Positioning method and apparatus, device, and readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and discloses a positioning method and apparatus, a device, and a readable storage medium. The method provided by embodiments of the present application comprises: a core network element receives a first request, wherein the first request is used for requesting to position a target ambient Internet of Things device; the core network element sends a first response on the basis of the first request, wherein the first response is used for providing a positioning result of the target ambient Internet of Things device; the first request comprises at least one of the following: a first identifier, used for identifying the target ambient Internet of Things device; a positioning type; positioning precision; and a positioning response time.

Description

Positioning method, device, equipment and readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on February 7, 2024, with application number 202410175397.1 and invention name “Positioning method, device, equipment and readable storage medium”, 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 specifically to a positioning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] In the New Radio (NR) system, the terminal can be positioned using a positioning method of the Radio Access Technology (RAT).

[0004] In some scenarios, Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) devices can be deployed on a large scale due to their low complexity, low cost, maintenance-free, battery-free design, support for energy harvesting, and backscatter communication. However, due to the limitations of Ambient IoT devices, they cannot autonomously locate themselves. Therefore, how to locate Ambient IoT devices is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium, which can realize the positioning of Ambient IoT devices.

[0006] In a first aspect, a positioning method is provided, the method comprising:

[0007] The core network element receives a first request, where the first request is used to request positioning of an IoT device in a target environment;

[0008] The core network element sends a first response based on the first request, where the first response is used to provide a positioning result of the target environment IoT device;

[0009] The first request includes at least one of the following:

[0010] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0011] Positioning type;

[0012] Positioning accuracy;

[0013] Positioning response time.

[0014] In a second aspect, a positioning method is provided, the method comprising:

[0015] The access network device receives a second request from the core network network element, where the second request is used to request location-related information of the target environment IoT device or the second request is used to request inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device;

[0016] The access network device sends a second response to the core network element, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0017] The access network device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device;

[0018] Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the method further includes:

[0019] Based on the second request, the access network device sends a fourth request to the terminal, where the fourth request is used to request the terminal for location-related information of the target environment IoT device or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device;

[0020] The access network device receives a fourth response from the terminal, where the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0021] A third aspect provides a positioning method, the method comprising:

[0022] The terminal receives a third request from the core network element and sends a third response to the core network element, wherein the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment Internet of Things device, or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment Internet of Things device, and the third response includes the location-related information of the target environment Internet of Things device; or

[0023] The terminal sends a fourth request from the access network device, where the fourth request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device, or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and sends a fourth response to the access network device, where the fourth response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device;

[0024] The terminal includes a target reader of a target environment Internet of Things device, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, a positioning device is provided, comprising:

[0026] A receiving unit, configured to receive a first request, wherein the first request is used to request positioning of an IoT device in a target environment;

[0027] A sending unit, configured to send a first response based on the first request, where the first response is used to provide a positioning result of the target environment IoT device;

[0028] The first request includes at least one of the following:

[0029] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0030] Positioning type;

[0031] Positioning accuracy;

[0032] Positioning response time.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, a positioning device is provided, comprising:

[0034] a communication unit, configured to receive a second request from a core network element, wherein the second request is used to request location-related information of a target environment IoT device or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device; and

[0035] Sending a second response to the core network element, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0036] Wherein, the positioning device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device;

[0037] Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the communication unit is further configured to:

[0038] Based on the second request, sending a fourth request to the terminal, where the fourth request is used to request the terminal for location-related information of the target environment IoT device or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device;

[0039] A fourth response is received from the terminal, where the fourth response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, a positioning device is provided, comprising:

[0041] a communication unit, configured to receive a third request from a core network network element and send a third response to the core network network element, wherein the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment Internet of Things device or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment Internet of Things device, and the third response includes information related to the location of the target environment Internet of Things device; or

[0042] Sending a fourth request from the access network device and sending a fourth response to the access network device, wherein the fourth request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, or to request inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0043] The positioning device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0044] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in any one of the first to third aspects are implemented.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented, or the steps of the method described in the second aspect are implemented, or the steps of the method described in the third aspect are implemented.

[0046] In the ninth aspect, a wireless communication system is provided, including: a terminal, an access network device and a core network network element, wherein the terminal can be used to execute the steps performed by the terminal in the positioning method as described above, the access network device can be used to execute the steps performed by the access network device in the positioning method as described above, and the core network network element can be used to execute the steps performed by the core network network element in the positioning method as described above.

[0047] In the tenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the method as described in the first aspect, or the method as described in the second aspect, or the steps of the method as described in the third aspect.

[0048] In the eleventh aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, which is stored in a storage medium and is executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the positioning method described in the first aspect, or the steps of the positioning method described in the second aspect, or the steps of the positioning method described in the third aspect.

[0049] Based on the above technical solution, the core network network element can receive the first request, locate the target environment IoT device based on the first request, and feedback the positioning result of the target environment IoT device through the first response, thereby realizing the positioning of the target environment IoT device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a deployment scenario of an environmental Internet of Things device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another deployment scenario of an environmental Internet of Things device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] 5 to 11 are schematic interaction diagrams of the positioning method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0055] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a positioning device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0056] FIG13 is a schematic block diagram of another positioning device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0057] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of another positioning device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0058] FIG15 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0059] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of a network-side device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0061] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of another network-side device provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0063] The terms "first", "second", etc. in this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects, for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "or" in this application represents at least one of the connected objects. For example, "A or B" covers three options, namely, Option 1: including A but not including B; Option 2: including B but not including A; Option 3: including both A and B. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0064] The term "indication" in this application can be either a direct indication (or explicit indication) or an indirect indication (or implicit indication). A direct indication can be understood as the sender explicitly informing the receiver of specific information, the operation to be performed, or the requested result, etc. in the instruction sent; an indirect indication can be understood as the receiver determining the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or making a judgment and determining the operation to be performed or the requested result, etc. based on the judgment result.

[0065] It is worth noting that the technology described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application are often used interchangeably, and the technology described can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as for other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes a New Radio (NR) system for illustrative purposes, and NR terminology is used in most of the following description, but these technologies can also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6th generation (6G) systems. th Generation, 6G) communication system.

[0066] FIG1 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12 .

[0067] In some embodiments, the terminal 11 may be an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) device, also known as an Ambient Power (AMP) device, a zero-power device, a low-power IoT device, a response device, a tag, etc.

[0068] In other embodiments, the terminal 11 may also be a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a netbook, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a mobile internet device (MID), an augmented reality (AR), a virtual reality (VR) device, a robot, a wearable device, a flight vehicle, a vehicle user equipment (VUE), a shipborne device, a pedestrian user equipment (PUE), a smart home (home appliances with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines or furniture, etc.), a game console, a personal computer (PC), an ATM or a self-service machine, and other terminal-side devices. Wearable devices include: smart watches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart bracelets, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among them, the vehicle-mounted device can also be called a vehicle-mounted terminal, vehicle-mounted controller, vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip or vehicle-mounted unit, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0069] The terminal 11 may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, flight vehicle, vehicle user equipment (VUE), shipborne equipment, pedestrian user equipment (PUE), smart home (home appliances with wireless communication functions, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smart watches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart bracelets, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. The vehicle-mounted device may also be referred to as a vehicle-mounted terminal, a vehicle-mounted controller, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip, or a vehicle-mounted unit, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0070] A terminal may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0071] The network-side device 12 may include an access network device or a core network device, wherein the access network device may also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device, a radio access network function, or a radio access network unit. The access network device may include a base station, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) node. Among them, the base station can be referred to as Node B (NB), Evolved Node B (eNB), the next generation Node B (gNB), New Radio Node B (NR Node B), access point, Relay Base Station (RBS), Serving Base Station (SBS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Home Node B (HNB), Home Evolved Node B (home evolved Node B), Transmission Reception Point (TRP) or other appropriate terms in the field. As long as the same technical effect is achieved, the base station is not limited to specific technical vocabulary. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the base station in the NR system is used as an example for introduction, and the specific type of the base station is not limited.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present application, the access network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device may also be a base station located in a location such as land or water.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present application, the core network device may be referred to as a core network node, a core network element, or a core network function, for example, including but not limited to at least one of the following: Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Centralized Network Configuration (CNC), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Local NEF (L-NEF), Binding Support Function (Binding Support Function) Function, BSF), Application Function (AF), Gateway Mobile Location Centre (Gateway Mobile Location Centre), etc. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the core network device in the NR system is introduced as an example, and the specific type of the core network device is not limited.

[0074] The Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT or Ambient IoT) is an IoT service comprised of a vast number of devices. The Ambient IoT devices that support this service feature ultra-low complexity, ultra-low cost, and ultra-low power consumption. They are powered by energy harvesting and either lack batteries or have limited energy storage capabilities (for example, using a capacitor).

[0075] In wireless communication systems, Ambient IoT devices typically use energy harvested from radio waves. For example, the radio waves can come from network devices (such as base stations) or UEs.

[0076] In some scenarios, Ambient IoT devices may have the following characteristics:

[0077] 1. Peak power consumption is approximately 1μW. Ambient IoT devices have energy storage capabilities, but lack uplink and downlink signal amplification. Uplink transmission in ambient IoT devices is based on backscatter from an externally provided carrier source (e.g., the aforementioned radio waves).

[0078] 2. Peak power consumption should be less than or equal to several hundred μW, with energy storage capabilities. Ambient IoT devices should support uplink and / or downlink signal amplification. Uplink transmissions for Ambient IoT devices can be generated directly within the device or backscattered from an external carrier source.

[0079] Consider deploying Ambient IoT devices in the following ways:

[0080] Method 1:

[0081] The Ambient IoT Base Station (BS) co-exists with the base stations of the communication system. The base station acts as a carrier source, and the base station uses the downlink carrier to stimulate the Ambient IoT device to perform backscattering, which is the uplink transmission to the base station.

[0082] Method 2:

[0083] The Ambient IoT BS and base station coexist at the same site, with the terminal acting as an intermediate node. The base station controls the terminal through air interface signaling. The terminal uses the downlink carrier to stimulate the Ambient IoT device to perform backscattering, i.e., uplink transmission to the terminal. The terminal then forwards the uplink transmission of the Ambient IoT device to the base station over the air interface.

[0084] The main business types of Ambient IoT devices are: inventory, command issuance, and positioning.

[0085] Inventory is the most basic and important service for Ambient IoT devices. Inventory allows the network to obtain the coverage of the reader / register where the specific Ambient IoT device is located through the reader or register.

[0086] In NR systems, the UE's location can be supported by Radio Access Technology (RAT)-dependent positioning methods, which rely on measurements of RAT signals from the access network by the target UE and / or measurements of RAT signals from the access network by the target UE. The UE's location can also be supported by RAT-independent positioning methods, which use non-RAT measurements and / or other information to determine the UE's location.

[0087] However, after the introduction of Ambient IoT devices, due to the capability limitations of Ambient IoT devices, how to locate Ambient IoT devices has become an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0088] The positioning method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below through some embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0089] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the positioning method 400 includes at least part of the following:

[0090] S401: A core network element receives a first request, where the first request is used to request positioning of an IoT device in a target environment.

[0091] S402: The core network element sends a first response based on the first request, where the first response is used to provide a positioning result of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0092] In some embodiments, the core network element may include but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0093] Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Mobility Management Entity (MME), or other network elements with similar functions introduced as the standard evolves.

[0094] In some embodiments, the positioning result of the target environment IoT device can be transmitted through the control plane, or through the user plane, or through the data plane, which is not limited in this application.

[0095] In an embodiment of the present application, the target environment IoT device may refer to an environment IoT device to be located.

[0096] It should be noted that the target environment IoT device may be a device having at least one of the following characteristics:

[0097] Low complexity, simple structure, low power consumption, low cost, support for the collection of environmental energy (such as light energy, thermal energy, radio frequency energy, mechanical energy, kinetic energy, etc.), support for backscatter communication, support for simple waveforms, support for low-complexity modulation methods (such as on-off keying (OOK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK), etc.).

[0098] Optionally, the target environment IoT device may also support an active transmission communication mode.

[0099] In some embodiments, the target environment IoT device may have no energy storage capability or may have limited energy storage capability (such as using a capacitor with a capacity of tens of microfarads (uF)).

[0100] In some embodiments, the ambient IoT device may also be referred to as a zero-power device, a low-power device, a passive IoT (Passive-IoT) device, an ambient power (AMP) device, a low-power IoT device, a response device, a tag, etc.

[0101] In some embodiments, a reader, also known as a read / write device or reader / writer, an access device for an environmental IoT device, etc., can be a terminal or access network device (e.g., a base station) in a communication system. For example, in a deployment scenario of topology 1, the reader can be a base station, and in a deployment scenario of topology 2, the reader can be a terminal. The following description uses a base station as an example of an access network device, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, a TRP or access point (AP) can also be used, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first request is also called a positioning service request or a positioning request.

[0103] In some embodiments, the sender of the first request (or the location service requesting entity) may be an external location service (LCS) client or an external network element.

[0104] In some embodiments, the core network element receiving the first request may include at least one of the following:

[0105] The core network element receives a first request from an environmental Internet of Things application server (AS);

[0106] The core network element receives a first request from an application function (AF);

[0107] The core network element receives a first request from a network function (NF).

[0108] That is, the sender of the first request (or the entity requesting the positioning service) can be the environmental Internet of Things AS or AF or NF, or the initiator of the positioning service can be the environmental Internet of Things AS or AF or NF, that is, the positioning demand for the environmental Internet of Things device can come from the environmental Internet of Things AS or AF or NF.

[0109] In some embodiments, the core network element sending the first response based on the first request may include at least one of the following:

[0110] The core network element sends a first response to the ambient IoT AS;

[0111] The core network element sends a first response to the AF;

[0112] The core network element sends a first response to the NF.

[0113] That is, the recipient of the first response may be the environmental Internet of Things AS or AF or NF.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present application, the first request includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0115] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0116] Positioning type;

[0117] Positioning accuracy;

[0118] Positioning response time.

[0119] In some embodiments of the present application, the first response includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0120] Location information of the IoT device in the target environment;

[0121] Positioning type;

[0122] Positioning accuracy;

[0123] Positioning response time.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first identifier can be used by the core network element to identify the environmental Internet of Things device to be located, and the first identifier can be used to uniquely identify the target environmental Internet of Things device.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first identifier includes at least one of the following:

[0126] An identifier that uniquely and permanently identifies the target environment IoT device in the communication system, such as a permanent device identifier of the target environment IoT device;

[0127] An identifier that uniquely identifies the target environment IoT device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), such as a universal public device identifier of the target environment IoT device;

[0128] An identifier that uniquely identifies the target environment IoT device in the first network element;

[0129] an identifier of a reader of the target environment IoT device and a device identifier of the target environment IoT device within the target reader;

[0130] Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) codes of IoT devices in the target environment.

[0131] In some embodiments, the positioning type includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0132] Absolute position, such as position coordinates in the target position coordinate system;

[0133] Relative position, for example, direction and / or distance relative to a reference, the reference includes, but is not limited to, a network entity in a communication system, including a reader for inventorying / paging IoT devices in a target environment, or the reference may be a specified location coordinate, which is not limited in this application.

[0134] In some embodiments, the positioning response time may be the waiting time for the sender of the positioning request to receive a positioning response after sending the positioning request. That is, the sender of the positioning request expects to receive a positioning response within the positioning response time.

[0135] In some embodiments of the present application, after the core network element receives the first request, the method 400 further includes:

[0136] The core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for IoT devices in the target environment;

[0137] The core network element obtains the first information from at least one reader, for example, based on inventory information or paging information fed back by at least one reader.

[0138] The first information includes at least one of the following:

[0139] a second identifier, used to identify a target reader among the at least one reader;

[0140] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in a target reader of the at least one reader;

[0141] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0142] Type information of the target reader;

[0143] capability information of the target reader;

[0144] The location information of the target reader.

[0145] For example, upon receiving the first request, the core network element may initiate a paging process or an inventory process for the IoT device in the target environment to obtain the first information.

[0146] In some other embodiments of the present application, after the core network element receives the first request, the method 400 further includes:

[0147] The core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the IoT devices in the target environment;

[0148] The core network element obtains the second information from at least one reader, for example, based on inventory information or paging information fed back by at least one reader.

[0149] The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0150] a second identifier, used to identify a target reader among the at least one reader;

[0151] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0152] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0153] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0154] Type information of the target reader;

[0155] capability information of the target reader;

[0156] location information of the target reader;

[0157] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0158] Unlike the previous embodiment, in this embodiment, the core network element can obtain the first measurement result through an inventory or paging process. In other words, in this embodiment, the target environment IoT device can be measured through the inventory or paging process. That is, the inventory or paging process can be reused to measure the target environment IoT device. In this way, the core network element does not need to trigger the measurement of the target environment IoT device through a separate process, which helps shorten the positioning process and reduce signaling overhead.

[0159] In some embodiments, when the reader of the target environment IoT device is a base station, the core network element obtains the first information or the second information from at least one reader by directly obtaining the first information or the second information from the at least one base station.

[0160] In some embodiments, when the reader of the IoT device in the target environment is a terminal, the core network element obtains the first information or the second information from at least one reader by directly obtaining the first information or the second information from the at least one terminal, or by obtaining the first information or the second information through the service base station of the at least one terminal.

[0161] For example, the terminal may first send the inventory or paging information to the serving base station, which then sends the inventory or paging information to the core network element. Alternatively, the terminal may directly send the inventory or paging information to the core network element.

[0162] Optionally, the inventory information or paging information may include the reader's identifier and the identifier of the ambient IoT device paged or inventoried by the reader. Optionally, it may also include the reader's type information, location information, and capability information, as well as capability information of the ambient IoT device inventoried or paged. Therefore, based on the inventory information or paging information of the at least one reader, information about the target reader of the target ambient IoT device can be obtained. For example, the target reader's identifier information, type information, capability information, location information, etc.

[0163] In some embodiments, when the reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal, the message exchanged between the core network element and the reader may be a non-access network layer (NAS) message; when the reader of the target environment IoT device is a base station, the message exchanged between the core network element and the reader may be a next generation application protocol (NGAP) message.

[0164] In some embodiments, the target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices. For example, the target reader can inventory or page the target environment IoT devices.

[0165] In other embodiments, the target reader has previously inventoried or paged the target environment IoT device, such as recently inventoried or paged the target environment IoT device. Specifically, for example, the target reader is the reader that last inventoried or paged the target environment IoT device.

[0166] For example, the core network element can determine the target reader based on historical inventory records or paging records or context information of the IoT devices in the target environment.

[0167] In some embodiments, the target reader is a first base station, and the second identifier may include but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0168] a cell identity (Cell Identity, Cell ID) corresponding to the first base station;

[0169] The base station identifier corresponding to the first base station.

[0170] In some other embodiments, the target reader is a terminal, and the second identifier includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0171] The terminal's Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI);

[0172] The terminal's globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI);

[0173] The terminal's shortened Temporary Mobile Subscription Identifier (S-TMSI);

[0174] Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) of the terminal.

[0175] Optionally, in the case that the target reader is a terminal, the first information or the second information may further include: a third identifier, used to identify a serving base station of the target reader.

[0176] For example, the serving base station of the target reader is the second base station, and the third identifier includes at least one of the following:

[0177] a cell identifier corresponding to the second base station;

[0178] The base station identifier corresponding to the second base station.

[0179] In some embodiments, the device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader of the at least one reader may refer to an identifier that can uniquely identify the target environment IoT device in the target reader.

[0180] In some embodiments, the capability information (or type information or feature information) of the target environment IoT device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0181] Peak power of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0182] Whether the IoT devices in the target environment are active;

[0183] Whether the IoT devices in the target environment have energy storage capabilities;

[0184] Whether the IoT device in the target environment has the function of amplifying uplink signals, where the uplink signal can be the signal from the IoT in the target environment to the reader.

[0185] Whether the target environmental IoT device has the function of amplifying downlink signals, where the downlink signal can be the signal from the reader to the environmental IoT device.

[0186] In some embodiments, the target reader type information may include at least one of the following:

[0187] Terminals, access network equipment (such as base stations, specifically gNB or NG-eNB, etc.).

[0188] In some embodiments, the capability information of the target reader may include but is not limited to positioning-related capability information, for example but not limited to measurement capability and / or computing capability.

[0189] In some cases, the target reader is a base station, and the capability information of the target reader includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0190] Supports measurement of backscattered signals from IoT devices in the target environment;

[0191] Supports calculating the location information of the target environment IoT device based on the measurement results of the backscattered signal.

[0192] In some cases, the target reader is a terminal, and the capability information of the target reader includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0193] First capability information, where the first capability information is used to indicate capability information related to the interface between the terminal and the target environment IoT device, such as positioning-related capability information;

[0194] The second capability information is used to indicate capability information related to the interface between the terminal and the serving base station of the terminal, such as positioning-related capability information.

[0195] For example, the first capability information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0196] Whether the capabilities defined by the LTE Location Protocol (LPP) are supported;

[0197] Whether the capabilities defined by the NR Positioning Protocol (NRPP) are supported;

[0198] Supports measurement of backscattered signals from IoT devices in the target environment;

[0199] Supports calculating the location information of the IoT device in the target environment based on the measurement results of the backscattered signal.

[0200] For example, the second capability information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0201] Supporting measurement of downlink signals from a serving base station, or supporting sending uplink signals to a serving base station for the serving base station to measure the uplink signals;

[0202] The device supports calculating the location information of the target reader based on the measurement results of the downlink signal or the uplink signal.

[0203] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the positioning method used to locate the IoT device in the target environment. The measurement value of the first measurement result can be determined according to the positioning method, and the present application does not limit this.

[0204] Exemplarily, the first measurement result includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0205] Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of the backscattered signal;

[0206] Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) of the backscattered signal;

[0207] Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) of the backscattered signal;

[0208] The round trip time (RTT) between the backscattered signal and the corresponding carrier source.

[0209] In some embodiments, the location information of the target environment IoT device may include at least one of the following:

[0210] The absolute position of the IoT device in the target environment, such as the position coordinates in the target location coordinate system;

[0211] The relative position of the target environment IoT device, for example, the direction and / or distance relative to a reference, the reference includes, but is not limited to, a network entity in the communication system, including a reader that inventories / pages the target environment IoT device, or the reference can also be a specified location coordinate, which is not limited in this application.

[0212] In some embodiments, the location information of the target environment IoT device in the second information may be determined based on the first measurement result, for example, based on the first measurement result and the location information of the target reader.

[0213] In some embodiments, when the target reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal, the location information of the target reader may be the location information or trajectory information of the target reader most recently obtained by the serving base station, or may be obtained through measurement, for example, determined based on the first measurement result.

[0214] The following describes the specific implementation of the paging or inventory process for IoT devices in the target environment, combining the two cases where the target reader is a terminal and an access network device.

[0215] Case 1: The target reader is an access network device, such as a base station.

[0216] In some embodiments, the core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment IoT device, including:

[0217] The core network element sends a first message to the access network device, wherein the first message is used to trigger the access network device to perform a paging process or an inventory process on the target environment IoT device. The first information or the second information can be obtained through the paging or inventory process.

[0218] Optionally, the first message may be an NGAP message.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following:

[0220] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0221] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0222] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0223] For example, when the first message is used to obtain the first information, the first message may not include the first indication; and when the first message is used to obtain the second information, the first message may include the first indication.

[0224] Case 2: The target reader is a terminal.

[0225] In some embodiments, the core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment IoT device, including:

[0226] The core network element sends a second message to the terminal, where the second message is used to trigger the terminal to perform an inventory process or a paging process for the target environment Internet of Things device, wherein the terminal is a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0227] Optionally, the second message may be a non-access network layer (NAS) message.

[0228] In some embodiments, the second message includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0229] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0230] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0231] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0232] For example, when the second message is used to obtain the first information, the second message may not include the first indication; and when the second message is used to obtain the second information, the second message may include the first indication.

[0233] In some other embodiments, the core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment IoT device, including:

[0234] The core network element sends a first message to the access network device of the terminal (such as a serving base station), where the first message is used to trigger an inventory process or a paging process for the IoT devices in the target environment;

[0235] The access network device sends a fifth message to the terminal based on the first message, where the fifth message is used to trigger the terminal to perform an inventory or paging process on the IoT devices in the target environment.

[0236] That is to say, when the target reader is a terminal, the core network element can directly send a first message to the terminal to trigger the terminal to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device, or it can also trigger the terminal to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device through the terminal's service base station.

[0237] Optionally, the first message may be an NGAP message.

[0238] Optionally, the fifth message may be a downlink message such as a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) or a downlink control information (DCI).

[0239] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following:

[0240] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0241] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0242] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0243] For example, when the first message is used to obtain the first information, the first message may not include the first indication; and when the first message is used to obtain the second information, the first message may include the first indication.

[0244] In some embodiments, the fifth message includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0245] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0246] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0247] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0248] For example, when the fifth message is used to obtain the first information, the fifth message may not include the first indication; and when the fifth message is used to obtain the second information, the fifth message may include the first indication.

[0249] In some embodiments of the present application, the method 400 further includes:

[0250] The core network element sends a second request to the access network device, where the second request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device or to perform inventory or paging on the target environment IoT device;

[0251] The core network element receives a second response from the access network device, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0252] The access network device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0253] For example, the target reader is a base station. After the core network network element obtains the first information through an inventory or paging process, the core network network element can obtain the information of the target reader corresponding to the target environment IoT device, and further send a second request to the base station to request the location information of the target environment IoT device.

[0254] For another example, the target reader is a terminal. After the core network element obtains the first information through an inventory or paging process, the core network element can obtain the information of the target reader corresponding to the target environment IoT device, and further send a second request to the service base station of the terminal to request the location information of the target environment IoT device.

[0255] For another example, the target reader is a base station. The core network element triggers the base station to perform an inventory or paging process on the IoT devices in the target environment through the second request, and obtains the second information in the inventory or paging process.

[0256] In some embodiments, when the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, the second request may include a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning services or is initiated due to positioning services, or that the inventory or paging is used to obtain location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0257] Optionally, the target reader is a base station, and the second request and the second response may be NGAP messages.

[0258] In some embodiments, when the access network device is a serving base station of a target reader of the target environment IoT device, after the access network device receives the second request, the method 400 further includes:

[0259] The access network device sends a fourth request to the terminal based on the second request, where the fourth request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device or to perform inventory or paging on the target environment IoT device;

[0260] The access network device receives a fourth response from the terminal, where the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device, and the second response is determined based on the fourth response.

[0261] In some embodiments, when the fourth request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, the fourth request may include a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning services or is initiated due to positioning services, or that the inventory or paging is used to obtain location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0262] In some other embodiments of the present application, when the target reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal, the method 400 further includes:

[0263] The core network element sends a third request to the terminal, where the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device and / or to perform an inventory or paging on the target environment IoT device;

[0264] The core network element receives a third response from the terminal, where the third response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0265] Optionally, the third request and the third response may be NAS messages.

[0266] That is, when the target reader is a terminal, the core network element can directly send a second request to the terminal, requesting the location information of the target environment IoT device, or it can also request the location information of the target environment IoT device through the terminal's service base station.

[0267] For example, the target reader is a terminal, which triggers an inventory or paging process for the target environment IoT device based on the third request of the access network device, and obtains second information in the inventory or paging process, wherein the second information includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device. In this case, optionally, the second information may also include other inventory information.

[0268] For another example, the target reader is a terminal, and the terminal triggers an inventory or paging process for the target environment IoT device based on the fourth request of the access network device, and obtains second information in the inventory or paging process, wherein the second information includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device. In this case, optionally, the second information may also include other inventory information.

[0269] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the content of the location-related information of the target environment IoT device carried in different messages, requests or responses may be the same or different, and the present application does not limit this.

[0270] Optionally, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device in the second response may include the first measurement result, and may also include the location information of the target environment IoT device determined based on the first measurement result. Optionally, it may also include other information, such as the time information for obtaining the location information, positioning accuracy, positioning response time, etc.

[0271] Optionally, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device in the third response may include the first measurement result, and may also include the location information of the target environment IoT device determined based on the first measurement result. Optionally, it may also include other information, such as the time information for obtaining the location information, positioning accuracy, positioning response time, etc.

[0272] Optionally, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device in the fourth response may include the first measurement result, and may also include the location information of the target environment IoT device determined based on the first measurement result. Optionally, it may also include other information, such as the time information for obtaining the location information, positioning accuracy, positioning response time, etc.

[0273] For example, if the target reader is an access network device, the access network device can perform a measurement on the target environment IoT device to obtain a first measurement result. Optionally, the device can also determine the location information of the target environment IoT device based on the first measurement result. The device can then send a second response to the core network element, where the second response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device.

[0274] For another example, when the target reader is a terminal and the access network device is the service base station of the terminal, the access network device can receive a fourth response from the terminal, and the fourth response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device. The access network device sends a second response to the core network element based on the fourth response. Optionally, the information included in the second response and the fourth response may be the same, or may be different. For example, the fourth response includes the first measurement result, and the second response may include the first measurement result, or may include the location information of the target environment IoT device determined based on the first measurement result. For example, the fourth response includes the location information of the target environment IoT device, and the second response may include the location information of the target environment IoT device. That is, the location information of the target environment IoT device can be calculated by the terminal, or by the service base station, or neither of them is calculated, and the first measurement result is directly sent to the core network element for calculation by the core network element.

[0275] For another example, when the target reader is a terminal, the terminal can perform measurements on the target environment IoT device to obtain a first measurement result. Optionally, the terminal can also determine the location information of the target environment IoT device based on the first measurement result. A third response is further sent to the core network network element, and the third response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device. Alternatively, a second response can be sent to the core network network element through the access network device. Optionally, after receiving the fourth response, the access network device can send a second response to the core network network element based on the fourth response, wherein the information included in the second response and the fourth response can be the same, or can be different. For specific implementation, refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiment.

[0276] Optionally, the fourth request may be a downlink message such as an RRC message, a MAC CE or a DCI.

[0277] Optionally, the fourth response may be an uplink message such as an RRC message, a MAC CE or uplink control information (UCI).

[0278] In some embodiments, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0279] the first measurement result;

[0280] the second identifier;

[0281] location information of the target reader;

[0282] The location information of the target environment IoT device, for example, the location information can be calculated based on the first measurement result.

[0283] In some embodiments, after the target reader obtains the first measurement result, it can directly report the first measurement result to the core network network element, or it can determine the location information of the target environment IoT device based on the first measurement result, and then report the location information of the target environment IoT device to the core network network element.

[0284] That is, the target reader may report intermediate information used to determine the positioning result of the target environment IoT device, or may also report the final positioning result.

[0285] In some embodiments, when the target reader is a terminal, after obtaining the location-related information of the target environment IoT device, the terminal can directly send the location-related information of the target environment IoT device to the core network network element, or can also feedback the location-related information of the target environment IoT device through the access network device of the terminal.

[0286] In the following, the methods for obtaining the first measurement result are respectively described in combination with two cases where the target reader is a terminal and an access network device.

[0287] Case 1: The target reader is an access network device, such as a base station.

[0288] In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes:

[0289] The access network device sends a third message to the target environment IoT device;

[0290] The access network device receives a backscatter signal based on the third message from the target environment IoT device, and measures the backscatter signal to obtain the first measurement result.

[0291] For example, the third message may be sent based on the second request sent by the core network element.

[0292] Optionally, the third message is an RRC message.

[0293] In some embodiments, the third message is a message used to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device, or it may be other messages outside the inventory or paging process.

[0294] That is, the access network device can measure the target environment IoT device during the inventory or paging process, or the access network device can measure the target environment IoT device through an independent process. This application does not specifically limit the carrier source of the backscatter signal.

[0295] In some embodiments, the third message includes a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning service or is initiated due to positioning service.

[0296] For example, when the access network device needs to perform measurements on the target environment IoT device through an inventory or paging process, the access network device may include the second indication in the third message.

[0297] Case 2: The target reader is a terminal.

[0298] In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes:

[0299] The terminal sends a fourth message to the target environment IoT device;

[0300] The terminal receives a backscatter signal based on the fourth message from the target environment IoT device, and measures the backscatter signal to obtain a first measurement result.

[0301] In some embodiments, the fourth message is a message for inventorying or paging the target environment IoT device, or may be other messages outside the inventory or paging process.

[0302] That is, the terminal can measure the target environment IoT device during the inventory or paging process, or the terminal can measure the target environment IoT device through an independent process. This application does not specifically limit the carrier source of the backscatter signal.

[0303] For example, the fourth message may be sent based on the third request sent by the core network element, or may be sent based on the fourth request sent by the access network device.

[0304] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning service or is initiated due to positioning service.

[0305] For example, when the terminal needs to perform measurements on the target environment IoT device through an inventory or paging process, the terminal may include the second indication in the fourth message.

[0306] The following describes the specific process of the positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application in combination with the specific examples shown in Figures 5 to 11.

[0307] It should be noted that in the following embodiments, the first network element is taken as AMF as an example, but the present application is not limited to this. The requesting entity can be an environmental Internet of Things AS or AF or NF, etc.

[0308] In the example of Figure 5 , the reader of the target environment IoT device is an access network device, such as a gNB.

[0309] As shown in FIG5 , the positioning method may include the following steps:

[0310] In step 51, the AMF receives a first request from a requesting entity, where the first request is used to request the target environment IoT device. The content of the first request is described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0311] Step 52: Based on the first request, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process to obtain the first information.

[0312] For example, the AMF sends a first message to at least one reader, where the first message includes a first identifier for identifying the target environment IoT device, indicating that a paging or inventory process is initiated for the target environment IoT device. Optionally, the first message can be an NGAP message.

[0313] Furthermore, the at least one reader may reply with inventory or paging information to the AMF, and the AMF obtains the first information according to the inventory or paging information of the at least one reader.

[0314] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0315] A second identifier, used to identify a target reader;

[0316] The device identification of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0317] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0318] Type information of the target reader;

[0319] capability information of the target reader;

[0320] The location information of the target reader.

[0321] In step 53, the AMF sends a second request to the target reader, requesting the location information of the target environment IoT device. Optionally, the second request can be an NGAP message.

[0322] Step 54: Based on the second request, the target reader sends a third message to the target environment IoT device.

[0323] In step 55 , the target reader measures the backscattered signal based on the third message from the target environment IoT device to obtain a first measurement result.

[0324] Step 56: The target reader replies with a second response to the AMF, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0325] Optionally, the second response includes at least one of the following:

[0326] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0327] the second identifier;

[0328] location information of the target reader;

[0329] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0330] Optionally, the second response may be an NGAP message.

[0331] In some embodiments, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following:

[0332] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0333] the second identifier;

[0334] location information of the target reader;

[0335] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0336] In step 57, the AMF sends a first response to the requesting entity. The information content included in the first response refers to the relevant description of the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0337] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be determined based on the first measurement result and / or the location information of the target reader.

[0338] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be relative location information or absolute location information.

[0339] In the example of FIG6 , the reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal.

[0340] As shown in FIG6 , the positioning method may include the following steps:

[0341] In step 61, the AMF receives a first request from a requesting entity, where the first request is used to request the target environment IoT device. The content of the first request is described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0342] Step 62: Based on the first request, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process to obtain the first information.

[0343] For example, the AMF sends a first message to at least one reader, wherein the first message includes a first identifier for identifying the target environment IoT device.

[0344] Further, the at least one reader may reply with inventory information or paging information to the AMF, and the AMF obtains the first information based on the inventory information or paging information of the at least one reader.

[0345] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0346] A second identifier, used to identify a target reader;

[0347] A third identifier is used to identify a serving base station of a target reader;

[0348] The device identification of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0349] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0350] Type information of the target reader;

[0351] capability information of the target reader;

[0352] The location information of the target reader.

[0353] In step 63, the AMF sends a third request to the target reader, requesting the location information of the target environment IoT device. Optionally, the third request can be a NAS message.

[0354] Step 64: Based on the third request, the target reader sends a fourth message to the target environment IoT device.

[0355] In step 65 , the target reader measures the backscattered signal based on the fourth message from the target environment IoT device to obtain a first measurement result.

[0356] Step 66: The target reader replies with a third response to the AMF, wherein the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0357] Optionally, the third response includes at least one of the following:

[0358] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0359] the second identifier;

[0360] location information of the target reader;

[0361] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0362] In step 67, the AMF sends a first response to the requesting entity. The information content included in the first response refers to the relevant description of the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0363] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be determined based on the first measurement result and / or the location information of the target reader.

[0364] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be relative location information or absolute location information.

[0365] In the example of FIG7 , the reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal. Unlike the embodiment shown in FIG6 , the AMF requests the location information of the target environment IoT device from the terminal through the service base station of the terminal.

[0366] As shown in FIG7 , the positioning method may include the following steps:

[0367] In step 71, the AMF receives a first request from a requesting entity, where the first request is used to request the target IoT device. The content of the first request is described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0368] Step 72: Based on the first request, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process to obtain the first information.

[0369] For example, the AMF sends a first message to at least one reader, wherein the first message includes a first identifier for identifying the target environment IoT device.

[0370] Further, the at least one reader may reply with inventory information or paging information to the AMF, and the AMF obtains the first information based on the inventory information or paging information of the at least one reader.

[0371] In step 73, the AMF sends a second request to the target reader's serving base station, requesting the location information of the target environment IoT device. Optionally, the second request may be an NGAP message.

[0372] Step 74: Based on the second request, the serving base station sends a fourth request to the target reader, requesting location information of the target environment IoT device.

[0373] Step 75: Based on the fourth request, the target reader sends a fourth message to the target environment IoT device.

[0374] In step 76 , the target reader measures the backscattered signal based on the fourth message from the target environment IoT device to obtain a first measurement result.

[0375] Step 77: The target reader replies with a fourth response to the serving base station, where the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0376] Optionally, the fourth response includes at least one of the following:

[0377] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0378] the second identifier;

[0379] location information of the target reader;

[0380] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0381] Step 78: The serving base station replies with a second response to the AMF, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0382] In step 79, the AMF sends a first response to the requesting entity. The information content included in the first response refers to the relevant description of the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0383] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be determined based on the first measurement result and / or the location information of the target reader.

[0384] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be relative location information or absolute location information.

[0385] Different from the examples shown in Figures 5 to 7, in the examples of Figures 8 to 9, the measurement process of the target environment IoT device can be multiplexed in the inventory or paging process. For example, the target environment IoT device can use the message sent by the target reader for inventory or paging as a carrier source for backscattering, and the target reader can further measure the backscattered signal to obtain a first measurement result. In this way, the AMF does not need to request the reader to perform subsequent measurement processes, which is conducive to reducing signaling overhead.

[0386] In the example of FIG8 , the reader of the target environment IoT device is an access network device, such as a gNB.

[0387] As shown in FIG8 , the positioning method may include the following steps:

[0388] In step 81, the AMF receives a first request from a requesting entity, where the first request is used to request access to the target IoT device. The content of the first request is described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for brevity.

[0389] Step 82: Based on the first request, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process to obtain the second information.

[0390] For example, step 82 may include the following steps:

[0391] In step 821, the AMF sends a first message to at least one reader. The first message is used to trigger the reader to perform an inventory or paging process on the target IoT device. In this case, the first message can be considered a second request, requesting to trigger the inventory or paging process on the target IoT device and obtain the location information of the target IoT device.

[0392] The first message includes:

[0393] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0394] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0395] In step 822 , the reader initiates an inventory or paging process for IoT devices in the target environment, and performs measurements in the inventory or paging process to obtain second information.

[0396] For example, the reader sends a third message to the target environment IoT device, where the third message is used to inventory or page the target environment IoT device, wherein the third message may include a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning services.

[0397] Furthermore, the reader may measure a backscattered signal of the target environment IoT device based on the third message to obtain a first measurement result.

[0398] In step 823, the reader replies to the AMF with inventory information or paging information, including the first measurement result. The AMF obtains the second information based on the inventory information or paging information of the reader.

[0399] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0400] A second identifier, used to identify a target reader;

[0401] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0402] First measurement result;

[0403] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0404] Type information of the target reader;

[0405] capability information of the target reader;

[0406] location information of the target reader;

[0407] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0408] In step 83, based on the second information, the AMF sends a first response to the requesting entity. The information content included in the first response refers to the relevant description of the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0409] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be determined based on the first measurement result and / or the location information of the target reader.

[0410] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be relative location information or absolute location information.

[0411] In the example of FIG9 , the reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal.

[0412] As shown in FIG9 , the positioning method may include the following steps:

[0413] In step 91, the AMF receives a first request from a requesting entity, where the first request is used to request access to a target IoT device. The content of the first request is described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for brevity.

[0414] Step 92: Based on the first request, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process to obtain the second information.

[0415] For example, step 92 may include the following steps:

[0416] In step 921a, the AMF sends a second message to at least one reader. The second message is used to trigger the reader to perform an inventory or paging process on the target IoT device. In this case, the second message can be considered a second request, requesting to trigger the inventory or paging process on the target IoT device and obtain the location information of the target IoT device.

[0417] The second message includes:

[0418] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0419] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0420] In step 922a, the reader initiates an inventory or paging process for IoT devices in the target environment, and performs measurements in the inventory or paging process to obtain second information.

[0421] For example, the reader sends a fourth message to the target environment IoT device, where the fourth message is used to inventory or page the target environment IoT device, wherein the fourth message may include a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning services.

[0422] Furthermore, the reader may measure a backscattered signal of the target environment IoT device based on the fourth message to obtain a first measurement result.

[0423] In step 923b, the reader replies to the AMF with inventory information or paging information, including the first measurement result. The AMF obtains the second information based on the inventory information or paging information of the reader.

[0424] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0425] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0426] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0427] First measurement result;

[0428] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0429] Type information of the target reader;

[0430] capability information of the target reader;

[0431] location information of the target reader;

[0432] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0433] In step 93, the AMF sends a first response to the requesting entity. The information content included in the first response is as described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0434] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be determined based on the first measurement result and / or the location information of the target reader.

[0435] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be relative location information or absolute location information.

[0436] In the example of FIG10 , the reader of the target environment IoT device is a terminal. Unlike the embodiment shown in FIG9 , the AMF requests the location information of the target environment IoT device from the terminal through the service base station of the terminal.

[0437] As shown in FIG10 , the positioning method may include the following steps:

[0438] In step 91, the AMF receives a first request from a requesting entity, which is used to request access to a target IoT device. The information included in the first request is similar to the description in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0439] Step 92: Based on the first request, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process to obtain the second information.

[0440] For example, step 92 may include the following steps:

[0441] In step 921b, the AMF sends a first message to the reader's serving base station. The first message is used to trigger an inventory or paging process for the target IoT device. In this case, the first message can be considered a second request, requesting to trigger an inventory or paging process for the target IoT device and obtain the location information of the target IoT device.

[0442] The first message includes:

[0443] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0444] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0445] In step 922b, based on the first message, the reader's serving base station sends a fifth message to the reader. The fifth message includes the first identifier and the first indication. In this case, the fifth message can be considered a second request, requesting to trigger an inventory or paging process for the target environment IoT device and obtain the location information of the target environment IoT device.

[0446] Step 923b: Based on the fifth message, the reader initiates an inventory or paging process for the IoT devices in the target environment, and performs measurement in the inventory or paging process to obtain second information.

[0447] For example, the reader sends a fourth message to the target environment IoT device, where the fourth message is used to perform inventory or paging on the target environment IoT device, wherein the fourth message may include a first identifier and a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate that the inventory or paging is used for positioning services.

[0448] Furthermore, the reader may measure a backscattered signal of the target environment IoT device based on the fourth message to obtain a first measurement result.

[0449] In step 924b, the reader replies to the serving base station with an inventory message or a paging message, which includes the first measurement result.

[0450] Step 925b: The serving base station replies to the AMF with inventory information or paging information, and obtains the second information based on the inventory information.

[0451] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0452] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0453] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0454] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0455] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0456] Type information of the target reader;

[0457] capability information of the target reader;

[0458] location information of the target reader;

[0459] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0460] In step 93, the AMF sends a first response to the requesting entity. The information content included in the first response is as described in the previous embodiment and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0461] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be determined based on the first measurement result and / or the location information of the target reader.

[0462] Optionally, the location information of the target environment IoT device may be relative location information or absolute location information.

[0463] In some embodiments of the present application, the location information of the target environment IoT device may also be provided by the target environment IoT device itself. The specific implementation process is shown in FIG11 .

[0464] Step 111: The AMF receives the first request. For the specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0465] In step 112, the AMF initiates an inventory or paging process for the target IoT device to obtain the target reader of the target IoT device. For specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description of the above embodiment.

[0466] In step 113, the AMF sends a second request or a third request to the target reader. The specific implementation of the second request or the third request is described in the above embodiment and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0467] Step 114: The target reader sends a fifth request to the target environment IoT device, where the fifth request is used to request location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0468] Step 115 : The target environment IoT device sends a fifth response to the target reader, where the fifth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0469] In step 116, the target reader sends a second response or a third response to the AMF, where the second response or the third response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0470] Optionally, steps S113 to S116 may be replaced by the following steps:

[0471] The AMF sends a sixth request to the target environment IoT device, requesting location information of the target environment IoT device;

[0472] The target environment IoT device sends a sixth response to the AMF, where the sixth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0473] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, the core network element can initiate positioning of the target environment IoT device based on the first request, and further obtain the location information of the target environment IoT device through interaction between the core network element and the reader.

[0474] For example, if the reader of the target IoT device is a base station, the base station can measure the target IoT device to obtain its location information, thereby locating the target IoT device. Optionally, this measurement can be achieved through a separate measurement process, or it can be implemented by reusing the inventory or paging process.

[0475] For example, if the reader of the target IoT device is a terminal, the terminal can measure the target IoT device to obtain the location information of the target IoT device, thereby locating the target IoT device. Optionally, this measurement can be achieved through a separate measurement process, or it can be implemented by reusing the inventory or paging process.

[0476] The above text, in combination with Figures 4 to 11, describes in detail the method embodiment of the present application. The following text, in combination with Figures 12 to 18, describes in detail the device embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the device embodiment and the method embodiment correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can refer to the method embodiment.

[0477] The positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a positioning device. In the embodiment of the present application, the positioning method performed by the positioning device is taken as an example to illustrate the positioning device provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0478] FIG12 shows a schematic block diagram of a positioning device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the positioning device 1200 includes:

[0479] The receiving unit 1210 is configured to receive a first request, where the first request is used to request positioning of an IoT device in a target environment;

[0480] A sending unit 1220 is configured to send a first response based on the first request, where the first response is used to provide a positioning result of the target environment IoT device;

[0481] The first request includes at least one of the following:

[0482] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0483] Positioning type;

[0484] Positioning accuracy;

[0485] Positioning response time.

[0486] In some embodiments, after receiving the first request, the sending unit 1220 is further used to send a second request to the access network device, and the receiving unit 1210 is further used to: receive a second response from the access network device, wherein the second request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device, or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

[0487] In some embodiments, after receiving the first request, the sending unit 1220 is further configured to send a third request to the terminal, and the receiving unit 1210 is further configured to: receive a third response from the terminal, wherein the third request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, or the third request is used to request inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the third response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0488] The terminal includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, the access network device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0489] In some embodiments, when the second request or the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device, before the core network element sends the second request or the third request, the positioning device further includes:

[0490] A processing unit, configured to initiate a paging process or an inventory process for IoT devices in the target environment;

[0491] Acquire first information from at least one reader, the first information including at least one of the following:

[0492] A second identifier, used to identify a target reader;

[0493] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in a target reader of the at least one reader;

[0494] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0495] Type information of the target reader;

[0496] capability information of the target reader;

[0497] location information of the target reader;

[0498] The target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

[0499] In some embodiments, the target reader is a terminal or a base station.

[0500] In some embodiments, when the target reader is a terminal, the first information further includes: a third identifier, used to identify a serving base station of the target reader.

[0501] In some embodiments, when the second request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device and to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device, the positioning device further includes:

[0502] A processing unit, configured to initiate a paging process or an inventory process for IoT devices in the target environment;

[0503] Acquire second information from at least one reader, the second information including at least one of the following:

[0504] a second identifier, used to identify a target reader among the at least one reader;

[0505] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0506] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0507] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0508] Type information of the target reader;

[0509] capability information of the target reader;

[0510] location information of the target reader;

[0511] Location information of the IoT device in the target environment;

[0512] The target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

[0513] In some embodiments, the location information of the target environment IoT device is determined based on the first measurement result and the location information of the target reader.

[0514] In some embodiments, the first measurement result includes at least one of the following:

[0515] a received strength indicator RSSI of the backscattered signal;

[0516] The received power RSRP of the backscattered signal;

[0517] The time difference of arrival TDOA of the backscattered signal;

[0518] The round trip time RTT between the backscatter signal and the corresponding carrier source.

[0519] In some embodiments, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following:

[0520] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0521] the second identifier;

[0522] location information of the target reader;

[0523] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0524] In some embodiments, the sending unit 1220 is further configured to

[0525] Sending a first message to an access network device, where the first message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment Internet of Things device, wherein the access network device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the access network device includes a serving base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device; or

[0526] A second message is sent to the terminal, where the second message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment Internet of Things device, wherein the terminal is a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0527] In some embodiments, the first message or the second message includes at least one of the following:

[0528] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0529] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0530] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service or is initiated due to positioning service.

[0531] In some embodiments, when the target reader is a terminal, the capability information of the target reader includes at least one of the following:

[0532] First capability information, where the first capability information is used to indicate capability information related to measurement of an interface between the terminal and the target environment IoT device;

[0533] Second capability information, where the second capability information is used to indicate capability information related to positioning of an interface between the terminal and a serving base station of the terminal.

[0534] In some embodiments, the first response includes at least one of the following:

[0535] Location information of the IoT device in the target environment;

[0536] Positioning type;

[0537] Positioning accuracy;

[0538] Positioning response time.

[0539] In some embodiments, the sender of the first request and the receiver of the first response are an ambient IoT application server AS, or an application function AF, or a network function NF.

[0540] Optionally, in some embodiments, the sending unit or receiving unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0541] It should be understood that the positioning device 1200 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the core network network element in the method embodiment of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the positioning device 1200 are respectively for realizing the corresponding processes of the core network network element or AMF in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 11, and achieving the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be repeated here.

[0542] FIG13 shows a schematic block diagram of a positioning device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , the positioning device 1300 includes:

[0543] The communication unit 1310 is configured to receive a second request from a core network element, where the second request is used to request location-related information of a target environment IoT device or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device; and

[0544] Sending a second response to the core network element, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0545] Wherein, the positioning device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device;

[0546] Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the communication unit is further configured to:

[0547] Based on the second request, sending a fourth request to the terminal, where the fourth request is used to request the terminal for location-related information of the target environment IoT device or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device;

[0548] A fourth response is received from the terminal, where the fourth response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device.

[0549] In some embodiments, when the second request is used to request location-related information of the target environment IoT device, before receiving the second request from the core network element, the communication unit 1310 is further used to:

[0550] Receiving a first message from the core network element, where the first message is used to trigger an inventory or paging process for the IoT device in the target environment;

[0551] Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the communication unit 1310 is further configured to:

[0552] Based on the first message, a fifth message is sent to the terminal, where the fifth message is used to trigger an inventory or paging process for the IoT devices in the target environment.

[0553] In some embodiments, the first message or the fifth message includes at least one of the following:

[0554] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0555] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0556] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0557] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1310 is further configured to:

[0558] Sending first information to the core network element;

[0559] The first information includes at least one of the following:

[0560] A second identifier, used to identify a target reader of the target environment IoT device;

[0561] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0562] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0563] Type information of the target reader;

[0564] capability information of the target reader;

[0565] The location information of the target reader.

[0566] In some embodiments, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following:

[0567] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0568] the second identifier;

[0569] location information of the target reader;

[0570] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0571] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1310 is further configured to:

[0572] Sending second information to the core network element, where the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0573] A second identifier, used to identify a target reader of the target environment IoT device;

[0574] The device identification of the target environment IoT device in the reader;

[0575] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal sent by the target environment IoT device;

[0576] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0577] Type information of the target reader;

[0578] capability information of the target reader;

[0579] location information of the target reader;

[0580] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0581] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1310 is further configured to:

[0582] Sending a third message to the target environment IoT device;

[0583] receiving a backscatter signal based on the third message from the target environment IoT device;

[0584] The positioning device further includes: a processing unit, configured to measure the backscattered signal to obtain the first measurement result.

[0585] In some embodiments, the third message is a message for inventorying or paging the target environment IoT device.

[0586] In some embodiments, the third message includes a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is for positioning services.

[0587] In some embodiments, the target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

[0588] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0589] It should be understood that the positioning device 1300 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the access network device or base station in the method embodiment of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the positioning device 1300 are respectively for realizing the corresponding processes executed by the access network device or base station in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 11 and achieving the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be repeated here.

[0590] FIG14 shows a schematic block diagram of a positioning device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG14 , the positioning device 1400 includes:

[0591] The communication unit 1410 is configured to receive a third request from a core network element and send a third response to the core network element, wherein the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the third response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device; or

[0592] Sending a fourth request from the access network device and sending a fourth response to the access network device, wherein the fourth request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, or to request inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device;

[0593] The positioning device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

[0594] In some embodiments, when the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device, before receiving the third request or the fourth request, the communication unit 1410 is further used to:

[0595] receiving a second message from the core network element, where the second message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment IoT device; or

[0596] A fifth message is received from the core network element, where the fifth message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment Internet of Things devices.

[0597] In some embodiments, the second message or the fifth message includes at least one of the following:

[0598] A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device;

[0599] The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

[0600] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1410 is further configured to:

[0601] Sending first information to the core network element or the access network device, where the first information is obtained through the paging process or the inventory process;

[0602] The first information includes at least one of the following:

[0603] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0604] A third identifier, used to identify a serving base station of the target reader;

[0605] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0606] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0607] Type information of the target reader;

[0608] capability information of the target reader;

[0609] The location information of the target reader.

[0610] In some embodiments, the location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following:

[0611] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0612] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0613] location information of the terminal;

[0614] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0615] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1410 is further configured to:

[0616] Sending second information to the core network element or the access network device, where the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0617] A second identifier, used to identify the target reader;

[0618] a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader;

[0619] a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device;

[0620] Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment;

[0621] Type information of the target reader;

[0622] capability information of the target reader;

[0623] location information of the target reader;

[0624] The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

[0625] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1410 is further configured to:

[0626] Sending a fourth message to the target environment IoT device;

[0627] receiving a backscatter signal based on the fourth message from the target environment IoT device;

[0628] The positioning device also includes:

[0629] A processing unit is used to measure the backscattered signal to obtain the first measurement result.

[0630] In some embodiments, the fourth message is a message for inventorying or paging the target environment IoT device.

[0631] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning service or is initiated due to positioning service.

[0632] In some embodiments, the target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

[0633] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0634] It should be understood that the positioning device 1400 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the terminal in the method embodiment of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the positioning device 1300 are respectively for realizing the corresponding processes of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 11 and achieving the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0635] In some embodiments, the positioning device 1200, positioning device 1300, or positioning device 1400 in the embodiments of the present application can be an electronic device, such as an electronic device with an operating system, or a component in an electronic device, such as an integrated circuit or chip. The electronic device can be a terminal or other device other than a terminal. For example, the terminal can include but is not limited to the types of terminal 11 listed above, and other devices can be servers, network attached storage (NAS), etc., which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0636] As shown in Figure 15, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device 1500, including a processor 1501 and a memory 1502, and the memory 1502 stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor 1501. For example, when the communication device 1500 is a terminal, the program or instruction is executed by the processor 1501 to implement the steps performed by the terminal in the above-mentioned positioning method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. For example, when the communication device 1500 is an access network device, the program or instruction is executed by the processor 1501 to implement the steps performed by the access network device in the above-mentioned positioning method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. For example, when the communication device 1500 is a core network device, the program or instruction is executed by the processor 1501 to implement the steps performed by the core network network element in the above-mentioned positioning method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0637] The present application also provides a terminal including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to execute a program or instruction to implement the steps in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 11. This terminal embodiment corresponds to the aforementioned terminal-side method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation method of the aforementioned method embodiment is applicable to this terminal embodiment and can achieve the same technical effects. Specifically, Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal implementing an embodiment of the present application.

[0638] The terminal 1600 includes but is not limited to: a radio frequency unit 1601, a network module 1602, an audio output unit 1603, an input unit 1604, a sensor 1605, a display unit 1606, a user input unit 1607, an interface unit 1608, a memory 1609 and at least some of the components of the processor 1610.

[0639] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terminal 1600 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) to power various components. The power supply may be logically connected to the processor 1610 via a power management system, thereby implementing functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption management through the power management system. The terminal structure shown in FIG16 does not constitute a limitation of the terminal. The terminal may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be described in detail here.

[0640] It should be understood that in an embodiment of the present application, the input unit 1604 may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 16041 and a microphone 16042, and the graphics processor 16041 processes the image data of a static picture or video obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode. The display unit 1606 may include a display panel 16061, and the display panel 16061 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, etc. The user input unit 1607 includes a touch panel 16071 and at least one of other input devices 16072. The touch panel 16071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 16071 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 16072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, and a joystick, which will not be repeated here.

[0641] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving downlink data from a network-side device, the RF unit 1601 may transmit the data to the processor 1610 for processing. Furthermore, the RF unit 1601 may send uplink data to the network-side device. Typically, the RF unit 1601 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, an amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low-noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like.

[0642] Memory 1609 can be used to store software programs or instructions and various data. Memory 1609 may mainly include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data. The first storage area may store an operating system, applications or instructions required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.). In addition, memory 1609 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. 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. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory 1609 in the embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0643] Processor 1610 may include one or more processing units. Optionally, processor 1610 integrates an application processor and a modem processor. The application processor primarily handles operations related to the operating system, user interface, and application programs, while the modem processor primarily processes wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the modem processor may not be integrated into processor 1610.

[0644] It can be understood that the implementation process of each implementation method mentioned in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description of the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 11, and achieve the same or corresponding technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be repeated here.

[0645] The present application also provides a network-side device, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to execute a program or instruction to implement the steps of the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 11. This network-side device embodiment corresponds to the above-mentioned access network device-side or core network function-side method embodiments, and each implementation process and implementation method of the above-mentioned method embodiments are applicable to this network-side device embodiment and can achieve the same technical effects.

[0646] Specifically, embodiments of the present application also provide a network-side device. As shown in Figure 17, the network-side device 1700 includes an antenna 1701, a radio frequency device 1702, a baseband device 1703, a processor 1704, and a memory 1705. Antenna 1701 is connected to radio frequency device 1702. In the uplink direction, radio frequency device 1702 receives information via antenna 1701 and sends the received information to baseband device 1703 for processing. In the downlink direction, baseband device 1703 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to radio frequency device 1702. Radio frequency device 1702 processes the received information and then sends it through antenna 1701.

[0647] The method executed by the access network device in the above embodiment may be implemented in the baseband device 1703 , which includes a baseband processor.

[0648] The baseband device 1703 may include, for example, at least one baseband board, on which multiple chips are arranged, as shown in Figure 17, one of which is, for example, a baseband processor, which is connected to the memory 1705 through a bus interface to call the program in the memory 1705 and execute the operations of the access network device shown in the above method embodiment.

[0649] The network side device may further include a network interface 1706 , which is, for example, a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0650] Specifically, the network side device 1700 of the embodiment of the present application also includes: instructions or programs stored in the memory 1705 and executable on the processor 1704. The processor 1704 calls the instructions or programs in the memory 1705 to execute the method of execution of each module shown in Figure 12 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0651] Specifically, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network-side device. As shown in FIG18 , the network-side device 1800 includes a processor 1801, a network interface 1802, and a memory 1803. The network interface 1802 is, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0652] Specifically, the network side device 1800 of the embodiment of the present application also includes: instructions or programs stored in the memory 1803 and executable on the processor 1801. The processor 1801 calls the instructions or programs in the memory 1803 to execute the method of execution of each module shown in Figure 13 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0653] The processors mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may include general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, etc., such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a network processor (NP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, gate circuits, transistors, discrete hardware components, etc.

[0654] An embodiment of the present application further provides a readable storage medium, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, each process of the above-mentioned positioning method embodiment is implemented and the same technical effect can be achieved. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0655] The processor is a processor in the positioning device, communication device, terminal, or network-side device described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transitory readable storage medium.

[0656] An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-mentioned positioning method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0657] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0658] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-mentioned positioning method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it is not repeated here.

[0659] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including: a reader and a core network device, wherein the reader can be used to execute the steps performed by the reader (e.g., an access network device or a terminal) in the positioning method as described above, and the core network device can be used to execute the steps performed by the core network network element in the positioning method as described above.

[0660] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the opposite order according to the functions involved. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0661] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of a computer software product plus a necessary general-purpose hardware platform, or of course, by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.) and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0662] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms of implementation methods without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims. These implementation methods are all within the protection of this application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, wherein: include: The core network element receives a first request, where the first request is used to request positioning of an IoT device in a target environment; The core network element sends a first response based on the first request, where the first response is used to provide a positioning result of the target environment IoT device; The first request includes at least one of the following: A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device; Positioning type; Positioning accuracy; Positioning response time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein After the core network element receives the first request, the method further includes: The core network element sends a second request to the access network device and receives a second response from the access network device, wherein the second request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device; or The core network network element sends a third request to the terminal and receives a third response from the terminal, where the third request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, or the second request is used to request inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the third response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device; wherein the terminal includes a target reader of the target environment IoT device, the access network device includes the target reader of the target environment IoT device, or the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: In a case where the second request or the third request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, before the core network element sends the second request or the third request, the method further includes: The core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the IoT devices in the target environment; The core network element obtains first information from at least one reader, where the first information includes at least one of the following: A second identifier, used to identify a target reader; a device identification of the target environment IoT device in a target reader of the at least one reader; Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment; Type information of the target reader; capability information of the target reader; location information of the target reader; The target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The target reader is a terminal or a base station.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein In the case that the target reader is a terminal, the first information further includes: a third identifier, which is used to identify a serving base station of the target reader.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein: In a case where the second request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device and to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device, the method further includes: The core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the IoT devices in the target environment; The core network element obtains second information from at least one reader, where the second information includes at least one of the following: a second identifier, used to identify a target reader among the at least one reader; a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader; a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device; Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment; Type information of the target reader; capability information of the target reader; location information of the target reader; Location information of the IoT device in the target environment; The target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The location information of the target environment IoT device is determined based on the first measurement result and the location information of the target reader.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The first measurement result includes at least one of the following: a received strength indicator RSSI of the backscattered signal; The received power RSRP of the backscattered signal; The time difference of arrival TDOA of the backscattered signal; The round trip time RTT between the backscatter signal and the corresponding carrier source.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein The location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following: a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device; A second identifier, used to identify a target reader of the target environment IoT device; location information of the target reader; The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

10. The method according to claim 3 or 6, wherein: The core network element initiates a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment IoT devices, including: The core network element sends a first message to the access network device, where the first message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment Internet of Things device, wherein the access network device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device; or The core network element sends a second message to the terminal, where the second message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment Internet of Things device, wherein the terminal is a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The first message or the second message includes at least one of the following: A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device; A second identifier, used to identify the target reader; The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service or is initiated due to positioning service.

12. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein: In the case where the target reader is a terminal, the capability information of the target reader includes at least one of the following: First capability information, where the first capability information is used to indicate capability information related to measurement of an interface between the terminal and the target environment IoT device; Second capability information, where the second capability information is used to indicate capability information related to positioning of an interface between the terminal and a serving base station of the terminal.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein The first response includes at least one of the following: Location information of the IoT device in the target environment; Positioning type; Positioning accuracy; Positioning response time.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The sender of the first request and the receiver of the first response are an ambient IoT application server AS, or an application function AF, or a network function NF.

15. A positioning method, wherein: include: The access network device receives a second request from a core network network element, where the second request is used to request location-related information of a target environment IoT device, or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device; The access network device sends a second response to the core network element, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device; The access network device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device; Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the method further includes: Based on the second request, the access network device sends a fourth request to the terminal, where the fourth request is used to request the terminal for location-related information of the target environment IoT device, or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device; The access network device receives a fourth response from the terminal, where the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein In a case where the second request is used to request location-related information of the target environment IoT device, before the access network device receives the second request from the core network element, the method further includes: The access network device receives a first message from the core network element, where the first message is used to trigger an inventory or paging process for the IoT device in the target environment; Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the method further includes: Based on the first message, the access network device sends a fifth message to the terminal, where the fifth message is used to trigger an inventory or paging process for the IoT devices in the target environment.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The first message or the fifth message includes at least one of the following: A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device; A second identifier, used to identify the target reader; The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein: The method further comprises: The access network device sends first information to the core network network element; The first information includes at least one of the following: A second identifier, used to identify a target reader of the target environment IoT device; a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader; Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment; Type information of the target reader; capability information of the target reader; The location information of the target reader.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein The location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following: a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device; A second identifier, used to identify a target reader of the target environment IoT device; location information of the target reader; The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein The method further comprises: The access network device sends second information to the core network element, where the second information includes at least one of the following: A second identifier, used to identify a target reader of the target environment IoT device; The device identification of the target environment IoT device in the reader; a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal sent by the target environment IoT device; Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment; Type information of the target reader; capability information of the target reader; location information of the target reader; The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein The method further comprises: The access network device sends a third message to the target environment Internet of Things device; The access network device receives a backscatter signal based on the third message from the target environment IoT device, and measures the backscatter signal to obtain the first measurement result.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The third message is a message used to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The third message includes a second indication for indicating that the inventory or paging is used for positioning service.

24. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein: The target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

25. A positioning method, wherein: include: The terminal receives a third request from the core network element and sends a third response to the core network element, wherein the third request is used to request the location information of the target environment Internet of Things device, or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment Internet of Things device, and the third response includes the location-related information of the target environment Internet of Things device; or The terminal sends a fourth request from the access network device, where the fourth request is used to request the location information of the target environment IoT device, or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and sends a fourth response to the access network device, where the fourth response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device; The terminal includes a target reader of a target environment Internet of Things device, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein In a case where the third request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, before the terminal receives the third request or the fourth request, the method further includes: The terminal receives a second message from the core network element, where the second message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the target environment IoT device; or The terminal receives a fifth message from the core network element, where the fifth message is used to trigger a paging process or an inventory process for the IoT device in the target environment.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein The second message or the fifth message includes at least one of the following: A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device; The first indication is used to indicate that the paging process or inventory process is used for positioning service.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal sends first information to the core network element or the access network device, where the first information is obtained through the paging process or the inventory process; The first information includes at least one of the following: A second identifier, used to identify the target reader; A third identifier, used to identify a serving base station of the target reader; a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader; Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment; Type information of the target reader; capability information of the target reader; The location information of the target reader.

29. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein: The location-related information of the target environment IoT device includes at least one of the following: a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device; A second identifier, used to identify the target reader; location information of the terminal; The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal sends second information to the core network element or the access network device, where the second information includes at least one of the following: A second identifier, used to identify the target reader; a device identifier of the target environment IoT device in the target reader; a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is obtained by the target reader measuring a backscattered signal from the target environment IoT device; Capability information of IoT devices in the target environment; Type information of the target reader; capability information of the target reader; location information of the target reader; The location information of the IoT device in the target environment.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal sends a fourth message to the target environment Internet of Things device; The terminal receives a backscatter signal based on the fourth message from the target environment IoT device, and measures the backscatter signal to obtain the first measurement result.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein The fourth message is a message used to inventory or paging the target environment IoT device.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein The fourth message includes a second indication, which is used to indicate that the inventory or paging is used for positioning service or is initiated due to positioning service.

34. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 33, wherein The target reader supports inventorying or paging the target environment IoT devices, or the target reader has previously inventoryed or paged the target environment IoT devices.

35. A positioning device, wherein: include: A receiving unit, configured to receive a first request, wherein the first request is used to request positioning of an IoT device in a target environment; A sending unit, configured to send a first response based on the first request, where the first response is used to provide a positioning result of the target environment IoT device; The first request includes at least one of the following: A first identifier, used to identify the target environment IoT device; Positioning type; Positioning accuracy; Positioning response time.

36. A positioning device, wherein: include: A communication unit is configured to receive a second request from a core network network element, where the second request is used to request location-related information of a target environment IoT device or the second request is used to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device; as well as Sending a second response to the core network element, where the second response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device; Wherein, the positioning device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, or the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device; Wherein, in a case where the target reader includes a terminal, and the positioning device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment IoT device, the communication unit is further configured to: Based on the second request, sending a fourth request to the terminal, where the fourth request is used to request the terminal for location-related information of the target environment IoT device or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device; A fourth response is received from the terminal, where the fourth response includes information related to the location of the target environment IoT device.

37. A positioning device, wherein: include: a communication unit, configured to receive a third request from a core network network element and send a third response to the core network network element, wherein the third request is used to request location information of a target environment IoT device or to request an inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the third response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device; or Sending a fourth request from the access network device and sending a fourth response to the access network device, wherein the fourth request is used to request location information of the target environment IoT device, or to request inventory or paging of the target environment IoT device, and the fourth response includes location-related information of the target environment IoT device; The positioning device includes a target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device, and the access network device includes a service base station of the target reader of the target environment Internet of Things device.

38. A communication device, wherein: include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 are implemented, or the steps of the method according to any one of claims 15 to 24 are implemented, or the steps of the method according to any one of claims 25 to 34 are implemented.

39. A readable storage medium, wherein: The readable storage medium stores a program or instruction, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or the steps in the method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, or the steps in the method according to any one of claims 25 to 34.

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