Management method and apparatus for piot device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a management method and apparatus for a PIoT device, which can manage the time for taking inventory for at least one PIoT device in a first region. The method comprises: a first management node receives an inventory taking request from a second management node, the inventory taking request comprising first time information, and the first time information comprising at least one of the following: a starting time and an ending time for taking inventory for at least one PIoT device in a first region, or a period for taking inventory for at least one PIoT device in the first region; and the first management node sends an inventory taking report to the second management node.

Description

PIoT device management method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on December 29, 2023, with application number 202311864967.X and application name “Management Method and Apparatus for PIoT Devices”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a management method and apparatus for passive IoT (PIoT) devices. Background Art

[0003] PIoT devices (also known as passive tags) collect ambient energy and, based on the principle of backscatter, modulate signals using carrier waves transmitted by base stations to communicate with the base station's reader / writer. PIoT devices can be powered by light or radio frequency energy, or by radio frequency energy provided by base stations, meeting their operational energy needs.

[0004] Low-cost management of PIoT devices is crucial in the fifth-generation (5G) networking architecture. However, there is currently no time management solution for PIoT device inventory. Therefore, how to manage the time of PIoT device inventory is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application relate to a method and apparatus for managing PIoT devices, which can manage the time for taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for managing PIoT devices is provided. The method can be executed by a first management node, or by a component of the first management node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first management node. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the first management node. Taking the method as an example where the method can be executed by the first management node, the method includes: the first management node receiving an inventory request from a second management node, the inventory request including first time information, the first time information including at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area, or a period for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area; and the first management node sending an inventory report to the second management node.

[0008] In the PIoT device management method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a second management node sends an inventory request carrying first time information to a first management node, so that the first management node can manage the time for taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area, or can perform an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, and then the first management node can send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory report includes at least one of the following: inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information. In this solution, the inventory report includes potential inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that may subsequently fail the inventory, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the inventory; the inventory report includes inventory success information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have successfully been inventoried; and the inventory report includes inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have failed the inventory.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes a first threshold for uplink coverage margin, and the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin. This solution allows the first management node to predict the potential inventory failure information based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin.

[0011] In a second aspect, a method for managing PIoT devices is provided. This method can be executed by a first management node, or by a component of the first management node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first management node. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the first management node. For example, in the case where the method can be executed by the first management node, the method includes: the first management node receiving an inventory request from a second management node, the inventory request being used to request an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area; and the first management node sending an inventory report to the second management node, the inventory report including information about potential inventory failures.

[0012] In a method for managing PIoT devices provided in an embodiment of the present application, a second management node sends an inventory request for requesting an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area to a first management node, and the first management node sends an inventory report obtained after an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area to the second management node, wherein the inventory report includes information on potential inventory failures. For example, when the number of PIoT devices is large and the communication capability is poor, the first management node can predict PIoT devices that are potentially prone to inventory failures, so that the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) can determine information on PIoT devices that may subsequently fail in the inventory, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the inventory.

[0013] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes first time information, where the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area. In this solution, the inventory request carries the first time information, enabling the first management node to manage the time for performing an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area, or to perform an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, thereby enabling the first management node to send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0014] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inventory report further includes at least one of the following: inventory success information or inventory failure information. In this solution, the inventory report includes the inventory success information, allowing the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried; the inventory report includes the inventory failure information, allowing the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have failed to be inventoried.

[0015] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes a first threshold for uplink coverage margin, and the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin. This solution allows the first management node to predict the potential inventory failure information based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin.

[0016] In a third aspect, a method for managing PIoT devices is provided. The method can be executed by a first management node, or by a component of the first management node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first management node. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first management node. Taking the method as an example where the method can be executed by the first management node, the method includes: the first management node receiving an inventory request from a second management node, the inventory request including a first threshold value for uplink coverage margin, the inventory request being used to request an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area; the first management node sending an inventory report to the second management node, the inventory report including at least one of the following: inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information; wherein the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on the first threshold value for uplink coverage margin.

[0017] In the PIoT device management method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the inventory request sent by the second management node to the first management node carries a first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin, which allows the first management node to predict potential inventory failure information based on the first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin. In addition, the inventory report includes potential inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that may fail to be inventoried later, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the inventory; the inventory report includes inventory success information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried; and the inventory report includes inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have failed to be inventoried.

[0018] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes first time information, where the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area. In this solution, the inventory request carries the first time information, enabling the first management node to manage the time for performing an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area, or to perform an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, thereby enabling the first management node to send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0019] In conjunction with any of the first through third aspects above, in one possible implementation, the inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on historical inventory success information or a list of initial PIoT device identifiers. This solution allows the first management node to determine PIoT device information that failed inventory based on historical inventory success information or the list of initial PIoT device identifiers, allowing the second management node to make adjustments to the PIoT devices that failed inventory, such as changing their stacking configuration or replacing the PIoT devices, thereby improving the overall PIoT device inventory success rate.

[0020] In conjunction with any of the first to third aspects above, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory failure information includes at least one of the following: the number of PIoT devices for which inventory failed, a list of PIoT device identifiers for which inventory failed, or a reason for the inventory failure. This solution allows a recipient of the inventory report (e.g., a second management node) to determine at least one of the number of PIoT devices for which inventory failed, a list of PIoT device identifiers for which inventory failed, or a reason for the inventory failure.

[0021] In combination with any of the first to third aspects above, in an embodiment of the present application, the successful inventory information includes at least one of the following: the number of successfully inventoried PIoT devices, a list of successfully inventoried PIoT devices' identifiers, or communication environment information corresponding to each successfully inventoried PIoT device. This solution allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., a second management node) to determine at least one of the following: the number of successfully inventoried PIoT devices, the list of successfully inventoried PIoT devices' identifiers, or the communication environment information corresponding to each successfully inventoried PIoT device.

[0022] In combination with any one of the first to third aspects above, the PIoT device management method provided in an embodiment of the present application also includes: the first management node sends first information to the second management node, and the first information is used to characterize the inventory capability information of the first management node.

[0023] The inventory capability information includes at least one of the following: inventory management scope, location service availability information, and inventory positioning accuracy. This solution allows a first management node to register its inventory capability information with a second management node, allowing the second management node to learn the first management node's inventory capabilities. Furthermore, the second management node can send an inventory request within the inventory capability to the first management node.

[0024] In a fourth aspect, a method for managing PIoT devices is provided. This method can be executed by a second management node, or by a component of the second management node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second management node. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the second management node. For example, in the case where the method can be executed by the second management node, the method includes: the second management node sending an inventory request to the first management node, the inventory request including first time information, the first time information including at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area, or a period for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area; and the second management node receiving an inventory report from the first management node.

[0025] In the PIoT device management method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a second management node sends an inventory request carrying first time information to a first management node, so that the first management node can manage the time for taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area, or can perform an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, and then the first management node can send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0026] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory report includes at least one of the following: inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information. In this solution, the inventory report includes potential inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that may subsequently fail the inventory; the inventory report includes inventory success information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have successfully been inventoried; and the inventory report includes inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have failed the inventory.

[0027] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes a first threshold for uplink coverage margin, and the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin. This solution enables the first management node to predict the potential inventory failure information based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, a method for managing PIoT devices is provided. This method can be executed by a second management node, or by a component of the second management node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second management node. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the second management node. For example, in the case where the method can be executed by the second management node, the method includes: the second management node sending an inventory request to the first management node, requesting an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area; and the second management node receiving an inventory report from the first management node, the inventory report including information about potential inventory failures.

[0029] In a method for managing PIoT devices provided in an embodiment of the present application, a second management node sends an inventory request for requesting an inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area to a first management node, and the first management node sends an inventory report obtained after an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area to the second management node, wherein the inventory report includes information on potential inventory failures. For example, when the number of PIoT devices is large and the communication capability is poor, the first management node can predict PIoT devices that are potentially prone to inventory failures, so that the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) can determine information on PIoT devices that may subsequently fail in the inventory, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the inventory.

[0030] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes first time information, where the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area. In this solution, the inventory request carries the first time information, enabling the first management node to manage the time for performing an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area, or to perform an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, thereby enabling the first management node to send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0031] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the inventory report further includes at least one of the following: inventory success information or inventory failure information. In this solution, the inventory report includes inventory success information, allowing the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have successfully been inventoried; the inventory report includes inventory failure information, allowing the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have failed to be inventoried.

[0032] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes a first threshold for uplink coverage margin, and the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin. This solution allows the first management node to predict the potential inventory failure information based on the first threshold for uplink coverage margin.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, a method for managing PIoT devices is provided. The method can be executed by a second management node, or by a component of the second management node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second management node. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second management node. Taking the method that can be executed by the second management node as an example, the method includes: the second management node sends an inventory request to the first management node, the inventory request includes a first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin, and the inventory request is used to request an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area; the second management node receives an inventory report from the first management node, the inventory report includes at least one of the following: inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information; wherein the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on the first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin.

[0034] In the PIoT device management method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the inventory request sent by the second management node to the first management node carries a first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin, which allows the first management node to predict potential inventory failure information based on the first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin. In addition, the inventory report includes potential inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that may fail to be inventoried later, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the inventory; the inventory report includes inventory success information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried; and the inventory report includes inventory failure information, which allows the recipient of the inventory report (such as the second management node) to determine the information of PIoT devices that have failed to be inventoried.

[0035] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in one possible implementation, the inventory request includes first time information, where the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area. In this solution, the inventory request carries the first time information, enabling the first management node to manage the time for performing an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area, or to perform an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, thereby enabling the first management node to send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0036] In conjunction with any of the fourth to sixth aspects above, in one possible implementation, the inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on historical inventory success information or a list of initial PIoT device identifiers. This solution allows the first management node to determine PIoT device information that failed inventory based on historical inventory success information or the list of initial PIoT device identifiers, thereby enabling the second management node to make adjustments to the PIoT devices that failed inventory, such as changing their stacking configuration or replacing the PIoT devices, thereby improving the overall PIoT device inventory success rate.

[0037] In conjunction with any of the fourth to sixth aspects above, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory failure information includes at least one of the following: the number of PIoT devices for which inventory failed, a list of identifiers of the PIoT devices for which inventory failed, or a reason for the inventory failure. This solution allows a recipient of the inventory report (e.g., a second management node) to determine at least one of the number of PIoT devices for which inventory failed, a list of identifiers of the PIoT devices for which inventory failed, or a reason for the inventory failure.

[0038] In combination with any of the fourth to sixth aspects above, in an embodiment of the present application, the successful inventory information includes at least one of the following: the number of successfully inventoried PIoT devices, a list of successfully inventoried PIoT devices' identifiers, or communication environment information corresponding to each successfully inventoried PIoT device. This solution allows the recipient of the inventory report (e.g., a second management node) to determine at least one of the following: the number of successfully inventoried PIoT devices, the list of successfully inventoried PIoT devices' identifiers, or the communication environment information corresponding to each successfully inventoried PIoT device.

[0039] In combination with any one of the above-mentioned aspects 4 to 6, the management method of the PIoT device provided in the embodiment of the present application also includes: the second management node receives first information from the first management node, and the first information is used to characterize the inventory capacity information of the first management node.

[0040] The inventory capability information includes at least one of the following: inventory management scope, location service availability information, and inventory positioning accuracy. This solution allows a first management node to register its inventory capability information with a second management node, allowing the second management node to learn the first management node's inventory capabilities. Furthermore, the second management node can send an inventory request within the inventory capability to the first management node.

[0041] In the seventh aspect, a method for managing a PIoT device is provided, the method comprising: a first management node executing the method described in any one of the first to third aspects, and a second management node executing the method described in any one of the fourth to sixth aspects.

[0042] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be the first management node in any one of the first to third aspects, or a device included in the first management node, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second management node in any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, or a device included in the second management node, such as a chip.

[0043] The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0044] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module. The communication module may include an output module (or a sending module) and an input module (or a receiving module), respectively configured to implement the output (or sending) and input (or receiving) functions of any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions of any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0045] Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage module for storing program instructions and data.

[0046] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction, or to cause the communication device to execute the method described in any of the above aspects through logic circuitry. The communication device may be the first management node described in any of the first to third aspects, or a device included in the first management node, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second management node described in any of the fourth to sixth aspects, or a device included in the second management node, such as a chip.

[0047] In some possible designs, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions and / or configuration files of logic circuits. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor, or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device further includes a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signals.

[0049] In some possible designs, the communication interface is an interface circuit for reading and writing computer instructions. For example, the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0050] In some possible designs, the communication interface is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0051] In some possible designs, the communication device may be a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, the chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0052] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a logic circuit and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to input and / or output information; and the logic circuit is configured to execute the method described in any of the above aspects, processing the input information and / or generating output information. The communication device may be the first management node described in any of the first to third aspects, or a device included in the first management node, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second management node described in any of the fourth to sixth aspects, or a device included in the second management node, such as a chip.

[0053] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method described in any one of the above aspects is executed.

[0054] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when executed by a processor, enables the method described in any one of the above aspects to be executed.

[0055] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the eighth to tenth aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as output information, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as input information.

[0056] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in aspects 8 to 10 can refer to the technical effects brought about by the different design methods in the above-mentioned first and fourth aspects, or the technical effects brought about by the different design methods in the second and fifth aspects, or the technical effects brought about by the different designs in the third and sixth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0057] In the thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the first management node described in the first aspect and the second management node described in the fourth aspect, or the communication system includes the first management node described in the second aspect and the second management node described in the fifth aspect, or the communication system includes the first management node described in the third aspect and the second management node described in the sixth aspect.

[0058] Optionally, the communication system further includes an access network device, configured to send inventory information to the first management node. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture;

[0060] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a service-oriented management architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG3A is a schematic diagram of a system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG3B is a schematic diagram of another system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG3C is a schematic diagram of another system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a PIoT device management method provided in an embodiment of the present application applied to a service-oriented management architecture.

[0065] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an example of a method for managing a PIoT device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another example of a method for managing a PIoT device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another example of a method for managing a PIoT device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of another example of a method for managing a PIoT device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0072] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and / or c can be represented by: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or plural.

[0073] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0074] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0075] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, throughout the specification, the various embodiments do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0076] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0077] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following description of the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0078] For ease of understanding, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of this application are briefly introduced.

[0079] 1. 5G network architecture:

[0080] The 5G network architecture defined in the 3GPP standard is mainly divided into two parts: the access network (AN) and the core network. As shown in Figure 1, terminal devices access the core network through the access network.

[0081] The access network mainly includes radio access network (RAN) equipment, which is used to implement functions related to wireless access.

[0082] The core network mainly includes the following key logical network elements: access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, unified data management function (UDM) network element. In addition, it can also include authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, application function (AF) network element, etc. Please refer to the 5G standard for the network elements of related functions and will not be repeated here.

[0083] In addition, referring to FIG1 , Nx represents a logical interface or a service-oriented interface between two network elements, which is used for communication between the network elements. For example, N1 is the interface between the terminal device and the AMF network element; N2 is the interface between the access network device and the AMF network element; N3 is the interface between the access network device and the UPF network element; N9 is the interface between different UPF network elements; N6 is the interface between the UPF network element and the destination network (DN); N4 is the interface between the UPF network element and the SMF network element; N11 is the interface between the AMF network element and the SMF network element; N7 is the interface between the SMF network element and the PCF network element; N5 is the interface between the PCF network element and the AF network element; N14 is the interface between different AMF network elements; N15 is the interface between the AMF network element and the PCF network element; N22 is the interface between the NSSF network element and the AMF network element; N12 is the interface between the AUSF network element and the AMF network element; N8 is the interface between the UDM network element and the AMF network element; N13 is the interface between the AUSF network element and the UDM network element. It should be noted that the interface between the AMF and the access network device can also be an NG interface.

[0084] Optionally, the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be a user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, user station, terminal station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, user terminal terminal equipment, TE), mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, tablet computer (pad), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, vehicle-mounted communication module, wearable device, or terminal device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G. The access terminal can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a drone, a robot, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE) or a wearable device, virtual reality (VR) reality (VR) terminal equipment, augmented reality (AR) terminal equipment, wireless terminals in industrial control (industrial control), wireless terminals in self-driving (self-driving), wireless terminals in remote medical (remote medical), wireless terminals in smart grid (smart grid), wireless terminals in transportation safety (transportation safety), wireless terminals in smart city (smart city), wireless terminals in smart home (smart home), etc. Alternatively, the terminal can be a terminal with communication function in the Internet of Things (IoT), such as a terminal in V2X (such as a vehicle networking device), a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication, etc. The terminal can be mobile or fixed. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the device form of the terminal. The device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device; it can also be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0085] 2. Service-oriented management architecture:

[0086] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a service-oriented management architecture. As shown in Figure 2, the service-oriented management architecture includes: a business support system (BSS), a cross domain management function (CD-MnF), a domain management function (Domain-MnF), and a domain management function, and / or, a network element managed by the cross domain management function. The domain management function, and / or, the network element managed by the cross domain management function includes a core network element or an access network device. The core network element includes, for example, an access and mobility management function network element, a session management function network element, or a policy control network element.

[0087] The management modes of the service-oriented management architecture include the following:

[0088] Management model 1: The cross-domain management functional unit provides management services and is the producer of management services; the business support system is the consumer of management services.

[0089] Management mode 2: The domain management functional unit provides management services and is the producer of management services; the cross-domain management functional unit is the consumer of management services.

[0090] Management mode three: The domain management functional unit, and / or the network elements managed by the cross-domain management functional unit, provide management services and are producers of management services; the domain management functional unit is a consumer of management services.

[0091] Business support systems, oriented towards communications services, provide functions and management services such as billing, settlement, accounting, customer service, sales operations, network monitoring, communications service lifecycle management, and business intent translation. These systems can be either the operator's operating system or a vertical industry's operating system.

[0092] The cross-domain management function unit, also called the network management function unit (NMF), can be a network management entity such as a network management system (NMS) or a network function management service consumer (NFMS_C). The cross-domain management function unit provides one or more of the following management functions or services: network lifecycle management, network deployment, network fault management, network performance management, network configuration management, network assurance, network optimization, and translation of service producer network intents (Intent-CSPs).

[0093] Among them, the network referred to in the above management function or management service may include one or more network elements, or subnetworks, or network slices. That is, the network management function unit may be a network slice management function unit (NSMF), or a cross-domain management data analytical function unit (MDAF), or a cross-domain self-organization network function (SON Function), or a cross-domain intent driven management service (MnS).

[0094] Optionally, in certain deployment scenarios, the cross-domain management functional unit may also provide sub-network lifecycle management, sub-network deployment, sub-network fault management, sub-network performance management, sub-network configuration management, sub-network assurance, sub-network optimization functions, network intent of sub-network service producers, or translation of network intent of sub-network service consumers (intent from communication service consumer, Intent-CSC), etc. Wherein, the sub-network is composed of multiple small sub-networks and can be a network slice sub-network.

[0095] The domain management function unit, also called the sub-network management function unit (NMF) or the network element management function unit, can be, for example, a radio automation engine (MBB automation engine, MAE), an element management system (EMS), a network function management service provider (NFMS_P), or other network element management entities.

[0096] The domain management functional unit provides one or more of the following functions or management services: lifecycle management of sub-networks or network elements, deployment of sub-networks or network elements, fault management of sub-networks or network elements, performance management of sub-networks or network elements, assurance of sub-networks or network elements, optimization of sub-networks or network elements, and translation of intents from network operators (Intent-NOPs) for sub-networks or network elements. A sub-network here includes one or more network elements, and a sub-network may also include sub-networks, i.e., one or more sub-networks form a larger sub-network.

[0097] Optionally, the subnetwork here can also be a network slice subnetwork. The domain management function unit can be a network slice subnet management function unit (NSSMF), a domain management data analytical function unit (Domain MDAF), a domain self-organization network function (SON Function), a domain intent management function unit Intent Driven MnS, etc.

[0098] The domain management functional units can be classified as follows:

[0099] By network type, they can be divided into: radio access network domain management function (RAN-Domain-MnF), core network domain management function (CN-Domain-MnF), transport network domain management function (TN-Domain-MnF), etc. It should be noted that the domain management function unit can also be a domain network management system that can manage one or more of the access network, core network, or transport network. By administrative region, they can be divided into: domain management function units for a specific region, such as the domain management function unit of City A and the domain management function unit of City B.

[0100] The network elements managed by the domain management functional unit and / or the cross-domain management functional unit are entities that provide network services, including core network elements or access network devices. Specifically, the domain management functional unit and / or the cross-domain management functional unit may provide one or more of the following management functions or services: network element lifecycle management, network element deployment, network element fault management, network element performance management, network element assurance, network element optimization, and network element intent translation.

[0101] 3. Classification of IoT devices (also called tags).

[0102] Passive IoT devices are those powered by energy harvesting and can be battery-free or have limited energy storage capabilities (e.g., using capacitors). Tags can be categorized into three types based on their energy source, ability to amplify backscattered signals, and independent carrier generation capabilities:

[0103] Class A tags (pure passive tags): have no energy storage, rely entirely on backscatter communication of radio frequency signals or carriers, and do not support amplification of backscatter signals. Purely passive tags have a short coverage distance and are as complex as electronic tags.

[0104] Class B tags (semi-passive tags): rely on environmental energy supply, support energy storage, rely on backscatter communication of radio frequency signals or carriers, and support amplification of backscatter signals. Compared with pure passive tags, semi-passive tags have enhanced capabilities and cover longer distances than pure passive tags.

[0105] Class C tags (active tags): can collect energy from the environment or be powered by batteries, have the ability to generate uplink carriers, and communicate through uplink carriers. Active tags have a wide coverage distance.

[0106] Among them, both Class A tags and Class B tags are based on backscatter communication of radio frequency signals or carriers. The principle is similar to that of radar communication. That is, pure passive tags or semi-passive tags only reflect the signals sent by the base station and have no uplink carrier generation capability.

[0107] Currently, the backscatter communication process is as follows: Class A tags or Class B tags obtain energy from the outside world and supply it to the internal circuit module of the tag. Then, based on the carrier sent by the base station, the Class A tags or Class B tags modulate the signal to be sent onto the backscatter signal of the corresponding carrier for communication.

[0108] 4. Application scenarios of PIoT devices.

[0109] a. Inventory: Use PIoT devices (tags) to complete inventory and tracking of goods in automated warehousing and logistics scenarios, where the goods are labeled.

[0110] b. Environmental perception: Perception is performed based on monitoring tasks sent by a communication system (e.g., a 5G communication system) or measurement of environmental parameters, such as base station room environment detection (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.). When performing environmental perception, the PIoT device acts as a wireless sensor.

[0111] c. Positioning: Use PIoT devices (tags) to locate personal items, such as using PIoT devices to find lost items remotely, where the items are labeled.

[0112] d. Command: Complete simple PIoT device control. For example, in smart agriculture, PIoT devices can act as controllers and receive instructions from the farm management platform. The instructions from the farm platform can be instructions indicating the irrigation on / off cycle or the amount of pesticide spraying.

[0113] The above introduces the relevant technologies involved in the embodiments of the present application. The following briefly introduces the communication system used in the management method of the PIoT device provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0114] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3A, the communication system includes a first management node and a second management node.

[0115] The first management node is configured to receive an inventory request from the second management node and send an inventory report to the second management node. The second management node is configured to send an inventory request to the first management node and receive an inventory report from the first management node.

[0116] In the communication system, the first management node may include a PIoT service management node, or the PIoT service management node may be independently deployed, and the first management node manages the PIoT service management node. For example, the PIoT service management node may be implemented as an application program (APP).

[0117] The functions of the PIoT service management node include: 1. Inventory request processing: for example, translating inventory request instructions (translation processing can be understood as converting the inventory request from the second management node into specific inventory instructions for scanning access network devices). 2. PIoT device data processing (data processing can include, for example, data integration or deduplication). 3. PIoT device positioning calculation: for example, calculating the location of the PIoT device and outputting the specific PIoT device positioning result.

[0118] Optionally, as shown in FIG3A , the communication system further includes an access network device configured to send inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area to the first management node. Optionally, the inventory information may be inventory information obtained by performing preliminary processing on data obtained by the access network device after performing an inventory on the at least one PIoT device in the first area, or the inventory information may be raw data information obtained by the access network device after performing an inventory on the at least one PIoT device in the first area.

[0119] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the 5G communication system as shown in Figure 1, or the service-oriented management system as shown in Figure 2, or the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the communication system shown in FIG3A may be applied to the 5G communication system shown in FIG1 .

[0121] For example, as shown in FIG3B , the second management node may be, for example, the cross-domain management functional unit in FIG2 , and the first management node may be, for example, the core network element in FIG1 (exemplarily, the core network element may be an AMF or UPF), or a component in the core network element (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system of the core network element), or a logical module or software of all or part of the functions of the core network element. In this scenario, the communication system further includes a single-domain management functional unit.

[0122] Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG3C , the second management node may be, for example, the cross-domain management function unit in FIG2 , and the first management function node may be, for example, the domain management function unit in FIG2 . In this scenario, the communication system further includes a core network element. Exemplarily, the core network element may be an AMF network element or a UPF network element.

[0123] In another possible implementation, the communication system shown in FIG3A can be applied to the service-oriented management architecture shown in FIG2. The first management node can be a domain management function unit, or can be a processor, chip, or chip system in the domain management function unit, or can be a logic module or software of all or part of the functions of the domain management function unit, and the second management node can be a cross-domain management function unit, or can be a processor, chip, or chip system in the cross-domain management function unit, or can be a logic module or software of all or part of the functions of the cross-domain management function unit.

[0124] For example, FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the management method of the PIoT device provided in an embodiment of the present application applied to the communication system of the service-oriented architecture shown in FIG2. As shown in FIG4, the communication system includes a domain management function unit and a cross-domain management function unit. The domain management function unit is used to receive an inventory request from the cross-domain management function unit and send an inventory report to the cross-domain management function unit. The cross-domain management function unit is used to send an inventory request to the domain management function unit and receive an inventory report from the domain management function unit. The domain management function unit includes a PIoT service management node or the domain management function unit manages the PIoT service management node.

[0125] Optionally, as shown in FIG4 , the domain management function unit is further configured to receive inventory information of PIoT devices obtained by taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area from the access network device and determine an inventory report based on the inventory information.

[0126] Optionally, as shown in FIG4 , the domain management function unit is further configured to configure at least one access network device for taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area.

[0127] Optionally, as shown in FIG4 , the cross-domain management node is further configured to receive an inventory request from the PIoT management platform and send an inventory report to the PIoT management platform.

[0128] Optionally, the domain management node is further configured to send first information to the cross-domain management node. Correspondingly, the cross-domain management node is further configured to receive first information from the domain management function node, where the first information is used to represent the inventory capability information of the domain management function unit.

[0129] Optionally, the access network device involved in the present application may be an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B) in a long term evolution (LTE) system or an enhanced LTE (LTE-advanced, LTE-A) system, such as a traditional macro base station eNB and a micro base station eNB in ​​a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, it may include a next generation node B (gNB) in a new radio (NR) system. Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (for example, a home evolved NodeB, or a home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a base band pool (BBU pool), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point (AP), etc. Alternatively, it may include a base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), which can be deployed on an aircraft or satellite. In an NTN, the access network device can function as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, a base station, or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the access network device can be a device that implements base station functions in the IoT, such as drone communications, V2X, D2D, or machine-to-machine (M2M) devices.

[0130] In some possible scenarios, the access network device may also be a module or unit that can implement some of the functions of the base station. For example, the first network device may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0131] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the access network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (open RAN, ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (open, O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0132] Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0133] The relevant functions of the first management node or the second management node involved in this application can be implemented by the communication device 500 in Figure 5. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 500 includes one or more processors 501, a communication line 502, and at least one communication interface (Figure 5 is only illustrative and takes the inclusion of a communication interface 504 and a processor 501 as an example for description), and optionally may also include a memory 503.

[0134] The processor 501 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0135] The communication line 502 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0136] The communication interface 504 can be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, and wireless local area networks (WLAN). For example, the transceiver module can be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 504 can be a transceiver circuit located within the processor 501 to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0137] The memory 503 may be a device having a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via a communication line 502. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0138] The memory 503 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 501. The processor 501 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 503, thereby implementing the management method of the PIoT device provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0139] Alternatively, optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 501 may also execute processing-related functions in the management method of the PIoT device provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and the communication interface 504 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0141] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 501 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 5 .

[0142] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 500 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 507 and the processor 501 in FIG5 . Each of these processors may be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processors here may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, etc., various types of computing devices that run software, each of which may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing.

[0143] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 500 may further include an output device 505 and an input device 506. The output device 505 communicates with the processor 501 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 505 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 506 communicates with the processor 501 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 506 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0144] The communication device 500 described above may also sometimes be referred to as a communication device, and may be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 500 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device having a similar structure to that shown in FIG5 . The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the communication device 500.

[0145] In addition, the composition structure shown in FIG5 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in FIG5, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0146] The following describes the management method of the PIoT device provided in an embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the communication system shown in Figure 3A.

[0147] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between network elements are only examples. In other embodiments, they may also be other names, and the method provided in the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0148] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, each network element may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0149] Figure 6 is an example of a management method for PIoT devices provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is illustrated by taking the interaction between the first management node and the second management node as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the first management node in the method can also be a device / module in the first management node, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the first management node; the subject that executes the action of the second management node in the method can also be a device / module in the second management node, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the second management node, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. The processing performed by a single execution subject (for example, the first management node or the second management node) in the embodiment of the present application can also be divided into executions by multiple execution subjects, and these execution subjects can be logically and / or physically separated. Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 6, method 600 includes:

[0150] S610: The second management node sends an inventory request to the first management node. Correspondingly, the first management node receives the inventory request from the second management node.

[0151] In the embodiment of the present application, inventory can be understood as determining or counting the number of at least one PIoT device. Inventory can also be replaced by inventory, or other descriptions, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0152] In one possible implementation, the inventory request includes first time information, and the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for taking an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for taking an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area. The inventory request sent by the second management node to the first management node includes the first time information, which may enable the first management node to take an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area based on the first time information. Alternatively, the first management node may manage the time for taking an inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area based on the first time information. For example, the first management node may support scheduled inventory of the at least one PIoT device in the first area.

[0153] In an embodiment of the present application, the first management node determines at least one access network device to perform an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area based on an inventory request, and the at least one access network device completes the scanning of the PIoT device. Specifically, the PIoT device backscatters a signal, and the at least one access network device can complete the scanning of the signal backscattered by the PIoT device through a reader / writer (or read / write module) deployed on the access network device, and then inventory the signal to the PIoT device. For example, if there are access network devices 1 to 10 in the first area, the first management node configures access network devices 1 to 10 to perform an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area.

[0154] For example, the start time and end time of the inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area included in the inventory request are 10:20 and 11:00 respectively, and the time when the second management node sends the inventory request to the first management node is 9:00, then the at least one access network device determined by the first management node will scan the first area from 10:20 to 11:00 and inventory the PIoT devices in the first area, that is, it supports appointment-based inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area.

[0155] Exemplarily, the inventory request includes an inventory period of 12 hours for at least one PIoT device in the first area. Then, the at least one access network device determined by the first management node scans the first area every 12 hours to inventory the PIoT devices in the first area. For example, the at least one access network device may scan the first area in the first 30 minutes of every 12 hours.

[0156] In another possible implementation, the inventory request is used to request an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, that is, the inventory request does not include the first time information, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0157] Optionally, the first area may be an area divided by geographical longitude and latitude; optionally, the first area may be a communication cell; or, the first area may be an area divided according to other rules, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0158] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory request also includes at least one of the following: inventory area information (i.e., first area information), inventory environment information, PIoT device type information, or inventory service level agreement (SLA) indicator information.

[0159] Exemplarily, the inventory area information includes: information on areas divided using geographic longitude and latitude, such as 30° east longitude and 35° north latitude; information on communication cells, such as a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a cell identifier (ID); a list of base station identifiers (gNB IDs); a list of tracking area identities (TAIs); and information on address names, such as District N in City M.

[0160] Exemplarily, the inventory environmental information includes: environmental conditions of the first area, such as temperature (high temperature, low temperature, medium temperature, or other temperature levels, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application), humidity, pressure, indoor, or outdoor, etc. The above environmental conditions can be characterized by levels.

[0161] Exemplarily, the PIoT device type information includes information about Class A PIoT devices (Class A tags), information about Class B PIoT devices (Class B tags), and information about Class C PIoT devices (Class C tags). It should be noted that an inventory request may include information about at least one type of PIoT device. For example, the PIoT device type information in an inventory request may include information about Class A tags and Class B tags.

[0162] Exemplarily, the inventory SLA indicator information includes one or more of inventory end-to-end latency information, communication service availability information, user experience rate information, message size information, device density information, communication range information, overall scale information, PIoT device movement speed information, positioning service availability information, or inventory positioning accuracy information.

[0163] The end-to-end latency information is described as the time it takes for a PIoT device to transmit a message. This time is determined based on the scanning interval of the PIoT device, for example, the PIoT device scans once every X seconds.

[0164] Communication service availability information: describes the extent to which the communication service can operate normally and reliably provide services when needed. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication service availability information can be characterized by parameters such as reference signal receiving power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal interference noise ratio (SINR). The communication service availability information can be the communication service availability information of the access network device, or the communication service availability information can be the communication service availability information of the first management node, or the communication service availability information can be the communication service availability information of each cell, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0165] User experience rate information: describes the reading rate of the access network device to the PIoT device in unit time. It can be the peak reading rate or the average reading rate. This embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0166] Message size information: describes the size of the PIoT device identifier or the size of the payload returned by the PIoT device.

[0167] Device density information: describes the density of PIoT devices in a typical scenario, such as the density of goods with PIoT devices (tags) stacked in a factory.

[0168] Communication range information: describes the maximum communication range of the access network device to the PIoT device. PIoT devices within this range can be stimulated by the access network device.

[0169] Overall scale information: describes the overall scale of a typical scenario, for example, a typical automobile manufacturing plant covers an area of ​​600,000 square meters.

[0170] PIoT device movement speed: describes the speed at which PIoT devices move in typical scenarios. For example, cargo with PIoT devices (tags) moves on a highway at a speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour.

[0171] Location service availability information: describes the extent to which the location service can function normally and reliably provide services when needed.

[0172] Inventory positioning accuracy information: describes the degree of closeness between the location of the PIoT device obtained by the access network device scanning the PIoT device and its actual location value.

[0173] In one possible implementation, the inventory SLA indicator information indicates a threshold for the inventory SLA indicator information. The first management node can determine whether to execute the inventory request based on the threshold information. In another possible implementation, the inventory SLA indicator information is used to instruct the first management node to monitor the inventory SLA indicator information and include the inventory SLA indicator information in the inventory report.

[0174] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory SLA indicator information may be determined by the access network device, or may be determined by the first management node, or may be determined by other nodes, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0175] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the inventory SLA indicator information may be at the access network device granularity or at the cell granularity, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0176] S620: The first management node sends an inventory report to the second management node. Correspondingly, the second management node receives the inventory report from the first management node.

[0177] In the embodiment of the present application, the inventory report includes at least one of the following: inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information.

[0178] In an embodiment of the present application, the successful inventory information includes at least one of the following: the type of PIoT device that has been successfully inventoried, the number of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried, a list of identifications of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried, location information of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried, or communication environment information corresponding to each PIoT device that has been successfully inventoried.

[0179] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the number of PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried includes at least one of the number of Class A PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried, the number of Class B PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried, or the number of Class C PIoT devices that have been successfully inventoried.

[0180] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the identification list of successfully inventoried PIoT devices includes at least one item from the identification list of successfully inventoried Class A PIoT devices, the identification list of successfully inventoried Class B PIoT devices, and the identification list of successfully inventoried Class C PIoT devices.

[0181] For example, the location information of the successfully inventoried PIoT device may include at least one of the longitude, latitude, or altitude of the successfully inventoried PIoT device, or the location information of the successfully inventoried PIoT device may also include other location information of the successfully inventoried PIoT device. This embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0182] For example, the communication environment information corresponding to each successfully inventoried PIoT device may include information on whether there is any obstruction in the communication environment, or at least one item of information on the coverage signal in the communication environment (such as RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR). Alternatively, the communication environment information corresponding to each successfully inventoried PIoT device may also include other communication environment information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0183] In an embodiment of the present application, the inventory failure information includes at least one of the following: the type of PIoT device for which the inventory failed, the number of PIoT devices for which the inventory failed, a list of identifiers of the PIoT devices for which the inventory failed, or a reason for the inventory failure.

[0184] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the number of PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried includes at least one of the number of Class A PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried, the number of Class B PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried, or the number of Class C PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried.

[0185] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the identification list of PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried includes at least one item from the identification list of Class A PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried, the identification list of Class B PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried, and the identification list of Class C PIoT devices that failed to be inventoried.

[0186] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on historical inventory success information. For example, if the first management node has successfully inventoried PIoT devices 1 to 100, and the PIoT devices that successfully inventoried this time are PIoT devices 1 to 90, then the first management node determines that the PIoT devices that failed the inventory are PIoT devices 91 to 100 based on the historical inventory success information. The historical inventory success information may be the most recent inventory success information, or the most recent inventory success information, or the entire inventory success information within a period of time, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0187] In another possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory failure information is an initial inventory list of PIoT devices by the first management node, and the inventory list may be a PIoT inventory device identification list. For example, the initial identification list of PIoT devices is PIoT devices 1 to PIoT devices 100, and the first management node determines that the PIoT devices for which the inventory failed are PIoT devices 91 to PIoT devices 100 based on the initial identification list of PIoT devices. The initial identification list of PIoT devices may be determined by the PIoT management platform, or by the second management node, or by another management node, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0188] Of course, the inventory failure information may also be determined by the first management node based on other information, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0189] In an embodiment of the present application, the potential inventory failure information includes at least one of the following: the type of PIoT device that potentially failed to be inventoried, the number of PIoT devices that potentially failed to be inventoried, a list of identifiers of the PIoT devices that potentially failed to be inventoried, or a reason for the potential inventory failure.

[0190] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the number of PIoT devices that potentially failed to be inventoried includes at least one of the number of Class A PIoT devices that potentially failed to be inventoried, the number of Class B PIoT devices that potentially failed to be inventoried, or the number of Class C PIoT devices that potentially failed to be inventoried.

[0191] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the identification list of potential PIoT devices that have failed inventory includes at least one item from the identification list of potential Class A PIoT devices that have failed inventory, the identification list of potential Class B PIoT devices that have failed inventory, and the identification list of potential Class C PIoT devices that have failed inventory.

[0192] In one possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the inventory request includes a first threshold value for uplink coverage margin. In this case, the first threshold value for uplink coverage margin is determined by the second management node, or the first threshold value for uplink coverage margin is determined by the PIoT management platform, or the first threshold value for uplink coverage margin can be determined by another node, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0193] In another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the first threshold of the uplink coverage margin is determined by the first management node. In this case, the inventory request may not include the first threshold of the uplink coverage margin.

[0194] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node based on a first threshold of the uplink coverage margin. The first management node can track changes in the uplink coverage margin of PIoT devices at different locations and thereby predict potential inventory failure information. In other words, it can predict the PIoT devices that may fail the next inventory or the next few times. For example, if the first management node determines that the uplink coverage margin is below the first threshold during the next inventory, the first management node can predict the PIoT devices that will fail the next inventory.

[0195] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first management node can perform simulation planning based on the location grid to determine a first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin, thereby reserving material wear and tear for goods with PIoT devices attached. Furthermore, the first management node can allow goods with PIoT devices to be stored in batches, and reconstruct the stacking relationship of the PIoT devices based on the stacking information of the uplink coverage margin. Then, the first management node can track the changes in the incoming batches and storage locations of goods with PIoT devices attached, analyze the changes in the uplink coverage margin in combination with the uplink coverage margin and the stacking relationship of the PIoT devices, and predict potential inventory failure information. For example, at time 1, location 1, the PIoT devices are PIoT devices 1 to PIoT devices 20. The access network device measures RSRP and calculates the current uplink coverage margin to be 6dB to 15dB. At time 2, location 1, cargo is stacked (i.e., PIoT devices are stacked). The PIoT devices are now PIoT devices 1 to PIoT devices 20 and newly added PIoT devices 21 to PIoT devices 70. The access network device measures RSRP and calculates the change in uplink coverage margin for PIoT devices 1 to PIoT devices 20. If a PIoT device is detected to be missing or the uplink margin is reduced, it is assumed that a subsequent PIoT device inventory failure will occur.

[0196] Exemplarily, potential causes of inventory failure and the causes of the above-mentioned inventory failure may be wear fluctuations of PIoT devices caused by stacking (wherein wear refers to penetration loss, and wear fluctuations refer to an increase or decrease in penetration loss caused by stacking), abnormal failure of tags (for example, too low energy consumption, broken or damaged tags), or changes in the communication environment, etc.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present application, at least one of the above-mentioned inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information may also include information corresponding to the access network device, for example, an identifier of the access network device, or an identifier of the cell corresponding to the access network device.

[0198] In the embodiment of the present application, the identifier of the PIoT device is the registered identifier of the PIoT device, which is the unique identifier (identity, ID) number applied for by the manufacturer of the PIoT device to a specialized organization.

[0199] In the method for managing PIoT devices provided in an embodiment of the present application, a second management node sends an inventory request carrying first time information to a first management node, so that the first management node can manage the time for taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in a first area, or can perform an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area on a scheduled basis, and then the first management node can send an inventory report to the second management node. Furthermore, the first management node determines that the inventory report includes at least one of inventory success information, inventory failure information, or potential inventory failure information. The inclusion of potential inventory failure information in the inventory report allows the first management node to predict PIoT devices that may fail to be inventoried based on a first threshold value of the uplink coverage margin in the inventory request and report them to the second management node. The inclusion of inventory failure information and potential inventory failure information in the inventory report can improve the accuracy of the inventory.

[0200] When the management method for a PIoT device provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to a service-oriented management architecture, further, optionally, as shown in FIG7 , the management method for a PIoT device provided in an embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0201] S730: The first management node sends first information to the second management node. Correspondingly, the second management node receives the first information from the first management node.

[0202] In the embodiment of the present application, the first information is used to represent the inventory capability information of the first management node, wherein the inventory capability information includes at least one of the following: inventory management scope, positioning service availability information, or inventory positioning accuracy.

[0203] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the first management node sends first information to the second management node during initial registration.

[0204] In another possible implementation, when the inventory capability information changes, the first management node reports the first information to the second management node.

[0205] In another possible implementation, when the inventory capacity information stored in the second management node is missing, the second management node actively triggers the first management node to report the first information.

[0206] This solution enables the first management node to report its inventory capacity information to the second management node, so that the second management node can learn the inventory capacity information of the first management node and further enable the second management node to send an inventory request within the inventory capacity to the first management node.

[0207] Exemplarily, the inventory management scope is the information of access network devices registered by the first management node to the second management node for inventorying at least one PIoT device, or the inventory management scope is the information of networking information of access network devices registered by the first management node to the second management node (for example, an identification list of access network devices or an identification list of cells).

[0208] Exemplarily, the positioning service availability information is used to indicate the extent to which the positioning service can operate normally and reliably provide services when needed.

[0209] Exemplarily, the inventory positioning accuracy indicates the degree of closeness between the positioning result of the PIoT device by the PIoT service management unit and the actual position result of the PIoT device.

[0210] Optionally, as shown in FIG7 , before step S610 , the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0211] S740: The PIoT management platform sends an inventory request to the second management node. In response, the second management node receives the inventory request from the PIoT management platform.

[0212] In this embodiment of the present application, the PIoT management platform is a consumer of the inventory service, which is used to inventory at least one PIoT device within a specific area. The description of the inventory request can refer to the inventory request in step S610 above and will not be repeated here.

[0213] Optionally, as shown in FIG7 , after step S620, the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0214] S750: The second management node sends an inventory report to the PIoT management platform. In response, the PIoT platform receives the inventory report from the second management node.

[0215] For the description of the inventory report, please refer to the inventory report in the above step S620, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] That is to say, when the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a service-oriented management architecture, the consumer of the inventory service (PIoT management platform) can send an inventory request to the second management node and receive an inventory report from the second management node.

[0217] Optionally, as shown in FIG7 , before step S620 , the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0218] S760: The access network device sends inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area to the first management node. In response, the first management node receives the inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area from the access network device.

[0219] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory information may be original data information obtained after the access network device takes inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0220] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory information may be inventory information obtained after the access network device performs preliminary processing on the data obtained after taking inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area. For example, the inventory information includes the identification of the PIoT device that has been successfully inventoried, the uplink coverage margin, or communication environment information, etc.

[0221] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first management node may determine the inventory report based on inventory information from the access network device.

[0222] When the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a service-oriented management architecture, it can implement a closed loop for storing at least one PIoT device in the first area on the access network side without involving core network elements and without the need for standardization of external interfaces.

[0223] As described above, when the management method of the PIoT device provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to the service-oriented management architecture, the first management node can be, for example, the domain management functional unit in Figure 2, and the second management node can be, for example, the cross-domain management functional unit in Figure 2.

[0224] When the PIoT management method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a 5G communication architecture, in one possible implementation, taking the second management node as a cross-domain management functional unit and the first management node as a domain management functional unit as an example, further, optionally, as shown in FIG8 , the management method for a PIoT device provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0225] S830: The PIoT management platform sends an inventory request to the cross-domain management functional unit. In response, the cross-domain management functional unit receives the inventory request from the PIoT management platform.

[0226] For the relevant description of step S830, please refer to step S740, and the embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0227] Optionally, as shown in FIG8 , after step S620, the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0228] S840: The cross-domain management functional unit sends an inventory report to the PIoT management platform. Correspondingly, the PIoT management platform receives the inventory report from the cross-domain management functional unit.

[0229] For the relevant description of step S840, please refer to S750, and the embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0230] Optionally, as shown in FIG8 , after step S610, the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0231] S850: The domain management function unit sends an inventory request to the core network element. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the inventory request from the domain management function unit.

[0232] In the embodiment of the present application, the core network network element may be a UPF network element or an AMF network element, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0233] Optionally, as shown in FIG8 , before step S620 , the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0234] S880: The core network element sends inventory information to the domain management function unit. Correspondingly, the domain management function unit receives the inventory information from the core network element.

[0235] Optionally, as shown in FIG8 , after step S850 , the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0236] S860: The core network element sends an inventory request to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the inventory request from the core network element.

[0237] For example, when the core network element is an AMF network element, the above-mentioned inventory request can be sent, for example, through the N2 message of the control plane, or through the NG interface message, or through the newly defined interface; or, when the core network element is a UPF network element, the above-mentioned inventory request can be sent, for example, through the N3 interface message of the user plane, or through the NAS message, or through the newly defined message. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0238] Optionally, as shown in FIG8 , before step S880 , the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0239] S870: The access network device sends inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area to the core network element. Accordingly, the core network element receives the inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area from the access network device.

[0240] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory information may be original data information obtained after the access network device takes inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0241] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first management node may determine an inventory report based on inventory information from the access network device.

[0242] In the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the access network device sends inventory information to the core network network element, and the core network network element sends the inventory information to the domain management function unit, so that the domain management function unit can determine the inventory report based on the inventory information.

[0243] In the case where the PIoT management method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a 5G communication architecture, in another possible implementation, taking the second management node as a cross-domain management functional unit and the first management node as a core network element as an example, further, optionally, as shown in FIG9 , the management method for a PIoT device provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0244] S930: The PIoT management platform sends an inventory request to the cross-domain management functional unit. In response, the cross-domain management functional unit receives the inventory request from the PIoT management platform.

[0245] For the relevant description of step S930, please refer to step S740, and the embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0246] Optionally, as shown in FIG9 , after step S620, the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0247] S940: The cross-domain management functional unit sends an inventory report to the PIoT management platform. In response, the PIoT management platform receives the inventory report from the cross-domain management functional unit.

[0248] For the relevant description of step S940, please refer to S750, and the embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0249] In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG9 , step S610 can be replaced by S610A and S610B, where S610A and S610B are respectively:

[0250] S610A: The cross-domain management function unit sends an inventory request to the domain management function unit. Correspondingly, the domain management function unit receives the inventory request from the cross-domain management function unit.

[0251] S610B: The domain management function unit sends an inventory request to the core network element. The core network element receives the inventory request from the domain management function unit.

[0252] In the embodiment of the present application, the core network network element may be a UPF network element or an AMF network element, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0253] In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG9 , S620 may be replaced by S620A and S620B, wherein S620A and S620B respectively include:

[0254] S620A: The core network element sends inventory information to the domain management function unit. Correspondingly, the domain management function unit receives the inventory information from the core network element.

[0255] S620B: The domain management function unit sends an inventory report to the cross-domain management function unit. Correspondingly, the cross-domain management function unit receives the inventory report from the domain management function unit.

[0256] Optionally, as shown in FIG9 , after step S610B, the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0257] S950: The core network element sends an inventory request to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the inventory request from the core network element.

[0258] For example, when the core network element is an AMF network element, the above-mentioned inventory request can be carried by, for example, the N2 message of the control plane; or, when the core network element is a UPF network element, the above-mentioned inventory request can be carried by, for example, the N3 message of the user plane. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0259] Optionally, as shown in FIG9 , before step S620A, the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0260] S960: The access network device sends inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area to the core network element. Accordingly, the core network element receives the inventory information obtained by performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area from the access network device.

[0261] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the inventory information may be original data information obtained after the access network device takes inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0262] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first management node may determine an inventory report based on inventory information from the access network device.

[0263] In the PIoT device management method provided in the embodiments of the present application, an access network device sends inventory information to a core network element, which in turn sends the inventory information to a domain management function unit, enabling the domain management function unit to determine an inventory report based on the inventory information. The above description primarily describes the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between a first management node and a second management node. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device can be the first management node in the above method embodiments, or a device including the first management node, or a component usable for the first management node; or the communication device can be the second management node in the above method embodiments, or a device including the second management node, or a component usable for the second management node. It is understood that, to implement the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0264] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0265] For example, Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the first management node in the above method embodiment as an example, the communication device includes a transceiver module 1010 and a processing module 1020. The transceiver module 1010, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0266] In an embodiment of the present application, the transceiver module 1010 is configured to receive an inventory request from the second management node. The inventory request includes first time information, and the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for performing an inventory on at least one PIoT device in the first area;

[0267] The transceiver module 1010 is further configured to send an inventory report to the second management node.

[0268] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module 1030, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1020 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1030.

[0269] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device can take the form of the communication device 500 shown in Figure 5.

[0270] For example, the processor 501 in the communication device 500 shown in Figure 5 can call the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 503 to enable the communication device 500 to execute the management method of the PIoT device in the above method embodiment.

[0271] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1010 and the processing module 1020 in FIG10 can be implemented by the processor 501 in the communication device 500 shown in FIG5 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 503. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1020 in FIG10 can be implemented by the processor 501 in the communication device 500 shown in FIG5 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 503, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1010 in FIG10 can be implemented by the communication interface 504 in the communication device 500 shown in FIG5.

[0272] Since the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned PIoT device management method, the technical effects that can be obtained can be referred to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0273] Alternatively, taking the communication device as the second management node in the above method embodiment as an example, the communication device includes a transceiver module 1010 and a processing module 1020. The transceiver module 1010, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0274] In an embodiment of the present application, the transceiver module 1010 is configured to send an inventory request to the first management node. The inventory request includes first time information, and the first time information includes at least one of the following: a start time and an end time for performing an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area, or a period for performing an inventory of at least one PIoT device in the first area.

[0275] The transceiver module 1010 is further configured to receive an inventory report from the first management node.

[0276] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module 1030, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1020 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1030.

[0277] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device is presented in the form of dividing various functional modules in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device can take the form of the communication device 500 shown in Figure 5. For example, the processor 501 in the communication device 500 shown in Figure 5 can call the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 503 to enable the communication device 500 to perform the perception method in the above method embodiment.

[0278] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1010 and the processing module 1020 in FIG10 can be implemented by the processor 501 in the communication device 500 shown in FIG5 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 503. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1020 in FIG10 can be implemented by the processor 501 in the communication device 500 shown in FIG5 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 503, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1010 in FIG10 can be implemented by the communication interface 504 in the communication device 500 shown in FIG5.

[0279] Since the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned PIoT device management method, the technical effects that can be obtained can be referred to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0280] It should be understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on a chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0281] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0282] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0283] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any of the above method embodiments or any of its implementation methods.

[0284] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the first management node described in the above method embodiment and the second management node described in the above method embodiment.

[0285] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are 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 computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0286] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0287] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A management method for a passive Internet of Things (PIoT) device, characterized in that, Applied to the first management node, including: Receiving an inventory request from the second management node, the inventory request including first time information, the first time information including at least one of the following: the start time and end time of inventorying at least one PIoT device in a first area, or the period of inventorying at least one PIoT device in the first area; Sending an inventory report to the second management node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The inventory report includes at least one of the following: potential inventory failure information, inventory success information, or inventory failure information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The inventory failure information is determined by the first management node according to historical inventory success information or an initial identification list of PIoT devices.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The inventory request includes a first threshold of uplink coverage margin. The potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node according to the first threshold of the uplink coverage margin.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The inventory failure information includes at least one of the following: the number of PIoT devices with inventory failure, the identification list of PIoT devices with inventory failure, or the reason for inventory failure.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that The inventory success information includes at least one of the following: the number of PIoT devices with inventory success, the identification list of PIoT devices with inventory success, or the communication environment information corresponding to each PIoT device with inventory success.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending first information to the second management node, the first information being used to characterize the inventory capability information of the first management node.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein The inventory capability information includes at least one of the following: Inventory management scope, positioning service availability information, inventory positioning accuracy.

9. A management method for a passive Internet of Things (PIoT) device, characterized in that, Applied to the second management node, including: Sending an inventory request to the first management node, the inventory request including first time information, the first time information including at least one of the following: the start time and end time of inventorying at least one PIoT device in a first area, or the period of inventorying at least one PIoT device in the first area; Receiving an inventory report from the first management node.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The inventory report includes at least one of the following: potential inventory failure information, inventory success information, or inventory failure information.

11. [Corrected according to Rule 91 on 02.07.2025] The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The inventory failure information is determined by the first management node according to historical inventory success information or an initial identification list of PIoT devices.

12. [Corrected according to Rule 91 on 02.07.2025] The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The inventory request further includes a first threshold of uplink coverage margin, and the potential inventory failure information is determined by the first management node according to the first threshold of the uplink coverage margin.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The inventory failure information includes at least one of the following: the number of PIoT devices with inventory failure, the identification list of PIoT devices with inventory failure, or the reason for inventory failure.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The inventory success information includes at least one of the following: the number of PIoT devices with inventory success, the identification list of PIoT devices with inventory success, or the communication environment information corresponding to each PIoT device with inventory success.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that The method further includes: Receiving first information from the first management node, the first information being used to characterize the inventory capability information of the first management node.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The inventory capability information includes at least one of the following: Inventory management scope, positioning service availability information, inventory positioning accuracy.

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

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or cause the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when run, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to be implemented, or cause the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16 to be implemented.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when run, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to be implemented, or cause the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16 to be implemented.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first management node that executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a second management node that executes the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

22. The communication system according to claim 21, wherein The communication system further includes: An access network device for sending inventory information to the first management node.

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