Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed are a communication method and apparatus, which can be used for the positioning of a terminal device. The number of access network devices that enable sensing is reduced, such that air interface resources of the access network devices are saved on. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus determining first information, which is used for requesting the enabling of sensing, wherein the first information indicates at least one of a flight-allowed area of a terminal device, a first area, a second area, or a GPS position of the terminal device, the first area is a GPS-unavailable area within the flight-allowed area of the terminal device, and is an overlapping area between the flight-allowed area of the terminal device and the second area, and a GPS is unavailable in the second area; the first communication apparatus sending the first information to a fourth communication apparatus; and correspondingly, the fourth communication apparatus receiving the first information from the first communication apparatus, determining the first area on the basis of the first information, and then sending, to at least one second communication apparatus, the coverage of which comprises the first area, second information which instructs the second communication apparatus to enable sensing.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on December 28, 2023, with application number 202311853106.1 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, 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 in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, with the continuous development of drone technology, drones have been widely used in many fields, such as disaster site detection, earth resource exploration, and forest fire prevention.

[0004] The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a commonly used positioning technology in drone flight systems. It offers the advantages of low cost and high accuracy, enabling navigation and positioning of drones during flight, enabling autonomous flight and precise control. However, GPS positioning requires at least four satellites, and in some environments (such as urban areas), GPS signals can be blocked, resulting in reduced positioning accuracy. Consequently, in these environments, the GPS positions reported by drones are unreliable, and GPS availability during navigation is poor.

[0005] To address this issue, the base station's sensing function can be enabled throughout the drone's flight area, allowing the base station to report the drone's location information in real time. However, this approach consumes a lot of base station air interface resources. When sensing and communication functions share air interface resources, network performance may be affected. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus that can save air interface resources of access network equipment.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a fourth communication device, or by a component of the fourth communication device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the fourth communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functionality of the fourth communication device. The method includes receiving first information from a first communication device requesting the activation of sensing, determining a first area based on the first information, the first area being a GPS-unavailable area within a flightable area of ​​a terminal device, and then sending second information to at least one second communication device whose coverage area includes the first area, instructing the second communication device to activate sensing.

[0008] Based on this solution, a fourth communication device receives a first message from a first communication device requesting the activation of sensing, determines a GPS-unavailable area within the terminal device's flyable area based on the first message, and then sends a second message instructing the activation of sensing to at least one second communication device whose coverage includes the GPS-unavailable area. Compared to activating sensing across the entire flyable area of ​​the terminal device, this reduces the number of second communication devices that activate sensing and conserves air interface resources for the second communication devices. In one possible design, the first message indicates at least one of the following: the terminal device's flyable area, the second area, the first area, or the terminal device's GPS location; wherein GPS is unavailable within the second area; and the first area is the overlapping area between the terminal device's flyable area and the second area.

[0009] In one possible design, when the first information does not indicate the second area, the method further includes: sending third information to a third communication device, the third information being used to request a GPS unavailable area in the third area, the third area including a flyable area of ​​the terminal device; and receiving fourth information from the third communication device, the fourth information indicating the second area, the second area being a GPS unavailable area in the third area.

[0010] In one possible design, the second information includes at least one of the following: perception on time, perception off time, perception cycle, or a first distance. When the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance, the second communication device turns on perception.

[0011] In one possible design, the method also includes: receiving fifth information from at least one second communication device, the fifth information indicating the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device, the at least one object including a terminal device; and sending sixth information to the first communication device, the sixth information indicating the perceived position of the terminal device.

[0012] In one possible design, the sixth information includes the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device; or, the sixth information includes the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device.

[0013] In one possible design, the method further includes: determining a correspondence between an identifier of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device based on at least one historical GPS position of the terminal device and a perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device.

[0014] Based on this method, the fourth communication device can determine the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device, so that the first communication device can parse the sixth information to obtain the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device. The first communication device no longer needs to determine the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device, thereby reducing the complexity of the first communication device.

[0015] In one possible design, sending the second information to the second communication device includes: sending the second information to the second communication device when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance.

[0016] In one possible design, the first distance is greater than or equal to four times a perceived distance error of the second communication device.

[0017] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first communication device, or by a component of the first communication device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The method includes: determining first information for requesting the activation of sensing, and sending the first information to a fourth communication device, the first information indicating at least one of a flightable area of ​​a terminal device, a first area, a second area, or a GPS location of the terminal device; the first area being a GPS-unavailable area within the flightable area of ​​the terminal device, the first area being an overlapping area between the flightable area of ​​the terminal device and the second area, and GPS being unavailable within the second area.

[0018] Based on this scheme, the first communication device determines first information indicating at least one of the flyable area, the first area, the second area, or the GPS location of the terminal device, and sends first information for requesting to enable perception to the fourth communication device, so that at least one second communication device can subsequently provide perception services in the GPS unavailable area within the flyable area of ​​the terminal device. Compared with enabling perception in the entire flyable area of ​​the terminal device, the number of second communication devices that enable perception can be reduced, saving the air interface resources of the second communication devices.

[0019] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information indicating a perceived location of the terminal device perceived by at least one second communication device, and the coverage range of the at least one second communication device includes the first area.

[0020] In one possible design, the sixth information includes the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device, and the at least one object includes a terminal device; or, the sixth information includes the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device.

[0021] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device may be the fourth communication device in the first aspect, or a device included in the fourth communication device, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be the first communication device in the second aspect, or a device included in the first communication device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, and the module, unit, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0022] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively configured to implement the receiving functionality and the transmitting functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0023] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0024] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor configured to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any aspect. The communication device may be the fourth communication device described in the first aspect, or a device included in the fourth communication device, such as a chip or a chip system; or the communication device may be the first communication device described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first communication device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0025] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data. The memory may be coupled to the processor or may be independent of the processor.

[0026] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to receive and / or transmit signals; and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any aspect. The communication device may be the fourth communication device described in the first aspect, or a device included in the fourth communication device, such as a chip or chip system; or the communication device may be the first communication device described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first communication device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0027] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the aspects.

[0028] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any aspect.

[0029] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0030] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0031] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the aspects.

[0032] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the third to eighth aspects is a chip or a chip system, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as output information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as input information.

[0033] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method from the third aspect to the eighth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the different design methods from the first aspect to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a GPS signal being blocked provided by the present application;

[0035] FIG2 is a flow chart of a sensing positioning method provided by this application;

[0036] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0037] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0038] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system provided by the present application;

[0039] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication system provided by the present application;

[0040] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication system provided by the present application;

[0041] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0042] FIG9 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0043] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a first region provided by the present application;

[0044] FIG11 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0045] FIG12 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0046] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a sensed angle error and a sensed distance error provided by the present application;

[0047] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of determining a correspondence between an identifier of a terminal device and a perceived location of the terminal device provided by the present application;

[0048] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another correspondence between an identifier of a terminal device and a perceived location of the terminal device provided by the present application;

[0049] FIG16 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0050] FIG17 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0051] FIG18 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0052] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0053] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] 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.

[0055] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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, the various embodiments throughout the specification 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.

[0059] It can be understood that in this application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0060] 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.

[0061] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In each embodiment 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. Different embodiments, and the technical features of each embodiment in each embodiment can be combined to form a new embodiment according to their inherent logical relationships. The embodiments of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0062] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0063] 1) Wireless Sensing:

[0064] Wireless sensing uses radio signals to obtain information about a target's presence and location. Wireless sensing includes device-based sensing and device-free sensing. Device-based sensing primarily involves positioning through information exchange between devices equipped with communication modules and network devices. Device-free sensing utilizes network devices to sense targets, such as their location and posture. Device-free sensing originates from radar technology.

[0065] 2) Communication and perception integration:

[0066] Communication-perception integration (also known as communication-perception fusion) is a technology that unifies communication and perception functions through joint signal design and / or hardware sharing. This technology offers multiple benefits, including improved spectrum efficiency, enhanced perception accuracy, reduced costs, and simplified deployment. In communication-perception integration, a transmitter transmits a wireless signal toward an object. Because objects have surface area, they reflect the signal. A receiver receives and analyzes the reflected signal, generating perceptual measurement information about the object, such as angle and delay.

[0067] In cellular networks, wireless base station communication technology is evolving towards multiple antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and large-scale arrays, converging with radar technology. Cellular networks are also characterized by their wide deployment range and rich spectrum, allowing base stations to perform perception while communicating and obtain measurement quantities such as latency and angle information. Based on these measurements, cellular networks can detect the presence of objects or accurately locate their positions. However, since perception and communication functions share air interface resources, and perception accuracy depends on the air interface resources occupied by perception, the activation of perception functions needs to consider the impact on network resource usage and communication performance. For example, the positioning accuracy of perception depends on the bandwidth used by the perception signal and the proportion of perception symbols in the time slot. The larger the bandwidth and the greater the proportion of perception symbols, the higher the positioning accuracy.

[0068] 3) Global Positioning System (GPS):

[0069] GPS uses radio signals transmitted from artificial satellites for navigation and positioning. It boasts global, all-weather, high-precision capabilities, and excellent confidentiality and anti-interference capabilities. Civilian GPS positioning boasts an absolute accuracy of approximately ten meters. Currently, GPS technology is widely used across various industries, with drone positioning and navigation being a common use case.

[0070] However, GPS positioning requires at least four satellites, and as shown in Figure 1, in some environments (such as urban environments), the GPS signal may be blocked, resulting in refraction or reflection (as shown by the dotted line in Figure 1), which in turn leads to a decrease in GPS positioning accuracy. As a result, the GPS position of drones in these environments has low reliability and poor GPS availability.

[0071] To solve this problem, as shown in Figure 2, after the drone declares its flight airspace to the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) service supplier (USS), the USS sends a request to the network management system to enable the perception function and indicates the range in which perception needs to be enabled (i.e., the flight airspace declared by the drone). The network management system selects at least one access network device based on the received request, and the total coverage range of the at least one access network device includes the flight airspace declared by the drone, and sends relevant configuration information for enabling the perception function to the at least one access network device. After receiving the information, the at least one access network device turns on the perception function and reports the drone's location information to the network management system in real time. The network management system then reports the acquired drone location information to the USS in real time, and the USS reports the drone's location information to the drone in real time.

[0072] In the above solution, the total coverage area of ​​at least one access network device includes the drone's declared flight airspace. However, the drone's declared flight airspace may include areas with both good and poor GPS signal quality. However, in the above solution, at least one access network device also enables sensing in areas with good GPS signal quality, resulting in significant air interface resource consumption for the at least one access network device. When sensing and communication functions share air interface resources, network communication performance may be affected.

[0073] Based on this, the present application proposes a communication method that can obtain the GPS unavailable area within the flightable area of ​​the terminal device, and then instruct at least one access network device whose coverage includes the GPS unavailable area to turn on perception, thereby reducing the number of access network devices that turn on perception and saving the air interface resources of the access network devices.

[0074] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be used in various systems, such as perception systems, perception and communication integrated systems, etc. The perception and communication integrated system can be a third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, for example, a fourth generation (4G) system such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G system such as a new radio (NR) system, a system of hybrid networking of LTE and 5G, a non-terrestrial network (NTN), or other next generation communication systems, without limitation.

[0075] As a possible, non-limiting system, as shown in FIG3 , a communication system applicable to the present application may include at least one of a perception data producer, a perception management entity, a perception data consumer, and a GPS positioning environment simulation entity. Among them:

[0076] Perception data producers have perception capabilities and are mainly responsible for perceiving the locations of objects in the environment and can provide perception services.

[0077] The perception management entity is used to manage perception data producers, for example, it can configure perception data producers, collect data, etc.

[0078] The perception data consumer is mainly used to use the perception data and further request the perception management entity to provide or start the perception service.

[0079] The GPS positioning environment simulation entity can simulate GPS satellites and provide GPS signal strength or GPS positioning performance (such as whether GPS is available or unavailable) in a certain geographical area. For example, the GPS positioning environment simulation entity simulates the operating route of the GPS positioning satellite (i.e., simulates the GPS satellite ephemeris), models the geographical area, and determines the performance of GPS positioning in the geographical area based on the GPS satellite ephemeris. For example, whether GPS is available is determined based on the multipath reflection between the satellite and a certain location in the geographical area, or based on the GPS satellite ephemeris, the line of sight (LOS) area corresponding to the GPS satellite is determined as the GPS available area, and the non-line of sight (NLOS) area is determined as the GPS unavailable area.

[0080] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned perception data producer, perception management entity, perception data consumer, and GPS positioning environment simulation entity are logical modules or logical entities. In practical applications, the aforementioned different logical modules or logical entities may be deployed or integrated in the same device or in different devices; in other words, the different logical modules or logical entities may be implemented by the same device or by different devices, and this application does not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0081] As an example, the function of a perception data producer can be implemented by an access network device, or the perception data producer can be deployed in the access network device. The function of a perception data consumer can be implemented by an airspace management entity, or the perception data consumer can be deployed in the airspace management entity. The function of a perception management entity can be implemented by a network management entity, or the perception management entity can be deployed in the network management entity. The GPS positioning environment simulation entity is implemented by a positioning-related service provider. For example, the GPS positioning environment simulation entity can be deployed in an airspace management entity or a network management entity, or can be deployed in an independent device.

[0082] Optionally, the access network device has both sensing and communication capabilities, and may also be referred to as a synesthesizing access network device. For example, the access network device can sense the location of aerial objects within its coverage area and report the sensed target location information to the network management entity periodically or in an event-triggered manner.

[0083] In addition, the access network device can connect the terminal device to the wireless network. The access network device can be a node in a radio access network (RAN), which can be called a base station or a radio access network node.

[0084] For example, the access network equipment may include 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 an NR system. Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., 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.

[0085] Access network equipment can also be a module or unit that can implement some of the functions of a base station. For example, the access network equipment can 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 can be set up separately, or they can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can 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).

[0086] 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 an access network device or a module of an access 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.

[0087] Optionally, the terminal device may refer to a user-side device with wireless transceiver functions. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc. Exemplarily, the terminal device may be a drone, a drone with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (UAV to UAV, U2U) communication capability, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific device form of the terminal device.

[0088] Optionally, the airspace management entity is used to manage a block of airspace or terminal devices within the airspace. The airspace management entity may be, for example, a USS entity defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. For example, the airspace management entity may be responsible for operating drone-related services and managing, scheduling, or providing services to drones.

[0089] Optionally, the network management entity is used to manage access network devices. In addition, the network management entity can also receive requests from the airspace management entity and respond to the above requests. Exemplarily, the network management entity is able to collect information reported by the access network equipment, and is able to set routes to the corresponding access network equipment according to the regulated airspace range, and configure the collection. The network management entity can be, for example, an element management system (EMS) entity or a network management system (NMS) entity. The NMS entity is responsible for managing multiple EMS entities, and the EMS entity is responsible for managing multiple access network devices. Based on the above description, the present application provides an exemplary communication system, which includes at least one airspace management entity, at least one network management entity and at least one access network device. The communication system may have the following five architectures:

[0090] (1) Architecture 1:

[0091] For example, as shown in Figure 4, assuming the network management entity is an EMS entity, the communication system includes at least one airspace management entity, at least one EMS entity, and at least one access network device. The GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the airspace management entity, the function of the perception data producer is implemented by the access network device, the function of the perception data consumer can be implemented by the airspace management entity, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity function can be implemented by the airspace management entity.

[0092] (2) Framework 2:

[0093] For example, as shown in Figure 5, assuming the network management entity is an EMS entity, the communication system includes at least one airspace management entity, at least one EMS entity, and at least one access network device. The perception management entity and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity are located in the EMS entity, the access network device implements the perception data producer function, and the airspace management entity implements the perception data consumer function.

[0094] (3) Architecture 3:

[0095] For example, as shown in Figure 6, the communication system includes at least one airspace management entity, at least two network management entities, and at least one access network device. The at least two network management entities include at least one NMS entity and at least one EMS entity. The perception management entity is located in the EMS entity, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the airspace management entity. The function of the perception data producer is implemented by the access network device, and the function of the perception data consumer can be implemented by the airspace management entity.

[0096] (4) Architecture 4:

[0097] For example, as shown in Figure 7, the communication system includes at least one airspace management entity, at least two network management entities, and at least one access network device. The at least two network management entities include at least one NMS entity and at least one EMS entity. The perception management entity is located in the EMS entity, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the NMS entity. The function of the perception data producer is implemented by the access network device, and the function of the perception data consumer can be implemented by the airspace management entity.

[0098] (5) Framework 5:

[0099] Exemplarily, when the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is deployed independently, as shown in Figure 8, assuming the network management entity is an EMS entity, the communication system includes at least one airspace management entity, at least one EMS entity, at least one GPS positioning environment simulation entity, and at least one access network device. The perception management entity is located in the EMS entity, the access network device implements the function of the perception data producer, and the airspace management entity implements the function of the perception data consumer.

[0100] Among them, the above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. It is uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0101] Based on the communication system shown in FIG3 , the present application provides a communication method. Referring to FIG3 , the method may include: a perception data consumer sends information A to a perception management entity, requesting the activation of perception and indicating a flightable area for a terminal device. Upon receiving information A, the perception management entity sends information B to a GPS positioning environment simulation entity, requesting a GPS unavailable area. Upon receiving information B, the GPS positioning environment simulation entity sends information C to the perception management entity, indicating the GPS unavailable area. Upon receiving information C, the perception management entity determines a GPS unavailable area (denoted as area X) within the flightable area for the terminal device based on the GPS unavailable area indicated by information C. For example, the perception management entity determines the intersection of the GPS unavailable area indicated by information C and the flightable area as the unavailable area within the flightable area. The perception management entity then sends information D to at least one perception data producer whose coverage includes area X, instructing the perception data producer to activate perception. Upon receiving information D, the perception data producer activates the perception function for perception and sends information E to the perception management entity, indicating the perceived location of at least one object perceived by the perception data producer, where the at least one object includes the terminal device. After receiving the information E, the perception management entity sends information F to the perception data consumer, where the information F indicates the perception location of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the perception data consumer receives the information F.

[0102] It should be noted that there may be at least two entities among the perception data producer, perception management entity, perception data consumer, and GPS positioning environment simulation entity deployed in the same device. For example, in architecture one shown in Figure 4 and architecture three shown in Figure 6, the perception data consumer and GPS positioning environment simulation entity are deployed in the airspace management entity. In architecture two shown in Figure 5, the perception management entity and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity are deployed in the EMS entity. At this time, in the method shown in Figure 3 above, the interaction between the at least two entities is implemented within the device, and the interaction may not be executed.

[0103] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the architectures shown in Figures 4 to 8. In the following embodiments of the present application, the method steps performed by the execution subject or each device can be implemented by at least one chip in the execution subject or each device in a specific implementation.

[0104] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject or each device 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 various 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.

[0105] It should be noted that the message names between the devices or the names of the parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples. Other names may be used in specific implementations, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0106] As shown in FIG9 , a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0107] S901: A first communication device determines first information, wherein the first information is used to request to enable sensing.

[0108] As a possible implementation, the first communication device may be an airspace management entity. For example, in the above-mentioned architectures 1, 2, and 5, the first communication device may be an airspace management entity.

[0109] As another possible implementation, the first communication device may be an NMS entity. For example, in the above-mentioned Architecture 3 and Architecture 4, the first communication device may be an NMS entity.

[0110] Optionally, the first information indicates at least one of the following: a flightable area of ​​the terminal device, a second area, the first area, or a GPS location of the terminal device, wherein GPS is unavailable in the second area; and the first area is an overlapping area of ​​the flightable area of ​​the terminal device and the second area.

[0111] In the embodiment of the present application, GPS unavailable may also be referred to as GPS signal unavailable or GPS positioning performance is poor, and the three may be used interchangeably.

[0112] As a first possible implementation, the first information may indicate a flight-enabled area of ​​the terminal device. For example, in the above-mentioned Architecture 2 and Architecture 5, the first information may indicate a flight-enabled area of ​​the terminal device.

[0113] As a second possible implementation, the first information may indicate a first area, where the first area is a GPS-unavailable area within the flightable area of ​​the terminal device. For example, in the communication systems shown in Architecture 1, Architecture 3, and Architecture 4 above, the first information may indicate the first area.

[0114] Exemplarily, depending on whether GPS is available, the terminal device's flyable area is divided into two parts. The first part is the GPS available area in the terminal device's flyable area, and the second part is the GPS unavailable area in the terminal device's flyable area. The second part is also called the first area.

[0115] As a third possible implementation, the first information may indicate the terminal device's flightable area and second area. For example, in the communication systems shown in Architecture 1, Architecture 3, and Architecture 4 above, the first information may indicate the terminal device's flightable area and second area.

[0116] Optionally, the second area is obtained by a communication device deployed with a GPS positioning environment simulation entity, which judges the performance of GPS positioning in the third area based on the GPS satellite ephemeris. The third area includes the flyable area of ​​the terminal equipment and the second area, and the second area is the GPS unavailable area in the third area.

[0117] As a possible example, in the above architecture, the terminal device's flyable area is reported by the terminal device to the airspace management entity, the third area can be determined by the airspace management entity, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is deployed in the airspace management entity. The airspace management entity can determine the performance of GPS positioning in the third area based on GPS satellite ephemeris to obtain the second area. The airspace management entity can then determine the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area, and thus indicate the first area to the EMS entity. Alternatively, the airspace management entity can indicate the flyable area and the second area to the EMS entity, and the EMS entity can then determine the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area.

[0118] As another possible example, under the above-mentioned architecture four, the terminal device's flyable area is reported by the terminal device to the airspace management entity, and the airspace management entity can indicate the terminal device's flyable area to the NMS. The third area can be indicated by the airspace management entity to the NMS, or the third area can be determined by the NMS entity. The GPS positioning environment simulation entity is deployed in the NMS entity, and the NMS entity can determine the performance of GPS positioning in the third area based on the GPS satellite ephemeris to obtain the second area. The NMS entity can also determine the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area, or the NMS entity indicates the flyable area and the second area to the EMS entity, and the EMS entity then determines the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area.

[0119] As another possible example, in the communication system shown in Architecture 3, the terminal device's flyable area is reported by the terminal device to the airspace management entity, the third area can be determined by the airspace management entity, the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is deployed in the airspace management entity, and the airspace management entity can determine the performance of GPS positioning in the third area based on the GPS satellite ephemeris to obtain the second area. The airspace management entity can also determine the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area, or the airspace management entity indicates the flyable area and the second area to the NMS entity, and the NMS entity then determines the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area, or the NMS entity indicates the flyable area and the second area to the EMS entity, and the EMS entity then determines the first area based on the terminal device's flyable area and the second area.

[0120] For example, as shown in Figure 10, taking the third area as an elliptical area, the second area as an acute-angled triangle area in the elliptical area, and the flyable area of ​​the terminal device as a rectangular area in the elliptical area, the first area is the overlapping area of ​​the above-mentioned rectangular area and the acute-angled triangle area, that is, the shaded triangle area.

[0121] Based on the above three possibilities, the first information may also indicate the GPS location of the terminal device.

[0122] Exemplarily, when the terminal device is located in a GPS reliable area in the terminal device's flyable area (the non-shaded portion of the rectangular area shown in FIG10 ), the first communication device may obtain the GPS position of the terminal device.

[0123] S902: The first communication device sends first information to the fourth communication device. Correspondingly, the fourth communication device receives the first information from the first communication device.

[0124] Exemplarily, the fourth communication device may be an EMS entity. For example, in the above-mentioned architectures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the fourth communication device may be an EMS entity.

[0125] S903: The fourth communication device determines a first area according to the first information. The first area can be described in step S901 and will not be described in detail here.

[0126] As a first possible implementation, when the first information indicates the flightable area of ​​the terminal device (ie, the first information does not indicate the second area or the first area), the fourth communication device parses the first information to obtain the flightable area of ​​the terminal device.

[0127] Optionally, under this possible implementation, the fourth communication device may also determine the second area, and then determine the first area based on the second area and the flyable area.

[0128] As a possible example, in the communication system shown in Architecture 2, the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is deployed in the fourth communication device, and the fourth communication device can determine the performance of GPS positioning in the third area based on the GPS satellite ephemeris to obtain the second area.

[0129] As another possible example, in the communication system shown in Architecture 5, the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is deployed separately, for example, in a third communication device. In this case, the fourth communication device can interact with the third communication device to obtain the second area. The specific implementation is described in subsequent embodiments and is not detailed here.

[0130] In the above two possible examples, the third area may be indicated by the first communication device, such as indicated by the first information, or may be determined by the fourth communication device itself.

[0131] As a second possible implementation, when the first information indicates the first area, the fourth communication device parses the first information to obtain the first area.

[0132] As a third possible implementation, when the first information indicates the flyable area and the second area of ​​the terminal device, the fourth communication device parses the first information to obtain the flyable area and the second area of ​​the terminal device, and then determines the first area based on the overlapping area of ​​the flyable area and the second area of ​​the terminal device.

[0133] S904: The fourth communication device sends the second information to at least one second communication device. Correspondingly, the at least one second communication device receives the second information from the fourth communication device.

[0134] Exemplarily, the second communication device may be an access network device. For example, in the above-mentioned architectures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the fourth communication device may be an access network device.

[0135] The coverage of at least one second communication device includes the first area. Exemplarily, the total coverage of at least one second communication device includes the first area; or the coverage of a certain second communication device includes part or all of the first area.

[0136] Optionally, the fourth communication device may search for at least one second communication device whose coverage area includes the first area according to the range of the first area.

[0137] Optionally, the coverage of the at least one second communication device includes not only the first area, but also a portion of the GPS available area in the flyable area of ​​the terminal device.

[0138] For example, as shown in FIG10 , taking the terminal device's flightable area as a rectangular area, the second area as an acute-angled triangle area, the first area as a shaded triangle area, and the coverage area of ​​at least one second communication device as a circular area, the terminal device's flightable area is divided into three parts, denoted as area a, area b, and the first area. Areas a and b are located within the GPS-available area of ​​the terminal device's flightable area, and area b and the first area are located within the circular area. This means that the coverage area of ​​the at least one second communication device includes the first area and area b, and the at least one second communication device can sense the positions of all objects within area b and within the first area.

[0139] The second information instructs the second communication device to enable sensing. After receiving the second information, the second communication device enables the sensing function and performs sensing.

[0140] Optionally, the second information includes at least one of the following: perception on time, perception off time, perception cycle, GPS location of the terminal device, first distance, or second distance.

[0141] For example, the sensing on-time indicates when the second communication device turns on the sensing function or starts sensing; the sensing off-time indicates when the second communication device turns off the sensing function or stops sensing; the sensing period indicates the period during which the second communication device senses objects within its coverage area; and the first distance and the second distance each indicate a distance. For example, the first distance is greater than or equal to four times the sensing distance error of the second communication device. The second distance is greater than the first distance. The second distance can be defined by the protocol or determined by the fourth communication device, without limitation.

[0142] As a possible implementation, when at least one second communication device includes multiple second communication devices, the parameters in the second information corresponding to different second communication devices may be different or the same. Exemplarily, the fourth communication device may determine the second information for the multiple second communication devices based on the perceived service requirements. For example, according to the perception accuracy of the service requirements, the fourth communication device may send second information indicating different perception periods (i.e., perception frame interval periods) to the multiple second communication devices. After the multiple second communication devices receive the second information, they activate the perception function based on the second information to perceive objects within their coverage areas.

[0143] In a possible implementation, after finding at least one second communication device that meets the coverage requirement, the fourth communication device immediately sends the second information to each of the at least one second communication devices.

[0144] In another possible embodiment, after the fourth communication device finds at least one second communication device that meets the coverage requirements, when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance, the fourth communication device sends the second information to the second communication device; or, when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than or equal to the second distance, the fourth communication device sends the second information to the second communication device.

[0145] For example, when the first information indicates the GPS location of the terminal device, the fourth communication device parses the first information to obtain the GPS location of the terminal device, and then calculates the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device based on the GPS location of the terminal device and the location of the second communication device. When the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance, or when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than or equal to the second distance, the fourth communication device sends the second information to the second communication device.

[0146] Based on this method, when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than the second distance, the fourth communication device does not need to send the second information to the second communication device, so the second communication device does not need to turn on the perception function, thereby reducing the perception turn-on time of the second communication device and saving the air interface resources of the second communication device.

[0147] In a possible implementation, after receiving the second information, the second communication device starts sensing according to the sensing start time indicated in the second information, or immediately starts sensing.

[0148] In another possible embodiment, after the second communication device receives the second information, the second communication device turns on the perception function again when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance; or, when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than or equal to the second distance, the second communication device turns on the perception function again.

[0149] For example, when the second information includes the GPS position of the terminal device, the first distance and the second distance, the second communication device can calculate the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device based on the GPS position of the terminal device and the position of the second communication device. When the distance between the GPS position of the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance, or when the distance between the GPS position of the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than or equal to the second distance, the second communication device turns on the perception function again.

[0150] Based on this method, when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than the second distance, the second communication device does not need to turn on perception, thereby reducing the perception turn-on time of the second communication device and saving the air interface resources of the second communication device.

[0151] Based on the above solution, the first communication device determines first information for requesting the activation of GPS sensing and sends the first information to the fourth communication device. The fourth communication device receives the first information from the first communication device and, based on the first information, determines a GPS-unavailable area within the terminal device's flightable area. The fourth communication device then sends second information instructing the activation of GPS sensing to at least one second communication device whose coverage includes the GPS-unavailable area. Compared to activating GPS sensing across the entire flightable area of ​​the terminal device, this reduces the number of access network devices that require GPS sensing, conserving air interface resources of the access network devices.

[0152] In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG11 , after step S904 , the communication method further includes the following steps S905 and S906 .

[0153] S905: At least one second communication device sends fifth information to the fourth communication device. Correspondingly, the fourth communication device receives the fifth information from the at least one second communication device.

[0154] Optionally, the fifth information indicates a sensed position of at least one object sensed by the second communication device, where the at least one object includes a terminal device.

[0155] For example, the second communication device can define different identifiers for different objects it senses, and can distinguish different objects by the object identifiers. However, the second communication device cannot identify the correspondence between objects and terminal devices, that is, it cannot identify which object it senses is the terminal device.

[0156] As a possible implementation, the fifth information includes a correspondence between the identifier and the perceived position of at least one object. For example, if object #1 is identified as OID #1, its perceived position is L #1, object #2 is identified as OID #2, its perceived position is L #2, object #3 is identified as OID #3, its perceived position is L #3, and object #1, object #2, and object #3 include a terminal device, the fifth information includes {OID #1, L #1}, {OID #2, L #2}, and {OID #3, L #3}, where {OID #1, L #1} indicates the correspondence between OID #1 and L #1, {OID #2, L #2} indicates the correspondence between OID #2 and L #2, and {OID #3, L #3} indicates the correspondence between OID #3 and L #3.

[0157] Optionally, steps S901 to S905 may be performed once or multiple times. Performing steps S901 to S905 once may be understood as one communication process. Steps subsequent to step S905 may be performed once after one communication process or after multiple communication processes, without limitation.

[0158] S906: The fourth communication device sends sixth information to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sixth information from the fourth communication device, wherein the sixth information indicates the perceived location of the terminal device.

[0159] As a possible implementation, the sixth information may include a perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device.

[0160] Exemplarily, the sixth information includes the correspondence between the identification of at least one object and the perceived location. Based on the example of step S905 above, the sixth information includes {OID#1, L#1}, {OID#2, L#2} and {OID#3, L#3}, where object #1, object #2 and object #3 include terminal devices.

[0161] In this possible implementation, after receiving the sixth information, the first communication device can determine the correspondence between the terminal device identifier and the terminal device's perceived location, that is, identify the terminal device from at least one object. The specific implementation is described in subsequent embodiments and is not repeated here.

[0162] As another possible implementation, the sixth information may include a correspondence between an identifier of the terminal device and a perceived location of the terminal device.

[0163] In this scenario, as shown in FIG12 , after step S905 and before step S906 , the communication method may further include step S907 :

[0164] S907: The fourth communication device determines a correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the perceived location of the terminal device.

[0165] Optionally, the fourth communication device determines the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device. It can also be understood that the fourth communication device determines the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the identification of an object included in the fifth information, so that the perceived position of the terminal device is the perceived position corresponding to the object included in the fifth information.

[0166] In one possible implementation, when a terminal device flies from a GPS-reliable area within the terminal device's flyable area toward a first area, and the terminal device is within the coverage of at least one second communication device but outside the first area, the fourth communication device can parse the first information to obtain the GPS location of the terminal device and can also parse the fifth information to obtain the perceived location of at least one object sensed by the second communication device. Based on the GPS location of the terminal device and the perceived location of the at least one object, a correspondence between the terminal device identifier and the object identifier is determined.

[0167] For example, as shown in Figure 10, during flight, a terminal device is sequentially located in area a, area b, and the first area, where area b is one of the aforementioned areas. When the terminal device is located in area a and area b, the fourth communication device can parse the first information to obtain the GPS location of the terminal device; when the terminal device is located in area b and the first area, the fourth communication device can parse the fifth information to obtain the perceived location of at least one object sensed by the second communication device.

[0168] As one possible example, the fourth communication device determines a correspondence between the terminal device's identifier and an object's identifier based on the terminal device's GPS location and the perceived location of at least one object detected by the second communication device during a communication process. The fourth communication device can store this correspondence and directly retrieve it during subsequent communication processes.

[0169] For example, when the terminal device is located in area b shown in Figure 10, the terminal device's identifier is recorded as ID#1, the object #1 identifier is recorded as OID#1, the object #2 identifier is recorded as OID#2, and the object #3 identifier is recorded as OID#3. During a communication process, the GPS position of the terminal device is recorded as GPS position #1, the perceived position of object #1 is recorded as L#11, the perceived position of object #2 is recorded as L#22, and the perceived position of object #3 is recorded as L#33. For example, the distances between L#11, L#22, L#33 and GPS position #1 are calculated respectively. If the distance between L#22 and GPS position #1 is the shortest, object #2 is considered to be the terminal device, that is, the terminal device's identifier ID#1 and the perceived position L#22 of object #2 correspond. At this time, the sixth information is {ID#1, L#22}.

[0170] Optionally, there may be perception errors during perception by the second communication device, such as perception angle error and perception distance error. The farther the distance between the object and the second communication device, the greater the perception distance error caused by the perception angle error.

[0171] As shown in Figure 13, taking the perception angle error of 1° as an example, when the distance between terminal device #1 and the second communication device is 100 meters, based on geometric operations, it can be concluded that the perception distance error between the actual position of terminal device #1 and the perceived position of terminal device #1 perceived by the second communication device is approximately 1.8 meters; when the distance between terminal device #2 and the second communication device is 1000 meters, based on geometric operations, the perception distance error between the actual position of terminal device #2 and the perceived position of terminal device #2 perceived by the second communication device is approximately 18 meters.

[0172] Since there is a GPS positioning error during GPS positioning and a perception error during perception by the second communication device, there may be an error in the judgment of the correspondence between the terminal device identifier and the object identifier.

[0173] For example, as shown in FIG14 , taking the case where the distance between the GPS position of terminal device 1# and the perceived position of terminal device 2# is the smallest, at this time, the identification of terminal device 1# corresponds to the perceived position of terminal device 2#, and the corresponding relationship is wrong.

[0174] As another possible example, the fourth communication device determines the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device based on at least one historical GPS position of the terminal device and the perceived position of at least one object currently perceived by the second communication device.

[0175] For example, due to the high accuracy and small positioning error of GPS positioning, the GPS location of the terminal device provided by GPS can be considered different during different communication processes. Furthermore, during at least one communication process, the fourth communication device can store the GPS location of the terminal device to obtain at least one historical GPS location of the terminal device. The GPS movement path of the terminal device can then be determined based on the at least one historical GPS location of the terminal device. This GPS movement path can be used to determine the correspondence between the terminal device identifier and the perceived location of the terminal device.

[0176] As a possible implementation, the GPS movement route of the terminal device as of the current moment can be known based on at least one historical GPS position of the terminal device and the GPS position of the terminal device during the current communication process, and then the distance between the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device during the current communication process and the GPS movement route of the terminal device is calculated, and the perceived position of the object with the smallest distance is selected as the perceived position of the terminal device.

[0177] For example, when the terminal device is located in area b shown in Figure 10, the terminal device's identifier is recorded as ID#1, the object #1 identifier is recorded as OID#1, the object #2 identifier is recorded as OID#2, and the object #3 identifier is recorded as OID#3. During the communication process at the historical moment T, the GPS position of the terminal device is recorded as GPS position #1, and during the communication process at the current moment T+1, the GPS position of the terminal device is recorded as GPS position #2. The perceived position of object #1 is recorded as L#11, the perceived position of object #2 is L#22, and the perceived position of object #3 is L#33. For example, based on GPS position #1 and GPS position #2, the GPS movement route of the terminal device can be obtained, and then the distances between L#11, L#22, and L#33 and the above-mentioned GPS movement routes are calculated respectively. If the distance between L#22 and the above-mentioned GPS movement routes is the shortest, it is considered that object #2 is the terminal device, that is, the terminal device's identifier ID#1 and the perceived position L#22 of object #2 correspond. At this time, the sixth information is {ID#1, L#22}.

[0178] As another possible implementation, the GPS movement route of the terminal device can be obtained based on at least one historical GPS position of the terminal device and the GPS position of the terminal device during the current communication process, and the perceived movement route of at least one object can be obtained based on the historical perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device and the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device during the current communication process. The similarity between the perceived movement route of the at least one object and the GPS movement route of the terminal device is calculated, and the current perceived position of the object with the greatest similarity is selected as the perceived position of the terminal device.

[0179] For example, when the terminal device is located in area b as shown in FIG10 , the terminal device identifier is recorded as ID#1, the object identifier is recorded as OID#1, the object identifier is recorded as OID#2, and the object identifier is recorded as OID#3. During the communication process at the historical time T, the GPS position of the terminal device is recorded as GPS position#1, the perceived position of object#1 is recorded as L#1, the perceived position of object#2 is recorded as L#2, and the perceived position of object#3 is recorded as L#3. During the communication process at the current time T+1, the GPS position of the terminal device is recorded as GPS position#2, the perceived position of object#1 is recorded as L#11, the perceived position of object#2 is recorded as L#22, and the perceived position of object#3 is recorded as L#33. For example, according to the GPS position #1 and GPS position #2 can obtain the GPS movement route of the terminal device, recorded as GSL. According to L#1 and L#11, the perceived movement route of object #1 can be obtained, recorded as SL#1. According to L#2 and L#22, the perceived movement route of object #2 can be obtained, recorded as SL#2. According to L#3 and L#33, the perceived movement route of object #3 can be obtained, recorded as SL#3. Then, the similarities between SL#1, SL#2, SL#3 and GSL are calculated respectively. If the similarity between SL#2 and GSL is the largest, it is considered that object #2 is the terminal device, that is, the terminal device's identification ID#1 corresponds to the perceived position L#22 of object #2. At this time, the sixth information is {ID#1, L#22}.

[0180] Because there is a perception error between the perceived position of the object perceived by the second communication device and the actual position of the object, the perceived position of the same terminal device perceived by the second communication device at different times may be the same or different. If the perceived position of the same terminal device perceived by the second communication device at different times is the same, the perceived movement route of the terminal device cannot be obtained. If the perceived position of the same terminal device perceived by the second communication device at different times is different and the distance is greater than 4 times, the perceived movement route of the terminal device can be obtained. For example, as shown in the example of Figure 15, the actual position of terminal device #1 is different at time T and time T+1, and the perceived distance error of the second communication device is the radius of the circular area, and the perception error range is the circular area in the figure. For example, the perceived position of terminal device #1 perceived by the second communication device may be located at any position within the circular area. As shown in the example (a) in Figure 15, the perceived position of terminal device #1 perceived by the second communication device at time T and time T+1 is different. In this case, the perceived movement route of terminal device #1 can be obtained. As shown in the example of Figure 15(b), the second communication device perceives the same position of Terminal Device #1 at time T and time T+1. Therefore, the perceived movement path of Terminal Device #1 cannot be obtained. As shown in the example of Figure 15(c), the second communication device perceives different positions of Terminal Device #1 at time T and time T+1, and the distance between the two positions is four times the perceived distance error.

[0181] When the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to 4 times the perception distance error, the perceived movement route of the terminal device can be obtained. Therefore, in the above step S904, when the first distance is greater than or equal to 4 times the perception distance error of the second communication device, the second communication device can turn on perception to obtain the perceived movement route of the terminal device.

[0182] For example, taking the example of the first distance being greater than 4 times the perception distance error of the second communication device, when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is equal to the first distance, the second communication device turns on perception, and the perception positions of the terminal device perceived by the second communication device at different times may be different. Accordingly, the fourth communication device can obtain the perception movement route of the terminal device based on the perception positions of different terminal devices.

[0183] In another possible implementation, when the terminal is located in the first area, the correspondence between the terminal device identifier and the object identifier may be directly acquired, that is, the terminal device identifier and the perceived location of the terminal device may be determined.

[0184] Based on this method, the fourth communication device can determine the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device, so that the first communication device can parse the sixth information to obtain the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device. The first communication device no longer needs to determine the correspondence between the identification of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device, thereby reducing the complexity of the first communication device.

[0185] Optionally, all of the above methods are applicable to scenarios with multiple terminal devices.

[0186] As a possible example, when there are multiple terminal devices in the communication system, the first communication device will send multiple first information to the fourth communication device, and the multiple first information corresponds to multiple terminal devices. Accordingly, after receiving the multiple first information, the fourth communication device determines multiple first areas based on the multiple first information, and then determines at least one second communication device based on the multiple first areas. The coverage range of at least one second communication device includes multiple first areas. If the coverage range of a second communication device includes partial areas of the first areas corresponding to multiple terminal devices, then a second communication device can provide perception services for the above-mentioned multiple terminal devices, and a second communication device is any second communication device among the at least one second communication device.

[0187] Based on this possible example, when the first information indicates the GPS location of the terminal device, the fourth communication device can parse multiple first information to obtain the GPS locations of multiple terminal devices. If a second communication device provides perception services for multiple terminal devices, if the distance between the GPS location of a terminal device in the multiple terminal devices and a second communication device is greater than or equal to a first distance, or if the distance between the GPS location of a terminal device and a second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than or equal to a second distance, the second communication device begins perception, or the fourth communication device sends the second information to the second communication device.

[0188] The above describes the process of the communication method provided by the present application. Below, the process of the communication method provided by the present application will be supplemented with reference to the above different system architectures.

[0189] For example, taking the communication system shown in Architecture 1 as an example, as shown in Figure 16, the first communication device is an airspace management entity, the second communication device is an access network device, and the fourth communication device is an EMS entity. The perception management entity is located in the fourth communication device, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the first communication device. In this communication system, the communication method includes steps S901 to S907. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0190] For example, using the communication system shown in Architecture 2 as an example, the first communication device is an airspace management entity, the second communication device is an access network device, and the fourth communication device is an EMS entity. The perception management entity and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity are located in the fourth communication device. In this communication system, the communication method includes steps S901 to S907. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0191] For example, in the communication system shown in Architecture 3, the first communication device is an NMS entity, the second communication device is an access network device, and the fourth communication device is at least one EMS entity. The perception management entity is located in the fourth communication device, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the airspace management entity.

[0192] In this communication system, as shown in Figure 17, the communication method includes steps S901 to S907. Before step S901, the communication method also includes steps S900a and S900b. After step S906, the communication method also includes step S900c. The details of steps S901 to S907 can be found in the relevant descriptions of the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. Steps S900a to S900c will be described in detail below.

[0193] S900a. The airspace management entity determines the seventh information.

[0194] Optionally, the seventh information is used to request to enable perception.

[0195] Optionally, the seventh information indicates at least one of the following: the flyable area of ​​the terminal device, the second area, the first area, or the GPS location of the terminal device.

[0196] As a first possible implementation, the seventh information may indicate the flight-allowed area of ​​the terminal device. For example, under the above-mentioned architecture 2 and architecture 5, the seventh information may indicate the flight-allowed area of ​​the terminal device.

[0197] As a second possible implementation, the seventh information may indicate a first area, where the first area is a GPS-unavailable area within the flightable area of ​​the terminal device. For example, in the communication systems shown in Architecture 1, Architecture 3, and Architecture 4 above, the seventh information may indicate the first area.

[0198] As a third possible implementation, the seventh information may indicate the terminal device's flightable area and second area. For example, in the communication systems shown in Architecture 1, Architecture 3, and Architecture 4 above, the seventh information may indicate the terminal device's flightable area and second area.

[0199] Based on the above three possibilities, the seventh information may also indicate the GPS location of the terminal device.

[0200] For the description of the first area and the second area, please refer to the description of step S901 and will not be repeated here.

[0201] S900b: The airspace management entity sends seventh information to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the seventh information from the airspace management entity.

[0202] Optionally, the first communication device determines the first information based on the seventh information.

[0203] As a first possible implementation, when the seventh information indicates the flightable area of ​​the terminal device, the first communication device can parse the seventh information to obtain the flightable area of ​​the terminal device, and the first information can indicate the flightable area of ​​the terminal device.

[0204] As a second possible implementation, when the seventh information indicates the first area, the first communication device may parse the seventh information to obtain the first area, and the first information may indicate the first area.

[0205] As a third possible implementation, when the seventh information indicates the flyable area and the second area of ​​the terminal device, the first communication device can parse the seventh information to obtain the flyable area and the second area of ​​the terminal device, the first information can indicate the flyable area and the second area of ​​the terminal device, or the first information can indicate the first area.

[0206] On the basis of the above three possibilities, when the seventh information also indicates the GPS location of the terminal device, the first communication device can also parse the seventh information to obtain the GPS location of the terminal device, and the first information can also indicate the GPS location of the terminal device.

[0207] As will be appreciated, the NMS entity manages multiple EMS entities and can obtain coverage of each of these EMS entities. Therefore, upon receiving the seventh information, the NMS entity can combine the seventh information to select one of the multiple EMS entities as the fourth communication device. The NMS entity then sends the first information to the EMS entity.

[0208] S900c: The first communication device sends the eighth information to the airspace management entity. Correspondingly, the airspace management entity receives the eighth information from the first communication device.

[0209] Optionally, the eighth information indicates the perceived location of the terminal device.

[0210] As a possible implementation, when the sixth information includes the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device, and the at least one object includes a terminal device, the eighth information may include the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device.

[0211] As another possible implementation, when the sixth information includes the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the perceived location of the terminal device, the eighth information may include the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the perceived location of the terminal device.

[0212] Based on this solution, the NMS entity can communicate with at least one EMS entity, and compared with the communication system shown in the above-mentioned Architecture 1 or Architecture 2, it can provide perception services for terminal devices in a larger range of the first area.

[0213] For example, in the communication system shown in Architecture 4, the first communication device is an NMS entity, the second communication device is an access network device, and the fourth communication device is at least one EMS entity. The perception management entity is located in the fourth communication device, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the first communication device. Because the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the first communication device, the first communication device can obtain the second area.

[0214] In this communication system, the communication method includes steps S901 to S907, and steps S900a to S900c. For steps S901 to S907, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. Steps S900a to S900c are similar to steps S900a to S900c in the communication system shown in Architecture 3, except that:

[0215] In step S900a, the seventh information may indicate the flight-enabled area of ​​the terminal device, or the seventh information may indicate the flight-enabled area of ​​the terminal device and the GPS location of the terminal device.

[0216] In step S900b, if the seventh information indicates a flightable zone for the terminal device, the first communication device parses the seventh information to obtain the flightable zone for the terminal device. If the seventh information indicates both the flightable zone and the GPS location of the terminal device, the first communication device parses the seventh information to obtain the flightable zone for the terminal device. The first communication device can then determine the first information based on the flightable zone and the second zone for the terminal device.

[0217] The technical effects brought about by this communication method can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned architecture three, and will not be repeated here.

[0218] For example, in the communication system shown in Architecture 5, the first communication device is an airspace management entity, the second communication device is an access network device, and the fourth communication device is an EMS entity. The perception management entity is located in the EMS entity, and the GPS positioning environment simulation entity is located in the third communication device.

[0219] In this communication system, as shown in Figure 18, the communication method includes steps S901 to S907. After step S902 and before step S903, the communication method also includes steps S900d to S900e. The details of steps S901 to S907 can be found in the relevant descriptions of the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. Steps S900d to S900e will be described in detail below.

[0220] S900d: The second communication device sends third information to the third communication device. Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the third information from the fourth communication device.

[0221] Optionally, the third information is used to request a GPS unavailable area in a third area. Exemplarily, the third area includes a flight-capable area of ​​the terminal device, such as an urban area.

[0222] Optionally, after receiving the third information, the third communication device determines the performance of GPS positioning in the third area based on GPS satellite ephemeris to obtain the second area at the current moment.

[0223] S900e: The third communication device sends fourth information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the fourth communication device receives the fourth information from the third communication device.

[0224] Optionally, the fourth information indicates the second area.

[0225] Optionally, the fourth communication device parses the fourth information to obtain the second area. The fourth communication device determines the first area according to the terminal device's flightable area and the second area, where the first area is an overlapping area of ​​the terminal device's flightable area and the second area.

[0226] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above, or in other words, can implement the functions of the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device described above. The communication device can be the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device in the above method embodiment, or a component that can be used for the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0227] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0228] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device 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 noted 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.

[0229] Communication Device Figure 19 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 190. The communication device 190 includes a processing module 1901 and a transceiver module 1902. The communication device 190 can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device.

[0230] In some embodiments, the communication device 190 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 19 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0231] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1902, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement a transmitting and / or receiving function. The transceiver module 1902 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0232] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1902 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device or the fourth communication device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technology described herein; the processing module 1901 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, etc.) performed by the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device or the fourth communication device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technology described herein.

[0233] In some embodiments, when the communication device 190 is used to implement the functions of the fourth communication device:

[0234] The transceiver module 1902 is used to receive first information from a first communication device, where the first information is used to request to enable perception; the processing module 1901 is used to determine a first area based on the first information, where the first area is a GPS unavailable area within the flightable area of ​​the terminal device; the transceiver module 1902 is also used to send second information to at least one second communication device, where the second information instructs the second communication device to enable perception, and the coverage range of the at least one second communication device includes the first area.

[0235] Optionally, the transceiver module 1902 is also used to send third information to a third communication device, where the third information is used to request a GPS unavailable area in a third area, where the third area includes a flyable area of ​​the terminal device; the transceiver module 1902 is also used to receive fourth information from the third communication device, where the fourth information indicates a second area, where the second area is a GPS unavailable area in the third area.

[0236] Optionally, the transceiver module 1902 is also used to receive fifth information from at least one second communication device, where the fifth information indicates the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device, and the at least one object includes a terminal device; the transceiver module 1902 is also used to send sixth information to the first communication device, where the sixth information indicates the perceived position of the terminal device.

[0237] Optionally, the processing module 1901 is further configured to determine a correspondence between an identifier of the terminal device and the perceived position of the terminal device based on at least one historical GPS position of the terminal device and the perceived position of at least one object perceived by the second communication device.

[0238] Optionally, the transceiver module 1902 is also used to send second information to at least one second communication device, including: the transceiver module 1902 is also used to send second information to the second communication device when the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance.

[0239] In some embodiments, when the communication device 190 is used to implement the functions of the first communication device:

[0240] Processing module 1901 is configured to determine first information, the first information being used to request sensing activation, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a terminal device's flightable area, a first area, a second area, or the terminal device's Global Positioning System (GPS) location; the first area being a GPS-unavailable area within the terminal device's flightable area, the first area being an overlapping area between the terminal device's flightable area and the second area, and GPS being unavailable within the second area. Transceiver module 1902 is configured to transmit the first information.

[0241] Optionally, the transceiver module 1902 is further used to receive sixth information, where the sixth information indicates a sensed location of the terminal device sensed by at least one second communication device, and the coverage range of the at least one second communication device includes the first area.

[0242] Among them, 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.

[0243] In the present application, the communication device 190 may be presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (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.

[0244] In some embodiments, when the communication device 190 in Figure 19 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1902 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1901 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0245] Since the communication device 190 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0246] As a possible product form, the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device or the fourth communication device in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0247] As another possible product form, the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device in this application may adopt the structure shown in Figure 20, or include the components shown in Figure 20. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 200 provided in this application.

[0248] As shown in FIG20 , the communication device 200 includes at least one processor 2001. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface 2002.

[0249] When the program instructions are executed in the at least one processor 2001, the apparatus 200 can implement the communication method provided in any of the aforementioned embodiments and any possible designs thereof. Alternatively, the processor 2001 implements the communication method provided in any of the aforementioned embodiments and any possible designs thereof through logic circuits or by executing code instructions.

[0250] The communication interface 2002 can be used to receive program instructions and transmit them to the processor. Alternatively, the communication interface 2002 can be used for the communication device 200 to communicate with other communication devices, such as exchanging control signaling and / or service data. Exemplarily, the communication interface 2002 can be used to receive signals from devices other than the device 200 and transmit them to the processor 2001, or to send signals from the processor 2001 to other communication devices other than the device 200.

[0251] Optionally, the communication interface 2002 may be a code and / or data read and write interface circuit, or the communication interface 2002 may be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver, or a pin of a chip.

[0252] Optionally, the communication device 200 may further include at least one memory 2003, which may be used to store required program instructions and / or data. It should be noted that the memory 2003 may exist independently of the processor 2001 or may be integrated with the processor 2001. The memory 2003 may be located within the communication device 200 or outside the communication device 200, without limitation.

[0253] Optionally, the communication device 200 may further include a power supply circuit 2004, which may be used to supply power to the processor 2001. The power supply circuit 2004 may be located in the same chip as the processor 2001, or in another chip other than the chip where the processor 2001 is located.

[0254] Optionally, the communication device 200 may further include a bus 2005 , and various parts of the communication device 200 may be interconnected via the bus 2005 .

[0255] Optionally, the processor in the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0256] Optionally, the memory in the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), or direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0257] Optionally, the power supply circuit in the embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: a power supply line, a power supply subsystem, a power management chip, a power consumption management processor, or a power consumption management control circuit.

[0258] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 190 shown in FIG. 19 may take the form of the communication device 200 shown in FIG. 20 .

[0259] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 1901 in FIG19 can be implemented by the processor 2001 in the communication device 200 shown in FIG20 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 2003. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 1902 in FIG19 can be implemented by the communication interface 2002 in the communication device 200 shown in FIG20.

[0260] It should be noted that the structure shown in FIG20 does not constitute a specific limitation on the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, or the fourth communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine or split certain components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0261] In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0262] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may invoke the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute any of the above-described method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be located in the communication device.

[0263] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and 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.

[0264] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which can be used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0265] It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0266] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0267] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0268] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0269] It is understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application may also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0270] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the objectives of this embodiment as needed.

[0271] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0272] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may 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 may 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 may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0273] 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 can understand and implement other changes to 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 can 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.

[0274] 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 communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receiving first information from a first communication device, where the first information is used to request to start sensing; Determining a first area according to the first information, where the first area is a Global Positioning System (GPS) unavailable area within the flyable area of the terminal device; Sending second information to at least one second communication device, where the second information instructs the second communication device to start sensing, and the coverage range of the at least one second communication device includes the first area.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information indicates at least one of the following: the flyable area of the terminal device, a second area, the first area, or the GPS position of the terminal device; Wherein, GPS is unavailable in the second area; the first area is the overlapping area of the flyable area of the terminal device and the second area.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the first information does not indicate the second area, the method further includes: Sending third information to a third communication device, where the third information is used to request the GPS unavailable area in a third area, and the third area includes the flyable area of the terminal device; Receiving fourth information from the third communication device, where the fourth information indicates the second area, and the second area is the GPS unavailable area in the third area.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: sensing start time, sensing stop time, sensing period, or a first distance. When the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance, the second communication device starts sensing.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving fifth information from the at least one second communication device, where the fifth information indicates the sensed position of at least one object sensed by the second communication device, and the at least one object includes the terminal device; Sending sixth information to the first communication device, where the sixth information indicates the sensed position of the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The sixth information includes the sensed position of the at least one object sensed by the second communication device; or, the sixth information includes the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the sensed position of the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determining the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the sensed position of the terminal device according to at least one historical GPS position of the terminal device and the sensed position of at least one object sensed by the second communication device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Sending the second information to the second communication device includes: When the distance between the terminal device and the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first distance, sending the second information to the second communication device.

9. The method according to claim 4 or 8, characterized in that, The first distance is greater than or equal to 4 times the sensing distance error of the second communication device.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Determine first information, where the first information is used to request the activation of sensing, and the first information indicates at least one of the following: the flyable area of the terminal device, a first area, a second area, or the Global Positioning System (GPS) location of the terminal device; the first area is a GPS-unavailable area within the flyable area of the terminal device, the first area is the overlapping area of the flyable area of the terminal device and the second area, and GPS is unavailable within the second area. Send the first information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The method further includes: Receive sixth information, where the sixth information indicates the sensed location of the terminal device sensed by at least one second communication device, and the coverage range of the at least one second communication device includes the first area.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The sixth information includes the sensed location of at least one object sensed by the second communication device, and the at least one object includes the terminal device; or, The sixth information includes the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal device and the sensed location of the terminal device.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module or unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction runs on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

17. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor, and the chip is configured to execute program instructions in a storage to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

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