element can send an AIoT service request to the terminal via a NAS message or a PDU session message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the second area information. Accordingly, the terminal receives the AIoT service request from the core network element.

[0187] Optionally, the AIoT service request sent by the above core network elements to the terminal via NAS message or PDU session message may also include the identification information of the first AIoT service.

[0188] like Figure 8 As shown in step S601e, the terminal can send an AIoT service request response to the core network element via a NAS message or a PDU session message. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service request response from the terminal.

[0189] Understandably, during the process of the core network element sending an AIoT service request to the terminal based on Solution 2 or Solution 3, the access network device also needs to configure the first resource and / or the second resource for the terminal. As one possible implementation, the core network element can send an AIoT indication to the access network device via NGAP / XXAP on the NG / XX interface. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the AIoT indication from the core network element via NGAP / XXAP. Subsequently, the access network device can send the first resource information and / or the second resource information to the terminal based on this AIoT indication, thereby configuring the first resource and / or the second resource for the terminal.

[0190] In another possible implementation, after receiving an AIoT service request from a core network element, the terminal may send a first resource request to the access network device via an RRC message. This first resource request requests the configuration of a first resource and / or a second resource. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first resource request from the terminal. Subsequently, the access network device may send first resource information and / or second resource information to the terminal based on the first resource request.

[0191] In another possible implementation, the core network element can send a second resource request message to the access network device via NGAP / XXAP, requesting the configuration of the first resource and / or the second resource. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second resource request message from the core network element. Subsequently, the access network device can send the first resource information and / or the second resource information to the terminal based on the second resource request message.

[0192] For example, a core network element may request an access network device to configure AIoT resources for the current first AIoT service / session through a second resource request message (e.g., by sending an AIoT session resource request), or the core network element may request the access network device to configure AIoT resources for one or more specified terminals.

[0193] Optionally, the core network element can first perform the above resource request process with the access network device, and then execute the above step S601d. Alternatively, the process of the core network element requesting resources from the access network device can be performed simultaneously with the above step S601d.

[0194] S602, the terminal communicates with the AIoT device to execute the first AIoT service.

[0195] For example, after receiving an AIoT service request, the terminal can determine the corresponding AIoT device in the second area based on the identification information of the AIoT device included in the AIoT service request, and transmit data and / or signaling corresponding to the first AIoT service between the terminal and the AIoT device, and / or transmit data and / or signaling corresponding to the first AIoT service between the terminal and the access network device, so as to execute the first AIoT service.

[0196] S603, the terminal sends the data corresponding to the first AIoT service to the core network element.

[0197] In this step, the terminal can combine Figures 7B-7D The three transmission solutions shown transmit the data associated with the first AIoT service to the core network elements.

[0198] As described above, the terminal transmits data and / or signaling corresponding to the first AIoT service with the AIoT device in the second area to execute the first AIoT service. As the terminal moves, the following possible scenarios exist:

[0199] One interpretation is that the terminal has already communicated with all AIoT devices in the second area before leaving the second area. This can be understood as the terminal having completed or ended the first AIoT service in the second area. For example, if the first AIoT service is an inventory check, then the terminal has already checked all the AIoT devices included in the first area before leaving the first area.

[0200] Secondly, when the terminal moves to the edge of the second area and is about to leave, it has not yet communicated with all the AIoT devices in the second area. This means that some AIoT devices in the first area have not yet implemented the first AIoT service, and these devices can be considered as "missed" AIoT devices in the second area. For example, if the first AIoT service is inventory management, the terminal, located at the edge of the second area, performs inventory management on some of the AIoT devices included in the second area, resulting in some AIoT devices being missed.

[0201] Based on the above two scenarios, in one possible implementation, the terminal can send the data corresponding to the first AIoT service to the core network element based on Solution 1 described above, such as... Figure 6As shown in steps S603a to S603c, in step S603a, the terminal can send seventh information to the access network device via an RRC message. The seventh information includes first data and / or eighth information, where the first data is associated with the first AIoT service, and the eighth information is used to achieve any of the following: indicating the end or completion of the first AIoT service, indicating that the first data is associated with the first AIoT service, or requesting the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource. Accordingly, the access network device receives the seventh information from the terminal.

[0202] For example, the first resource is equivalent to AIoT wireless resources, and the second resource is equivalent to NR Uu resources. It can be understood that the end or completion of the first AIoT service also means that the terminal releases or stops using the above-mentioned AIoT wireless resources and / or NR Uu resources. Therefore, the eighth information indicating the end or completion of the first AIoT service is equivalent to the terminal implicitly indicating the release or cessation of the use of AIoT wireless resources and / or NR Uu resources through the eighth information.

[0203] It is understandable that after the terminal sends the seventh information to the access network device, the terminal may release or stop using the first and / or second resources mentioned above.

[0204] It should be noted that stopping the use of resources in this application embodiment can also be understood as pausing the use of resources, suspending resources, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit it in this way.

[0205] like Figure 6 As shown in step S603b, the access network device sends an AIoT service report to the core network element via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. The AIoT service report includes data corresponding to the first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service report from the access network device.

[0206] Optionally, such as Figure 6 As shown in step S603c, before the terminal releases or stops using the first resource and / or the second resource, the access network device can send a ninth message to the terminal via an RRC message. The ninth message indicates the release or cessation of use of the first resource and / or the second resource. Accordingly, the terminal receives the ninth message from the access network device.

[0207] It is understandable that the use of the first resource and / or the second resource requires synchronization between the terminal and the access network device. Therefore, when the terminal instructs the access network device to release or stop using the first resource and / or the second resource, the access network device responds to the terminal through the ninth information to achieve alignment of the first resource and the second resource.

[0208] In this embodiment of the application, the execution order of the above steps S603b and S603c is not limited.

[0209] In another possible implementation, the terminal can send the first AIoT service-related data to the core network element based on Solution 2 or Solution 3 described above. For example... Figure 8 As shown in step S603d, the terminal can send an AIoT service report to the core network element via a NAS message or a PDU session message. The AIoT service report includes first data, which is data associated with a first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service report from the terminal.

[0210] Optionally, the terminal may also send an eighth message to the access network device via an RRC message. The eighth message is used to achieve any of the following: indicating that the first AIoT service has ended or been completed, indicating that the first data is associated with the first AIoT service, or requesting the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource. Accordingly, the access network device receives the eighth message from the terminal.

[0211] It is understandable that the terminal can simultaneously send an AIoT service report to the core network element and send the eighth information to the access network device. Alternatively, the AIoT service report and the eighth information can be sent separately, referring to the aforementioned step S603a, such as... Figure 8 As shown in S603e, the terminal can send the eighth information to the access network device via an RRC message. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the eighth information from the terminal.

[0212] Upon receiving the eighth information from the terminal, the access network device releases or stops using the first and / or second resources.

[0213] Referring to step S603c above, such as Figure 8 In S603f, the access network device can send a ninth message to the terminal via an RRC message. The ninth message is used to indicate the release or cessation of use of the first resource and / or the second resource. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the ninth message from the access network device.

[0214] S604, the terminal sends first information to the access network device, the first information being used to request whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information from the terminal.

[0215] It is understandable that as the terminal moves and leaves the second area, when transmitting messages, data, or signaling related to AIoT services based on the above solution 1, the terminal can send a first RRC message to the access network device, and the first RRC message includes the first information.

[0216] As an example, a terminal may send UE Assistance Information (UAI) to an access network device, which may include first information, or may be included in other RRC messages.

[0217] S605 determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0218] In this step, if the access network device determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, then this step is the same as... Figure 5 Step S502 in the illustrated embodiment is the same and will not be repeated here.

[0219] In some implementations, such as Figure 6 As shown in optional steps S605a to 605c, the core network element can determine whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Figure 6 As shown in step S605a, the access network device sends first information to the core network element. The first information is used to request whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the first information from the access network device.

[0220] For example, the access network device can send the first information to the core network element via NGAP / XXAP. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the first information from the access network device via NGAP / XXAP.

[0221] like Figure 6 As shown in step S605b, the core network element can determine whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service. As one possible implementation, referring to the aforementioned method by which access network devices determine whether a terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again, the core network element can obtain location information indicating the terminal's location and a first area, and determine whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again based on the terminal's location and the first area.

[0222] The core network elements can determine whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the relationship between the terminal's location and the first area. For specific implementation details, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 To avoid redundancy, step S502c in the illustrated embodiment will not be described again here.

[0223] It should be noted that the location management function (LMF) network element in the core network can obtain the location of the terminal based on the positioning. The core network element can obtain the above location information from the LMF network element, or the core network element can also obtain the above location information from the access network device or the terminal. In this embodiment, the method by which the core network element obtains the location information is not limited.

[0224] like Figure 6 As shown in step S605c, the core network element sends second information to the access network device. The second information indicates whether the terminal should continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicates whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Accordingly, the access network device receives the second information from the core network element.

[0225] For example, core network elements can send second information to access network devices via NGAP / XXAP. Correspondingly, access network devices receive second information from core network elements via NGAP / XXAP.

[0226] S606, the access network device sends second information to the terminal, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or resume acting as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or resume executing the first AIoT service. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second information from the access network device.

[0227] It is understandable that the access network device can determine on its own whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, or the access network device can also, according to step S605c, instruct the terminal through the second information whether to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or instruct the terminal whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0228] For example, the access network device may send a second RRC message to the terminal, wherein the second RRC message includes second information. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second RRC message from the access network device.

[0229] In some implementations, when the second information instructs the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, and / or when the second information instructs the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, the second information may include third information. The third information instructs the resumption of use or continued use of the first resource and / or the second resource. The first resource is the wireless resource used by the terminal to communicate with the AIoT device, such as AIoT wireless resources, and the second resource is the wireless resource used by the terminal to communicate with the access network device, such as NR Uu resources.

[0230] Alternatively, the second information may include the fourth and / or fifth information, where the fourth information indicates the first resource and the fifth information indicates the second resource. This can be understood as the fourth information configuring the first resource and the fifth information configuring the second resource.

[0231] In this implementation, it is equivalent to the access network device sending a third, fourth, and / or fifth message at the same time as sending the second message.

[0232] In some implementations, when the second information instruction terminal continues or re-executes the first AIoT service, and / or when the second information instruction terminal continues or re-executes the first AIoT service, such as Figure 6 As shown in optional step S607a, the access network device can send third information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third information from the access network device. Alternatively, as... Figure 6 As shown in optional step S607b, the access network device may send fourth information and / or fifth information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the fourth information and / or fifth information from the access network device.

[0233] In this implementation, it is equivalent to the access network device sending the second information and the third information, or the fourth information and / or the fifth information separately.

[0234] It is understood that, according to the aforementioned steps S603a to S603c, the terminal can release or stop using the first resource and / or the second resource. When the terminal stops using the first resource and / or the second resource, the terminal can resume or continue using the first resource and / or the second resource through the above third information, that is, the terminal can reuse the first resource and / or the second resource.

[0235] When a terminal releases the first resource and / or the second resource, it can be understood that the terminal deletes the relevant information of the first resource and / or the second resource. Therefore, the access network device needs to reconfigure the first resource and / or the second resource for the terminal using the fourth information and / or the fifth information.

[0236] In some implementations, before receiving the third information, or the fourth and / or fifth information, the terminal may also send a sixth information to the access network device, requesting the access network device to configure the first resource and / or the second resource for the terminal. Accordingly, the access network device receives the sixth information from the terminal. Based on the terminal's request, the access network device sends the fourth and / or fifth information to the terminal to configure the first and / or second resources.

[0237] It should be noted that the first resource and / or the second resource mentioned above may be the same as the first resource and / or the second resource released by the terminal, or they may be different resources. This application embodiment does not limit this. In this application embodiment, configuring the first resource and / or the second resource can also be understood as allocating the first resource and / or the second resource. This application embodiment does not limit this description.

[0238] It is understandable that, in the case of transmitting AIoT service-related messages, data, or signaling based on Solution 2 or Solution 3 mentioned above, such as Figure 8 As shown in step S608, the terminal sends first information to the core network element, the first information being used to request whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the first information from the terminal.

[0239] As an example, when a terminal leaves the second area, the terminal can send a first NAS message to the core network element. The first NAS message includes the aforementioned first information. Accordingly, the core network element receives the first NAS message from the terminal.

[0240] In another example, the terminal may send a first PDU session message to a core network element, the first PDU session message including the aforementioned first information. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the first PDU session message from the terminal.

[0241] like Figure 8 As shown in step S609, the core network element can determine whether the terminal should continue or resume executing AIoT services. It is understood that the specific implementation of this step can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 6 Step S605b in the illustrated embodiment will not be described again here to avoid redundancy.

[0242] like Figure 8 As shown in step S610, the core network element sends second information to the terminal, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service again, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

[0243] It is understood that, corresponding to step S608, when the terminal sends a first NAS message to the core network element, the core network element can send a second NAS message to the terminal, the second NAS message including second information. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second information from the core network element.

[0244] When a terminal sends a first PDU session message to a core network element, the core network element can send a second PDU session message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the second PDU session message from the terminal.

[0245] It is understandable that when the core network element transmits messages, data, or signaling related to AIoT services based on the above-mentioned Solution 2 or Solution 3, if the second information indicates whether the terminal should continue or act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service again, and / or indicates whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again, then the access network device needs to instruct the terminal to restore or continue using the first resource and / or the second resource, or to reconfigure the first resource and / or the second resource for the terminal.

[0246] As one possible implementation, after the terminal receives the second information from the core network element, if the terminal releases the first and / or second resources, it can send a third resource request message to the access network device via an RRC message. This third resource request message requests the configuration of the first and / or second resources. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the third resource request message from the terminal. Subsequently, the access network device can send the aforementioned fourth and / or fifth information to the terminal based on the third resource request message.

[0247] In the above embodiments, when the terminal leaves the second area, the access network device or core network element can determine whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the AIoT service. As a possible implementation, the terminal can also determine itself whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. The following describes this in conjunction with... Figure 9 and Figure 10 Explain the implementation method.

[0248] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this communication method is applied in a Topology 2 architecture, where the terminal can be understood as an intermediate node in the Topology 2 architecture. Figure 9 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0249] S901, the core network element sends an AIoT service request to the terminal. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the first area information. The first area information indicates the first area, and the first area is associated with the first AIoT service.

[0250] This step and Figure 6 Step S601 in the illustrated embodiment is similar, except that the AIoT service request in this step includes first area information, that is, the core network element indicates the first area to the terminal, rather than only indicating the second area where the terminal is located before receiving the AIoT service request.

[0251] refer to Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, if the transmission of data and / or signaling related to the first AIoT service is implemented in the topology 2 architecture based on the above solution 1, such as... Figure 9As shown in step S901a, the core network element can send an AIoT service request to the access network device via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the first area information. Accordingly, the first access network device receives the AIoT service request from the core network element.

[0252] like Figure 9 As shown in step S901b, the access network device can send an AIoT service request response to the core network element via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service request response from the access network device.

[0253] like Figure 9 As shown in step S901c, the access network device can send an AIoT service request to the terminal via an RRC message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the first area information. Accordingly, the terminal receives the AIoT service request from the access network device.

[0254] If the transmission of AIoT service-related data and / or signaling is implemented in Topology 2 based on Solution 2 or Solution 3, such as Figure 10 As shown in step S901d, the core network element can send an AIoT service request to the terminal via a NAS message or a PDU session message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the first area information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the AIoT service request from the core network element. The access network device plays a transparent transmission role.

[0255] like Figure 10 As shown in step S901e, the terminal can send an AIoT service request response to the core network element via a NAS message or a PDU session message. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service request response from the terminal.

[0256] The above steps S901a~S901c and Figure 6 Steps S601a to 601c in the illustrated embodiment are similar, while steps S901d and S901e are respectively similar to... Figure 8 S601d and S601e in the illustrated embodiment are similar and will not be described again here.

[0257] S902, the terminal communicates with the AIoT device to execute the first AIoT service.

[0258] S903, the terminal sends the data associated with the first AIoT service to the core network element.

[0259] The above steps S902, S903 and Figure 6Steps S602 and S603 in the illustrated embodiment are the same, refer to Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, if the transmission of data and / or signaling related to the first AIoT service is implemented in the topology 2 architecture based on the above solution 1, such as... Figure 9 As shown in steps S903a to S903b, in step S903a, the terminal can send first data to the access network device via an RRC message. The first data is associated with a first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first data from the terminal.

[0260] In step S903b, the access network device can send an AIoT service report to the core network element via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. The AIoT service report includes first data. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service report from the terminal.

[0261] If the transmission of data and / or signaling related to the first AIoT service is implemented in the topology 2 architecture based on the above-mentioned solution 2 or solution 3, such as Figure 10 As shown in step S903c, the terminal can send an AIoT service report to the core network element via a NAS message or a PDU session message. The AIoT service report includes first data, which is associated with a first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service report from the terminal.

[0262] It is understandable that, in conjunction with step S603, the terminal and the access network device also need to align the first resource and / or the second resource to release or stop its use. Figure 9 and Figure 10 This step is omitted.

[0263] S904, if the first condition is met, the terminal determines whether to continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

[0264] Understandably, as the terminal moves, it leaves the second area where it was when receiving the AIoT service request. If the first condition is met, the terminal can determine whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0265] As one possible implementation, the first condition includes the terminal's location switching to any of the multiple areas within the first region. This can be understood as the terminal being able to determine whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service if it leaves the second region and switches to another area within the multiple areas of the first region.

[0266] It is understandable that the terminal can continuously obtain its own location through the location service. The first area information included in the AIoT service request in step S901 can indicate multiple areas included in the first area. Therefore, the terminal can determine whether to continue or execute the first AIoT service again based on its own location and the relationship between the multiple areas included in the first area.

[0267] The above terminals determine whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on their location and the relationship between the multiple areas included in the first area. The specific judgment logic is consistent with the logic of the judgment made by the access network device or the core network element in the previous embodiment. To avoid redundancy, it will not be elaborated here.

[0268] It is understandable that if the terminal decides to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service, it can trigger the first AIoT service again. For example, if the terminal leaves the second area, it continuously locates itself and determines whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on its location and the multiple areas included in the first area. If the terminal moves to one of the multiple areas included in the first area, it decides to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. In that area, the terminal triggers the first AIoT service again, transmitting data and / or signaling associated with the first AIoT service with the AIoT devices in that area, and / or transmitting data and / or signaling associated with the first AIoT service with the access network devices.

[0269] In this embodiment, when leaving the second area, the terminal decides whether to continue or re-execute the AIoT service, which helps to reduce the interaction between the terminal and the access network equipment and / or core network elements, and can support the reduction of signaling overhead and energy saving.

[0270] In the above embodiments, a single RAN node is used as the network device. The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is further described below using an ORAN or CU-DU separation architecture as the access network device.

[0271] Figure 11 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this communication method assumes... Figure 6 The access network device in the illustrated embodiment is a CU-DU separated architecture. Taking the transmission of AIoT service-related messages, data, or signaling based on the above solution 1 as an example, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0272] S1101, the core network element sends an AIoT service request to the CU via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the second area information. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the AIoT service request from the core network element.

[0273] S1102, the CU sends an AIoT service request response to the core network element via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service request response from the CU.

[0274] It is understandable that the above steps S1101 and S1102 correspond to respectively Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, steps S601a and S601b, CU corresponds to the access network device in steps S601a and S601b.

[0275] S1103a, the CU sends an AIoT service request to the DU via an F1AP message (F1AP Msg). Correspondingly, the DU receives the AIoT service request from the CU.

[0276] S1103b, the DU sends an AIoT service request to the terminal via an RRC message. The AIoT service request includes the identification information of the AIoT device and the first region. Accordingly, the terminal receives the AIoT service request from the DU.

[0277] The above steps S1103a and S1103b correspond to Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, step S601c, DU corresponds to the access network device in step S601c.

[0278] S1104, the terminal communicates with the AIoT device to execute the first AIoT service.

[0279] This step and Figure 6 The steps shown in step S602 are the same and will not be repeated here.

[0280] S1105a, the terminal can send first data to the DU via an RRC message, and the first data is associated with a first AIoT service. Correspondingly, the DU receives the first data from the terminal.

[0281] S1105b, DU sends the first data to CU via F1AP message.

[0282] The above steps S1105a and S1105b correspond to Figure 6 In step S603a of the illustrated embodiment, DU corresponds to the access network device in step S603a. It is understood that the terminal can also send the aforementioned seventh information to the DU via RRC messages.

[0283] In step S1105b, after the DU receives the RRC message from the terminal, it can forward the RRC message to the CU via an F1AP message, or send the first data included in the RRC message to the CU via an F1AP message.

[0284] S1106, the CU sends an AIoT service report to the core network element via an XXAP message or an NGAP message. The AIoT service report includes initial data. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the AIoT service report from the access network device.

[0285] This step corresponds to Figure 6 In step S603b of the illustrated embodiment, CU corresponds to the access network device in step S603b.

[0286] S1107a, the CU sends a ninth message to the DU via an F1AP message. The ninth message is used to indicate the release or cessation of use of the first resource and / or the second resource. Accordingly, the DU receives the ninth message from the CU.

[0287] S1107b, the DU sends the ninth information to the terminal via an RRC message. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the ninth information from the DU.

[0288] The above steps S1107a and S1107b correspond to Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, step S603c, DU corresponds to the access network device in step S603c.

[0289] S1108a, the terminal sends first information to the DU via an RRC message. The first information is used to request whether to continue or re-execute the AIoT service. Accordingly, the DU receives the first information from the terminal.

[0290] S1108b, the DU sends the first message to the CU via the F1AP message. Correspondingly, the CU receives the first message from the DU.

[0291] The above steps S1108a and S1108b correspond to Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, step S604, DU corresponds to the access network device in step S604.

[0292] S1109, CU determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

[0293] This step corresponds to Figure 6 In step S605 of the illustrated embodiment, the CU corresponds to the access network device in step S605, that is, the CU determines whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

[0294] In some implementations, the DU can also determine whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service based on the first information. It is understandable that if the DU determines whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the AIoT service, the DU does not need to send the first information to the CU, and similarly, it does not need to execute the following step S1110a.

[0295] S1110a, the CU sends second information to the DU via an F1AP message. The second information indicates whether the terminal should continue or resume acting as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicates whether the terminal should continue or resume executing the first AIoT service. Accordingly, the DU receives the second information from the CU.

[0296] S1110b, the DU sends the second information to the terminal via an RRC message. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the DU.

[0297] The above steps S1110a and S1110b correspond to Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, step S606, DU corresponds to the access network device in step S606. According to... Figure 6 As can be seen from the illustrated embodiment, in the above steps S1110a and S1110b, the CU can also send the aforementioned third or fourth information to the DU via the F1AP message. Correspondingly, the DU sends the aforementioned third or fourth information to the terminal via the RRC message.

[0298] Combination Figure 11 As can be seen, in the CU-DU separation architecture, the interaction between the terminal and the access network device can be understood as the interaction between the terminal and the DU, and the interaction between the access network device and the core network element can be understood as the interaction between the CU and the core network element. The CU and the DU forward relevant information through F1AP messages.

[0299] It should be noted that the XXAP or NGAP messages transmitted on the F1AP can be different from the XXAP or NGAP messages transmitted on the NG interface or XX interface. For example, the CU can perform relevant processing on the message, which may include deletion, filtering, mapping, modification, and adding auxiliary information.

[0300] It is understandable that the above Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 The access network devices in the illustrated embodiments can all be extended to a CU-DU separation architecture. For specific implementation details, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 11 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0301] Figure 12 and Figure 13The diagram illustrates the possible structures of communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminals, access network devices, or core network elements in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be a terminal or access network device in the above method embodiments, or it can be a component configured in the terminal or access network device (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions of the terminal or access network device.

[0302] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1200 includes a processing module 1210 and a transceiver module 1220.

[0303] The transceiver module 1220 can implement corresponding communication functions and can also be referred to as an input / output interface or communication unit. The processing module 1210 can be used to perform processing operations. It should be understood that if the device 1200 is a component configured in an access network device or terminal, such as a chip, the transceiver module 1220 can be an input / output interface.

[0304] Optionally, the transceiver module 1220 may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module is used to perform the transmitting operation of the access network device or terminal, and the receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation of the access network device or terminal.

[0305] It should be understood that when the device 1200 is a component configured in an access network device or terminal, such as a chip, the transmitting module can be an output interface, and the transmitting operation involved in the embodiments of this application can be performed by the output interface; the receiving module can be an input interface, and the receiving operation involved in the embodiments of this application can be performed by the input interface.

[0306] Optionally, the device 1200 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 1210 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device can implement the method embodiments shown above.

[0307] In one possible design, the device 1200 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown above. Alternatively, the device 1200 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the terminal in the method embodiments shown above. This unit can be implemented entirely or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0308] When device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown above, transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a receiving module) can be used to perform... Figure 5 In step S503, a second message is received from the access network device. The second message indicates whether the terminal should continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicates whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. The transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a sending module) can also be used to perform... Figure 5 In step S501, a first message is sent to the access network device. The first message is used to request whether to continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

[0309] In another possible design, the device 1200 can be used to implement the functions of the access network device in the method embodiments shown above. Alternatively, the device 1200 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the access network device in the method embodiments shown above. This unit can be implemented entirely or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0310] When device 1200 is used to implement the function of the second access network device in the method embodiment shown above, transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a sending module) can be used to perform... Figure 5 In step S503, a second message is sent to the terminal, indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or re-execute the first AIoT service; the transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a receiving module) can be used to execute... Figure 5 In step S501, the terminal receives first information, which is used to request whether to continue or re-execute the AIoT service.

[0311] A more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing module 1210 and transceiver module 1220 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the above-described method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0312] It should be noted that the transceiver module can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver machine, or transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be called a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device, etc. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform the sending and receiving operations on the terminal or access network device side in the above method. The device in the communication module used to implement the receiving function can be considered as the receiving module, and the device in the communication module used to implement the sending function can be considered as the sending module; that is, the transceiver module includes both a receiving module and a sending module.

[0313] In another possible design, the aforementioned transceiver module and / or processing module can be implemented using virtual modules. For example, the processing module can be implemented using software functional modules or virtual devices, and the transceiver module can also be implemented using software functional modules or virtual devices. In another possible design, the processing module or transceiver module can also be implemented using physical devices. For example, if the device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0314] It should be understood that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0315] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of this application. The device 1300 can be a chip system, or it can be a device configured with a chip system to implement the above-described method embodiments. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0316] like Figure 13 As shown, device 1300 can be implemented using a processing system including one or more processors 1301. Processor 1301 includes a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, graphics processor, programmable logic device, state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to various functions. That is, the processor used in device 1300 can be used to implement any one or more of the embodiments described above.

[0317] The processing system in device 1300 can be implemented using a bus architecture, typically represented by bus 1302. Bus 1302 may include any number of interconnect buses and bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system. The bus communicatively couples various circuits together, including one or more processors 1301 (typically represented by a processor), memory 1303, and computer-readable medium 1304 (typically represented by a computer-readable medium). Bus 1302 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. Bus interface 1305 provides an interface between bus 1302 and transceivers, and between bus 1302 and interfaces. Bus interface 1305 may use, but is not limited to, transceivers to enable communication between device 1300 and other devices or apparatuses.

[0318] A transceiver provides a communication interface or means for communicating with various other devices via a wireless transmission medium. The transceiver may be coupled to an antenna array, and the transceiver and antenna array may be used together for communication with a corresponding network type. At least one interface (e.g., a network interface and / or a user interface) provides a communication interface or means for communication via an internal bus or via an external transmission medium.

[0319] Processor 1301 is responsible for managing bus 1302 and general processing, including executing software stored on computer-readable medium 1304. When executed by processor 1301, the software causes the processing system to perform the various functions described below for any particular device.

[0320] The processor 1301, memory 1303, and computer-readable medium 1304 can perform the following functions: encoding, decoding, rate matching, rate dematching, scrambling, descrambling, modulation, demodulation, layer mapping, fast Fourier transform, inverse fast Fourier transform, inverse discrete Fourier transform, precoding, resource element (RE) mapping, channel equalization, RE demapping, digital beamforming (BF), adding cyclic prefix (CP), removing CP, etc.

[0321] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art.

[0322] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the methods described above.

[0323] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the various steps in the methods described above.

[0324] It should be noted that the modules or components shown in the above embodiments can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more microprocessors, or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Furthermore, when a module is implemented by a processing element calling program code, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor capable of calling program code, such as a controller. Moreover, these modules can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0325] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, software modules, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0326] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and intent of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0327] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal or a chip in a terminal, and the method includes: Send a first message, which requests whether to continue or re-execute the first environment IoT AIoT service; Receive second information, the second information indicating whether the terminal should continue or act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service again, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal switches between one or more cells.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second information instructs the terminal to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or instructs the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information indicating the resumption or continued use of a first resource and / or a second resource, wherein the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, the second resource is used for communication between the terminal and the access network device, the AIoT device is related to the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device to which the terminal accesses; or... Receive a fourth message and / or a fifth message, wherein the fourth message indicates the first resource and the fifth message indicates the second resource.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Before receiving the third information, or before receiving the fourth and / or fifth information, the method further includes: A sixth message is sent, which requests the access network device to configure the first resource and / or the second resource.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a seventh message, which includes first data and / or an eighth message. The first data is associated with the first AIoT service, and the eighth message is used to achieve any of the following: indicating that the first AIoT service has ended or been completed, indicating that the first data is associated with the first AIoT service, or requesting the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource. The first resource is used for the terminal to communicate with the AIoT device, the second resource is used for the terminal to communicate with the access network device, the AIoT device is associated with the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device to which the terminal accesses. Release or stop using the first resource and / or the second resource.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Prior to releasing or ceasing the use of the first resource and / or the second resource, the method further includes: Receive a ninth message, which indicates the release or cessation of use of the first resource and / or the second resource.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to an access network device or a chip in an access network device, and the method includes: Receive first information, the first information requests whether the terminal should continue to execute or re-execute the first AIoT service; Send a second message, the second message indicating whether the terminal should continue to act as or again act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue to execute or again execute the first AIoT service.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second information instructs the terminal to continue or re-act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and / or instructs the terminal to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service. The method further includes: Send a third message, indicating the resumption or continued use of a first resource and / or a second resource, wherein the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the AIoT device, and the second resource is used for communication between the terminal and the access network device, the AIoT device being related to the first AIoT service, and the access network device being the access network device to which the terminal accesses; or... Send a fourth message and / or a fifth message, wherein the fourth message indicates the first resource and the fifth message indicates the second resource.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Before sending the third message, or before sending the fourth and / or fifth message, the method further includes: The sixth message is received, which requests the access network device to configure the first resource and / or the second resource.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the first information to the core network element; Receive the second information from the core network element.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a seventh message, the seventh message including first data and / or an eighth message, the first data being associated with the first AIoT service, the eighth message being used to achieve any of the following: indicating that the first AIoT service ends or is completed, indicating that the first data is associated with the first AIoT service, or requesting the release or cessation of the use of the first resource and / or the second resource, wherein the first resource is used for the terminal to communicate with the AIoT device, the second resource is used for the terminal to communicate with the access network device, the AIoT device is associated with the first AIoT service, and the access network device is the access network device to which the terminal accesses; Release or stop using the first resource and / or the second resource.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a ninth message, which indicates the release or cessation of use of the first resource and / or the second resource.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to core network elements, and the method includes: Receive first information, the first information requests whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again; Send a second message, the second message indicating whether the terminal should continue or act as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service again, and / or indicating whether the terminal should continue or execute the first AIoT service again.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal or a chip in a terminal, and the method includes: Receive first area information, the first area information indicates a first area, and the first area is related to a first AIoT service; If the first condition is met, it is determined whether to continue or re-execute the first AIoT service.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first condition includes: the location of the terminal is switched to any one of the multiple regions of the first region.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for implementing the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processor, the processor being coupled to memory; The memory stores computer-executed instructions; The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory, causing the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

Images