Ambient device communication method and apparatus, and computer device and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an ambient device communication method and apparatus, and a computer device, a storage medium and a computer program product. The method comprises: receiving a paging message sent by a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), and initiating a random access procedure to the NG-RAN; receiving a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function (AMF) or an ambient Internet of Things function (AIOTF), wherein the first NAS message includes an operation command for an ambient device; and sending a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, wherein the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command, and the second NAS message is used for instructing the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to a network exposure function (NEF) and transmitting the feedback data to an application function (AF) by means of the response message.

Description

Passive device communication method, device, computer equipment and storage medium

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application number 2024102040806, filed on February 23, 2024, entitled “Passive Device Communication Method, Apparatus, Computer Equipment and Storage Medium,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a passive device communication method, apparatus, computer equipment, storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0003] With the development of Ambient IoT (Ambient Internet of Things) technology, Ambient IoT technology has been widely used in scenarios such as automated logistics, smart grids, and sensor data reporting in smart homes. As a result, there has been a demand for controlling and applying passive devices in the passive IoT.

[0004] In traditional methods, a user terminal (UE) first registers with the network through a registration process and establishes a user plane connection with the network through a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session. The UE then releases its NAS (Non-Access Stratum) connection and N2 connection and enters an idle state. When downlink data arrives at the User Plane Function (UPF), the UPF can initiate a paging process for the UE based on the context data obtained from the registration, restore the communication connection between the UPF and the UE, and then complete control operations on the UE based on the restored communication connection. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a passive device communication method, apparatus, computer equipment, computer-readable storage medium and computer program product to address the above technical problems.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a passive device communication method, the method being applied to a passive device, the method comprising:

[0007] receiving a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN, and initiating a random access procedure to the NG-RAN;

[0008] receiving a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and

[0009] Send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0010] In one embodiment, before receiving the first NAS message sent by the AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF, the method further includes:

[0011] Sending a registration request message to the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive device function AIOTF, wherein the registration request message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device; and

[0012] Receive a registration acceptance message fed back by the AMF or the AIOTF, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a passive device communication method, which is applied to an access and mobility management function AMF or the passive device function AIOTF, and the method includes:

[0014] Sending a paging message to an access network NG-RAN; the paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page the passive device;

[0015] Sending a first NAS message to the passive device, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device;

[0016] Receive a second NAS message sent by the passive device, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0017] In one embodiment, before sending the first NAS message to the passive device, the method further includes:

[0018] receiving a registration request message sent by the passive device; the registration request message includes a contract identification of the passive device;

[0019] Feedback a registration acceptance message to the passive device, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

[0020] In one embodiment, before sending the paging message to the access network NG-RAN, the method further includes:

[0021] A request message from a network open function (NEF) is received, where the request message includes an operation command for the passive device and a subscription identifier of the passive device.

[0022] In one embodiment, the sending a paging message to the access network NG-RAN includes:

[0023] If the passive device is not registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, sending a paging message to the NG-RAN; the paging message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device;

[0024] If the passive device has been registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, a temporary identifier is determined according to the subscription identifier of the passive device, and a paging message is sent to the NG-RAN; the paging message includes the temporary identifier allocated by the AMF or the AIOTF to the passive device.

[0025] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a passive device communication method, the method being applied to a network open function (NEF), the method comprising:

[0026] receiving a first request message sent by the application function AF;

[0027] Requesting authorization for the first request message and querying address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF;

[0028] According to the address information of the AMF or the AIOTF, a second request message is sent to the AMF or the AIOTF; the second request message is used to instruct the access network NG-RAN to send a paging message to the passive device through the AMF or AIOTF.

[0029] In one embodiment, when the paging process is initiated for the passive device, the receiving a first request message sent by the application function AF includes:

[0030] receiving a first request message sent by the AF; wherein the first request message includes indication information of all the passive devices in the target area and information about the area where the passive devices are located;

[0031] The request authorizes the first request message and queries the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF, including:

[0032] Request the unified data management function UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the area information.

[0033] In one embodiment, when the paging process is initiated for the passive device, the receiving a first request message sent by the application function AF includes:

[0034] receiving a first request message sent by the AF; wherein the first request message includes an external identifier of a passive device in a target area or a group of external identifiers of a group of passive devices;

[0035] The request authorizes the first request message and queries the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF, including:

[0036] Request UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the external identifier or the external identifier group.

[0037] In one embodiment, querying the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF includes:

[0038] If the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF with which the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the address information and the contract identifier of the passive device to the NEF;

[0039] If the UDM does not store the address information of the AMF or AIOTF with which the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the unregistered information of the passive device and the contract identifier of the passive device corresponding to the external identifier of the passive device to the NEF.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a passive device communication apparatus, which is applied to a passive device and includes:

[0041] A first receiving module is configured to receive a paging message sent by an access network NG-RAN and initiate a random access process to the NG-RAN;

[0042] A second receiving module is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and

[0043] a sending module, configured to send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the following steps are implemented:

[0045] receiving a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN, and initiating a random access procedure to the NG-RAN;

[0046] receiving a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and

[0047] Send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0049] receiving a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN, and initiating a random access procedure to the NG-RAN;

[0050] receiving a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and

[0051] Send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the following steps:

[0053] receiving a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN, and initiating a random access procedure to the NG-RAN;

[0054] receiving a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and

[0055] Send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0056] The details of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or related technologies, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0058] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an application environment of a passive device communication method according to an embodiment;

[0059] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a passive device communication method according to an embodiment;

[0060] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a process of passive device registration steps in one embodiment;

[0061] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of steps for controlling a passive device in one embodiment;

[0062] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a process for registering a passive device with an AMF or AIOTF in one embodiment;

[0063] FIG6 is a flow chart showing the steps of sending a paging message for different registration conditions of a passive device in one embodiment;

[0064] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of steps for sending a request message to an AMF or AIOTF in one embodiment;

[0065] FIG8 is a flow chart showing the steps of querying the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the area information when paging all passive devices in one embodiment;

[0066] 9 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of querying the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the external identifier or external identifier group when paging one or a group of passive devices in one embodiment;

[0067] FIG10 is a flow chart showing steps for querying the contract identification information of a passive device in the UDM according to an embodiment;

[0068] FIG11 is a flowchart of a specific example of a passive device communication method according to an embodiment;

[0069] FIG12 is a structural block diagram of a passive device communication apparatus on the passive device side in one embodiment;

[0070] FIG13 is a block diagram of a passive device communication apparatus on the AMF side or the AIOTF side in one embodiment;

[0071] FIG14 is a block diagram of a passive device communication apparatus on the NEF side according to an embodiment;

[0072] FIG15 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a computer device in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario for a passive device communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the scenario includes a passive device 100, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 200 (or a passive device function (AIOTF) 200, not shown in Figure 1), and an access network (NG-RAN) 300. The passive device 100 communicates with the network by reporting data via NAS (Non-Access Stratum) messages, eliminating the need for the network to establish a PDU session for the passive device and the need to establish and maintain a context for the passive device.

[0075] Passive devices, such as RFID devices, have no or very limited energy and rely on the external environment or communication processes to communicate. Passive devices cannot initiate communication autonomously and must receive commands and carrier waves from the network before they can initiate communication.

[0076] In traditional technology, a user terminal, as an active device, can first autonomously register with the network through the Registration process and establish a user plane connection with the network through a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session. The user terminal then releases the NAS (Non-Access Stratum) connection and the N2 connection and enters the idle state. When downlink data arrives at the UPF (User Plane Function), the UPF can initiate a paging process for the user terminal based on the context data obtained from the registration, restore the communication connection between the UPF and the user terminal, and then complete the control operation of the user terminal based on the restored communication connection.

[0077] However, in traditional technology, user terminals have an idle state and a connected state. When control operations need to be performed on the user terminal, the connected state of the user terminal can be restored. However, passive devices are often unable to initiate communication processes independently and do not have a state. Therefore, traditional technology cannot be adapted to passive devices.

[0078] Based on the above-mentioned traditional technology, in the present disclosure, the passive device receives a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN, wakes up the passive device, and then receives a first NAS message sent by the AMF or AIOTF, and sends a second NAS message to the AMF or AIOTF to complete the feedback of the first NAS message, so that the network does not need to establish a PDU session for the passive device, and does not need to establish and maintain a context for the passive device. Only through NAS messages, the control application of the passive device is realized, reducing the signaling overhead of the interaction between the passive device and the network.

[0079] It should be noted that the beneficial effects brought about or the technical problems solved by the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this one, and may also include other implicit or related problems. For details, please refer to the description of the following embodiments.

[0080] Before introducing the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, the professional terms involved in the present disclosure are explained:

[0081] AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function;

[0082] AIOTF: Ambient IoT Function, also known as passive device function. AIOTF is a new functional entity introduced to support passive device communication. It is used to support paging, data transmission, authentication and authorization for passive devices.

[0083] SMF: Session Management Function;

[0084] UDM: Unified Data Management;

[0085] PCF: Policy Control Function;

[0086] PDU: Protocol Data Unit;

[0087] NEF: Network Exposure Function;

[0088] NAS: Non-Access Stratum;

[0089] AS: Access Stratum;

[0090] NB-IoT: Narrow Band Internet of Things;

[0091] RRC: Radio Resource Control;

[0092] AIoT: Ambient Internet of Things;

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG2 , a passive device communication method is provided. The method is described by taking the passive device in FIG1 as an example, and includes the following steps 202 to 206 .

[0094] Step 202: Receive a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN and initiate a random access process to the NG-RAN.

[0095] In implementation, when a passive device needs to be requested to perform a certain operation command (for example, to report its own passive device identification information), the network first wakes up all passive devices in the target area. Then, the AMF or AIOTF sends a paging message to the NG-RAN. The paging message instructs the NG-RAN to page the passive devices (which can be all passive devices, one passive device, or a group of passive devices. The number of passive devices to be paged depends on the passive device identification information contained in the paging message). Therefore, the passive device receives the paging message sent by the NG-RAN and initiates a random access procedure to the NG-RAN.

[0096] Step 204: Receive a first NAS message sent by the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF.

[0097] The first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device.

[0098] In implementation, when the passive device has been registered with the AMF or AIOTF, the AMF or AIOTF sends a first NAS message (N2msg) to the passive device through NG-RAN, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device. Thus, the first NAS message is transmitted to the passive device through NG-RAN (NG-RAN sends an AS msg message), so that the passive device can receive the first NAS message sent by the AMF or the AIOTF and execute the operation command contained in the first NAS message.

[0099] The first NAS message is a NAS message sent by the AMF or AIOTF to the passive device. Therefore, the first NAS message can also be called a downlink NAS message.

[0100] Step 206: Send a second NAS message to the AMF or AIOTF.

[0101] The second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command.

[0102] The second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or AIOTF to send a response message to the network exposure function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message. The application function AF generally refers to various services at the application layer. It can be an internal application of the operator or a third-party application.

[0103] In implementation, the passive device executes the operation command contained in the first NAS message. The specific process is that the passive device responds to the first NAS message and sends a second NAS message (AS msg) to the AMF or AIOTF. The second NAS message contains feedback data generated after executing the operation command, so that the AMF or AIOTF can send a response message to the NEF based on the feedback data, and the response message contains feedback data. The NEF transmits the feedback data contained in the response message to the AF to implement application-side application. The second NAS message is a NAS message sent by the passive device to the AMF or AIOTF, so the second NAS message can also be called an uplink NAS message.

[0104] In some embodiments, the feedback data sent by the passive device may include, but is not limited to, a device identification of the passive device, sensor data, etc.

[0105] In the above-mentioned passive device communication method, the passive device receives a paging message sent by the access network, thereby being awakened, and then receives a first NAS message sent by the access and mobility management function AMF or AIOTF, and sends a second NAS message to the AMF or AIOTF to complete the feedback of the first NAS message, so that the network does not need to establish a PDU session for the passive device, and does not need to establish and maintain a context for the passive device. Only through NAS messages, the control application of the passive device is realized, reducing the signaling overhead of the interaction between the passive device and the network.

[0106] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , before step 204, the method further includes:

[0107] Step 302: Send a registration request message to the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF.

[0108] The registration request message includes the contract identification of the passive device.

[0109] In implementation, the passive device initiates the Registration process, that is, the passive device sends a Registration Request message (a NAS message) to the AMF or AIOTF. The Registration Request message contains the subscription identity of the passive device. NG-RAN selects AMF or AIOTF based on the RAT (Radio Access Technology) of the passive device. NG-RAN provides the selected AMF or AIOTF with information such as recommended cells / Tas (tracking area) / NG-RAN node identifiers (access network node identifiers) in the N2 message. The AMF or AIOTF allocates a temporary identity for the passive device and feeds the temporary identity back to the passive device through the Registration Accept message.

[0110] Step 304: Receive the registration acceptance message fed back by the AMF or AIOTF.

[0111] Among them, the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device, so that the AMF or AIOTF sends a non-access layer message to the passive device corresponding to the temporary identifier.

[0112] In implementation, the passive device receives the Registration Accept message fed back by the AMF or AIOTF and stores the temporary identifier contained in the Registration Accept message locally. This temporary identifier enables the AMF or AIOTF to identify the passive device through the temporary identifier when communicating with the passive device (for example, when requesting the passive device to execute an operation command), thereby sending a non-access layer message to the passive device.

[0113] In this embodiment, the passive device sends a registration request message to the AMF or AIOTF, and receives a registration acceptance message fed back by the AMF or AIOTF to complete the registration of the passive device, so as to enable the network to control the passive device to execute operation commands, etc., so as to improve the reliability and performance of the communication system.

[0114] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , a passive device communication method is provided, which is illustrated by applying the method to the access and mobility management function AMF in FIG1 , or applying the method to the passive device function AIOTF as an example, including the following steps 402 to 406 .

[0115] Step 402: Send a paging message to the access network NG-RAN.

[0116] The paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page all passive devices, one passive device, or a group of passive devices.

[0117] In implementation, the AMF or AIOTF sends a paging message to the NG-RAN. The paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page the passive device.

[0118] Optionally, the paging message can instruct the NG-RAN to page all passive devices, or can instruct the NG-RAN to page a certain passive device, or can instruct the NG-RAN to page a group of passive devices. The difference lies in the identification information of the passive device contained in the paging message. Therefore, the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the number of passive devices to be paged.

[0119] In some embodiments, the AMF or AIOTF sends a paging message to the access network NG-RAN in response to a request message sent by the NEF. Optionally, if the passive device has been registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF registered by the passive device, and the UDM returns the subscription identifier of the passive device and the address information of the registered AMF or the registered AIOTF to the NEF. Then, after the NEF receives the trigger message from the AF, based on the address information of the AMF or AIOTF, the NEF sends a request message to each AMF or AIOTF registered by the passive device. The AMF or AIOTF receives the request message sent by the NEF, and then, in response to the request message, the AMF or AIOTF sends a paging message to the access network NG-RAN. The request message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device and instruction information or operation command for operating the passive device.

[0120] In some embodiments, if the passive device is not registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, the UDM indicates to the NEF that the passive device is not registered, and based on the mapping relationship between the external identifier and the contract identifier of the passive device pre-configured in the UDM, the UDM returns the contract identifier corresponding to the external identifier of the unregistered passive device to the NEF, so that the NEF sends a second request message to all connected AMFs or all AMFs in a certain area, or the NEF sends a second request message to all connected AIOTFs or all AIOTFs in a certain area, and the second request message includes the contract identifier of the passive device and instruction information or operation commands for operating the passive device.

[0121] Step 404: Send a first NAS message to the passive device.

[0122] The first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device.

[0123] In implementation, the AMF or AIOTF sends a first NAS message to the passive device, wherein the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device and is used to instruct the passive device to execute the operation command.

[0124] Step 406: Receive a second NAS message sent by the passive device.

[0125] Among them, the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0126] In implementation, the passive device generates a second NAS message in response to the first NAS message, and feeds the second NAS message back to the AMF or AIOTF. The AMF or AIOTF receives the second NAS message and completes the control operation on the passive device. Optionally, the first NAS message is an operation command to report the device identification information of its own device (referring to the passive device). The passive device generates a second NAS message in response to the first NAS message, and the second NAS message contains the device identification information of the passive device. Therefore, after receiving the second NAS message, the AMF or AIOTF can transmit the device identification information of the passive device carried in the second NAS message to the AF, thereby completing the control operation on the passive device.

[0127] In this embodiment, the AMF or AIOTF sends a paging message to the access network, pages the passive device through the access network, and after the paging is completed, sends a first NAS message to the passive device, receives a second NAS message fed back by the passive device, and completes the operation control of the passive device, so that the network does not need to establish a PDU session for the passive device, and does not need to establish and maintain a context for the passive device. Only through the first NAS message, the control application of the passive device is realized, reducing the signaling overhead of the interaction between the passive device and the network.

[0128] In an exemplary embodiment, if the passive device is not registered with the AMF or AIOTF, the passive device needs to register first, that is, the passive device initiates the Registration process, as shown in Figure 5. Before step 404, the method further includes:

[0129] Step 502: Receive a registration request message sent by a passive device.

[0130] The registration request message includes the contract identification of the passive device.

[0131] In implementation, the AMF or AIOTF receives a Registration Request message sent by the passive device. In some embodiments, the NG-RAN selects the AMF or AIOTF based on the Ambient IoT RAT (Radio Access Technology for Passive Devices), and the NG-RAN provides the selected AMF or AIOTF with recommended cells / Tas / NG-RAN node identifiers via an N2 message (N2msg). The AMF or AIOTF then allocates a temporary identity to the passive device based on the N2 message fed back by the NG-RAN.

[0132] Step 504: Feedback a registration acceptance message to the passive device.

[0133] The registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

[0134] In implementation, after the AMF or AIOTF allocates a temporary identifier to the passive device, the AMF or AIOTF feeds back a registration acceptance message (i.e., a Registration Accept message) to the passive device, and provides the temporary identifier of the passive device to the passive device through the registration acceptance message.

[0135] The AMF or AIOTF also saves the subscription identifier contained in the registration request message sent by the passive device, as well as the address information of the AMF itself or AIOTF, into the UDM. The UDM stores the mapping relationship between the subscription identifier and external identifier of the pre-configured passive device.

[0136] In this embodiment, when the passive device is not registered with the AMF or AIOTF, the passive device first initiates a registration request message to complete the process of registering the passive device with the AMF or AIOTF, and after the registration is completed, the signing identification of the passive device and the address information of the AMF, or the signing identification of the passive device and the address information of the AIOTF are saved in the UDM, which can realize subsequent authentication and authorization of the passive device, message routing and positioning, etc., thereby improving communication efficiency and management capabilities.

[0137] In an exemplary embodiment, it can be seen from the aforementioned embodiment that when the AMF or AIOTF sends a paging message to the access network NG-RAN, there are two cases, one is that the passive device has been registered with the AMF or AIOTF, and the other is that the passive device has not been registered with the AMF or AIOTF. Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, the specific processing process of step 402 includes the following steps 602 to 604.

[0138] Step 602: If the passive device is not registered with the AMF or AIOTF, a paging message is sent to all NG-RANs.

[0139] In practice, if the passive device is not registered with the current AMF or AIOTF, the AMF or AIOTF will send a paging message to all NG-RANs. The paging message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device, so that the NG-RAN can send a paging message based on the passive device over the air interface.

[0140] Step 604: If the passive device has been registered with the AMF or AIOTF, a temporary identifier is determined based on the subscription identifier of the passive device, and a paging message is sent to the NG-RAN.

[0141] The paging message includes a temporary identifier allocated by the AMF or AIOTF to the passive device.

[0142] In implementation, if the passive device has been registered with the AMF or AIOTF, the AMF or AIOTF determines the temporary identity based on the passive device's subscription identity and determines the NG-RAN based on the paging-related information (recommend cells / Tas / NG-RAN node identifiers) corresponding to the passive device. The passive device then sends a paging message to the determined NG-RAN. The paging message contains the temporary identity of the passive device.

[0143] In this embodiment, the range of the paging message sent by the AMF or AIOTF is different depending on the registration status of the passive device, so that the passive device can be paging regardless of whether the passive device is registered with the current AMF or AIOTF.

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG7 , a passive device communication method is provided. The method is described by taking the application of the network open function NEF in FIG1 as an example, and includes the following steps 702 to 706 .

[0145] Step 702: Receive a first request message sent by the application function AF.

[0146] In implementation, when it is necessary to request one, a group or all passive devices to execute a certain operation command, for example, it is necessary to request the passive device to report device identification information, the application function AF (Application Function) first sends a first request message to the NEF, so that the NEF responds to the first request message sent by the application function AF, thereby initiating subsequent processes.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first request message includes an external identifier of a passive device, a group of passive devices, or all passive devices, as well as an operation command. As described above, the operation command can be used to instruct the passive device to report device identification information or report sensor data of the passive device, etc., and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0148] Step 704: Request authorization for the first request message and query the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF.

[0149] During implementation, NEF requests UDM to authorize the first request message sent by AF. After the authorization is passed, since UDM stores the address information of AMF or AIOTF and the pre-configured mapping relationship between the external identifier of the passive device and the contract identifier, NEF queries the contract identifier corresponding to the external identifier of the current passive device and the address information of the registered AMF or registered AIOTF of the passive device from UDM.

[0150] Step 706: Send a second request message to the AMF or AIOTF according to the address information of the AMF or AIOTF.

[0151] The second request message is used to instruct the AMF or AIOTF to send a paging message to the passive device through the access network NG-RAN.

[0152] During implementation, the NEF sends a second request message to the AMF or AIOTF based on the queried address information of the AMF or AIOTF.

[0153] In this embodiment, the security and reliability of the network are guaranteed by authorizing and authenticating the first request message sent by the AF, and after authorization, the address information of the AMF or AIOTF is queried from the UDM to quickly determine the interacting AMF or interacting AIOTF, thereby realizing the paging process of the passive device.

[0154] When the network pages the passive devices, it can page all the passive devices, thereby requesting all the passive devices to execute a certain operation command, or it can page one or a group of passive devices, thereby requesting one or a group of passive devices to execute a certain operation instruction. Therefore, according to the different numbers of passive devices to be paged, different optional paging processes are given.

[0155] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG8 , when a paging process is initiated for all passive devices, the specific processing of step 702 includes the following steps 802 to 804 .

[0156] Step 802: Receive a first request message sent by AF.

[0157] The first request message includes indication information for all passive devices and area information where the passive devices are located.

[0158] In practice, the process of the NEF receiving the first request message sent by the AF has been described in step 702 above and will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, the network initiates a paging process for all passive devices. Therefore, the first request message includes (operation) indication information and operation instructions for all passive devices, as well as information about the areas where all passive devices are located.

[0159] Furthermore, the specific processing process of step 704 is as follows:

[0160] Step 804: Request the unified data management function UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the area information.

[0161] In implementation, NEF requests UDM to authorize the first request message, and after the authorization is passed, since the network initiates a paging process for all passive devices, when NEF queries in UDM, it needs to query the address information of all AMFs or all AIOTFs corresponding to the area information.

[0162] In this embodiment, during the paging process of passive devices, the first request message sent by the AF contains the area information corresponding to all passive devices, so that the address information of the corresponding AMF or AIOTF can be queried based on the area information, thereby realizing paging of all passive devices.

[0163] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG9 , when a paging process is initiated for one or a group of passive devices, the specific processing process of step 702 includes the following steps 902 to 904 .

[0164] Step 902: Receive a first request message sent by AF.

[0165] The first request message includes an external identifier of a passive device or a group of external identifiers of a group of passive devices.

[0166] In practice, the process by which the NEF receives the first request message sent by the AF has been described in step 702 above and will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, the network initiates a paging process for one or a group of passive devices. Therefore, the first request message includes the external identifier of a particular passive device and (operation) instructions and instructions for that passive device. Alternatively, the first request message includes the external identifiers of a group of passive devices and (operation) instructions and instructions for that group of passive devices.

[0167] Furthermore, the specific processing process of step 704 is as follows:

[0168] Step 904: Request the UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the external identifier or external identifier group.

[0169] In implementation, the NEF requests the UDM to authorize the first request message, and after the authorization is passed, since the network initiates a paging process for one or a group of passive devices, when the NEF queries in the UDM, it needs to query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to a passive device with an external identifier, or the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to a group of passive devices with an external identifier. In some embodiments, when the NEF queries in the UDM, in addition to querying the address information of the AMF or AIOTF, it can also query the contract identifier of the passive device corresponding to an external identifier or a group of external identifiers (external identifier group). The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the query content.

[0170] In this embodiment, during the paging process of a passive device, the first request message sent by the AF contains an external identifier of a passive device or an external identifier group of a passive device, so that the address information of the corresponding AMF or AIOTF can be queried based on an external identifier or an external identifier group, thereby realizing paging of one or a group of passive devices.

[0171] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 , the specific processing procedure of step 704 includes the following steps 1002 to 1004 .

[0172] Step 1002: If the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF where the passive device has been registered, the address information and the subscription identifier of the passive device are fed back to the NEF via the UDM.

[0173] In implementation, when NEF queries UDM for the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the passive device, it needs to consider whether the passive device has been registered with a certain AMF or AIOTF. If the passive device has been registered with a certain AMF or AIOTF, the UDM will store information about the AMF or AIOTF registered for the passive device. Therefore, in the case of having registered with the AMF or AIOTF, when NEF queries from UDM, it can query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF registered by the passive device. Optionally, the UDM also stores the external identification information of the passive device (region information, a single external identification, or an external identification group). Therefore, if the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF registered by the passive device, based on the query of NEF, the address information of the AMF or AIOTF and the external identification information of the passive device are fed back to NEF through UDM.

[0174] Step 1004: If the UDM does not store the address information of the AMF or AIOTF where the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the unregistered information of the passive device and the contract identifier of the passive device corresponding to the external identifier of the passive device to the NEF.

[0175] During implementation, if the UDM does not save the address information of the AMF or AIOTF in which the passive device has been registered, it indicates that the passive device has not yet been registered with the AMF or AIOTF. Therefore, the UDM does not save the address information of the AMF or AIOTF in which the passive device has been registered. Therefore, based on the query of NEF, the UDM feeds back the information (prompt information) that the passive device is not registered and the signing identifier of the passive device corresponding to the external identifier of the passive device to NEF.

[0176] In this embodiment, based on the registration status of the passive device, the NEF queries the UDM for the paging information required for the passive device, so that the paging of the passive device can be implemented based on the information fed back by the UDM.

[0177] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG11 , a specific example process of a passive device communication method is provided, wherein the AMF participating in the communication process of the passive device is used as an example for illustration. The AIOTF participating in the communication process of the passive device is similar to that of the AMF and is not described in detail here. The example method includes:

[0178] Step 1101: The AF sends a first request message (Nnef_AIoT_ServiceRequest) to the NEF, where the first request message includes indication information for all passive devices and information about the areas where the passive devices are located.

[0179] Step 1102: NEF requests UDM to authorize the first request message. After authorization is completed, NEF queries UDM for the address information of AMF corresponding to the area information and the contract identifier of the passive device.

[0180] Step 1103: Based on the queried AMF address information, the NEF sends a second request message (Namf_AIoT_Request) to the AMF; the second request message includes the contract identifiers of all passive devices, and instructions or operation commands for operating the passive devices;

[0181] Step 1104: The AMF sends a paging message to the access network NG-RAN.

[0182] Step 1105: NG-RAN sends a paging message (Paging) over the air interface.

[0183] Step 1106: The passive device initiates a random access procedure to the NG-RAN.

[0184] Step 1107: The passive device initiates a registration request message to the NG-RAN. The registration request message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device.

[0185] Step 1108: NG-RAN selects an AMF based on the Ambient IoT RAT and sends a Registration Request message to the selected AMF.

[0186] Step 1109: The AMF allocates a temporary identity to the passive device and sends the temporary identity to the NG-RAN via a Registration Accept message.

[0187] Step 1110: NG-RAN sends a registration accept message to the passive device.

[0188] Step 1111: The AMF saves the passive device's subscription identifier and AMF address into the UDM. The UDM also stores the mapping between the passive device's subscription identifier and the external identifier through pre-configuration.

[0189] In step 1112, the AMF sends a first NAS message (N2msg(DL NAS)) to the passive device. The NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device.

[0190] Step 1113: The NEF transmits the first NAS message (AS msg (DL NAS)) to the passive device.

[0191] In step 1114, the passive device sends a second NAS message (AS msg (UL NAS)) to the NG-RAM according to the operation command included in the first NAS message. The second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command.

[0192] Step 1115: The NG-RAM transmits the second NAS message (N2msg(UL NAS)) fed back by the passive device to the AMF.

[0193] Step 1116: The AMF generates a first response message (Namf_AIoT_Response) based on the second NAS message and sends the first response message to the NEF. The first response message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command in the second NAS message.

[0194] Step 1117: NEF sends a second response message (Nnef_AIoT_ServiceResponse) to AF. The second response message includes feedback data given by the passive device according to the operation command.

[0195] In some embodiments, if the passive device has been registered in the network, when requesting the registered passive device to execute a certain operation command, steps 1107 to 1111 may not be executed, and the process directly jumps to step 1112.

[0196] In some embodiments, after the passive device receives the paging message, steps 1106 to 1115 are performed for each paged passive device. In step 1116, the AMF may aggregate the feedback data of all passive devices in response to the operation command, and then send a first response message to the NEF.

[0197] In some embodiments, when paging a passive device or a group of passive devices, the first request message in step 1101 includes the external identifier of the passive device or the external identifier group of the passive devices, rather than the area information. Therefore, the paging process of the passive device or the group of passive devices will not be further described in detail in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0198] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowcharts involved in the various embodiments described above are displayed in sequence according to the instructions of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the various embodiments described above can include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily executed and completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily to be carried out in sequence, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of steps or stages in other steps.

[0199] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a passive device communication apparatus for implementing the aforementioned passive device communication method. The solution provided by this apparatus is similar to the solution described in the aforementioned method. Therefore, the specific limitations of one or more of the passive device communication apparatus embodiments provided below can be found in the above-described limitations of the passive device communication method and are not further elaborated here.

[0200] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG12 , a passive device communication apparatus 1200 is provided. The apparatus is applied to a passive device and includes: a first receiving module 1201, a second receiving module 1202, and a sending module 1203, wherein:

[0201] The first receiving module 1201 is configured to receive a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN and initiate a random access process to the NG-RAN;

[0202] The second receiving module 1202 is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device;

[0203] The sending module 1203 is used to send a second NAS message to the AMF or AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0204] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 1200 further includes:

[0205] The second receiving module is configured to send a registration request message to the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive device function AIOTF, where the registration request message includes a subscription identifier of the passive device; and

[0206] The third sending module is used to receive the registration acceptance message fed back by the AMF or AIOTF, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

[0207] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG13 , a passive device communication apparatus 1300 is provided. The apparatus is applied to an AMF and includes: a first sending module 1301, a second sending module 1302, and a receiving module 1303, wherein:

[0208] The first sending module 1301 is configured to send a paging message to the access network NG-RAN; the paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page the passive device;

[0209] The second sending module 1302 is configured to send a first NAS message to the passive device, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device;

[0210] The receiving module 1303 is used to receive a second NAS message sent by the passive device, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

[0211] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 1300 further includes:

[0212] The second receiving module is configured to receive a registration request message sent by the passive device; the registration request message includes a contract identification of the passive device;

[0213] The feedback module is used to feed back a registration acceptance message to the passive device, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

[0214] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 1300 further includes:

[0215] The third receiving module is configured to receive a request message from a network open function NEF, where the request message includes an operation command for the passive device and a contract identifier of the passive device.

[0216] In an exemplary embodiment, the first sending module 1301 is specifically configured to send a paging message to the NG-RAN if the passive device is not registered with the AMF or AIOTF; the paging message includes a subscription identifier of the passive device;

[0217] If the passive device has been registered with the AMF or AIOTF, the temporary identity is determined based on the subscription identity of the passive device, and a paging message is sent to the NG-RAN; the paging message contains the temporary identity allocated by the AMF or AIOTF to the passive device.

[0218] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG14 , a passive device communication apparatus 1400 is provided. The apparatus 1400 is applied to NEF, and the apparatus 1400 includes:

[0219] The first receiving module 1401 is configured to receive a first request message sent by the application function AF;

[0220] A query module 1402 is configured to request authorization for the first request message and query address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF;

[0221] The first sending module 1403 is used to send a second request message to the AMF or AIOTF according to the address information of the AMF or AIOTF; the second request message is used to instruct the access network NG-RAN to send a paging message to the passive device through the AMF or AIOTF.

[0222] In an exemplary embodiment, when a paging process is initiated for a passive device, the first receiving module 1401 is specifically configured to receive a first request message sent by the AF; the first request message includes indication information of all passive devices in the target area and information about the area where the passive device is located;

[0223] The query module 1402 is specifically used to request the unified data management function UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the area information.

[0224] In an exemplary embodiment, when a paging process is initiated for one or a group of passive devices, the first receiving module 1401 is specifically configured to receive a first request message sent by the AF; the first request message includes an external identifier of a passive device or a group of external identifiers of a group of passive devices in the target area;

[0225] The query module 1402 is specifically used to request the UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the external identifier or external identifier group.

[0226] In an exemplary embodiment, the query module 1402 is specifically configured to feed back the address information and the subscription identifier of the passive device to the NEF through the UDM if the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF in which the passive device has been registered.

[0227] If the UDM does not store the address information of the AMF or AIOTF where the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the unregistered information of the passive device and the contract identifier of the passive device corresponding to the external identifier of the passive device to the NEF.

[0228] Each module in the above-mentioned passive device apparatus may be implemented in whole or in part through software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Each module may be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in the form of hardware, or may be stored in a memory in the computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the corresponding operations of each module.

[0229] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer device is provided, which may be a terminal. A diagram of its internal structure may be shown in FIG15 . The computer device includes a processor, memory, an input / output interface, a communication interface, a display unit, and an input device. The processor, memory, and input / output interface are connected via a system bus, and the communication interface, display unit, and input device are connected to the system bus via the input / output interface. The processor of the computer device is configured to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The input / output interface of the computer device is configured to exchange information between the processor and an external device. The communication interface of the computer device is configured to communicate with an external terminal via wired or wireless communication, where the wireless communication may be achieved via Wi-Fi, a mobile cellular network, NFC (near-field communication), or other technologies. When executed by the processor, the computer program implements a passive device communication method. The display unit of the computer device is configured to produce a visually visible image and may be a display screen, a projection device, or a virtual reality imaging device. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen, and the input device of the computer device can be a touch layer covering the display screen, or a button, trackball or touchpad set on the computer device casing, or an external keyboard, touchpad or mouse.

[0230] Those skilled in the art will understand that the structure shown in FIG15 is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the solution of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of the present disclosure is applied. The optional computer device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0231] In one embodiment, a computer device is further provided, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the steps in the above method embodiments when executing the computer program.

[0232] In one embodiment, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, which implements the steps in the above method embodiments when executed by a processor.

[0233] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments are implemented.

[0234] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in the present disclosure may include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The database involved in each embodiment provided in this disclosure may include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. Non-relational databases may include, but are not limited to, distributed databases based on blockchains. The processor involved in each embodiment provided in this disclosure may be, but are not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic unit, a data processing logic unit based on quantum computing, and the like.

[0235] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0236] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present disclosure. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A passive device communication method, wherein: The method is applied to a passive device, and the method comprises: receiving a paging message sent by the access network NG-RAN, and initiating a random access procedure to the NG-RAN; receiving a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and Send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before receiving the first NAS message sent by the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF, the method further includes: Sending a registration request message to the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive device function AIOTF, wherein the registration request message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device; and Receive a registration acceptance message fed back by the AMF or the AIOTF, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

3. A passive device communication method, wherein: The method is applied to an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive equipment function AIOTF, and the method includes: Sending a paging message to an access network NG-RAN; the paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page the passive device; Sending a first NAS message to the passive device, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; Receive a second NAS message sent by the passive device, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Before sending the first NAS message to the passive device, the method further includes: receiving a registration request message sent by the passive device; the registration request message includes a contract identification of the passive device; Feedback a registration acceptance message to the passive device, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: Before sending the paging message to the access network NG-RAN, the method further includes: A request message from a network open function (NEF) is received, where the request message includes an operation command for the passive device and a subscription identifier of the passive device.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The sending of a paging message to the access network NG-RAN includes: If the passive device is not registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, sending a paging message to the NG-RAN; the paging message includes the subscription identifier of the passive device; If the passive device has been registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, a temporary identifier is determined according to the subscription identifier of the passive device, and a paging message is sent to the NG-RAN; the paging message includes the temporary identifier allocated by the AMF or the AIOTF to the passive device.

7. A passive device communication method, wherein: The method is applied to a network open function (NEF), and includes: receiving a first request message sent by the application function AF; Requesting authorization for the first request message and querying address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF; According to the address information of the AMF or the AIOTF, a second request message is sent to the AMF or the AIOTF; the second request message is used to instruct the access network NG-RAN to send a paging message to the passive device through the AMF or AIOTF.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: When the paging process is initiated for the passive device, the receiving a first request message sent by the application function AF includes: receiving a first request message sent by the AF; wherein the first request message includes indication information of all the passive devices in the target area and information about the area where the passive devices are located; The request authorizes the first request message and queries the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF, including: Request the unified data management function UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the area information.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: When the paging process is initiated for the passive device, the receiving a first request message sent by the application function AF includes: receiving a first request message sent by the AF; wherein the first request message includes an external identifier of a passive device in a target area or a group of external identifiers of a group of passive devices; The request authorizes the first request message and queries the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF, including: Request UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the external identifier or the external identifier group.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The querying of the address information of the access and mobility management function AMF or the passive equipment function AIOTF includes: If the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF with which the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the address information and the contract identifier of the passive device to the NEF; If the UDM does not store the address information of the AMF or AIOTF with which the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the unregistered information of the passive device and the contract identifier of the passive device corresponding to the external identifier of the passive device to the NEF.

11. A passive device communication apparatus, wherein: The device is applied to a passive device, and includes: A first receiving module is configured to receive a paging message sent by an access network NG-RAN and initiate a random access process to the NG-RAN; A second receiving module is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; and a sending module, configured to send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

12. A passive device communication apparatus, wherein: The device is applied to an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive equipment function AIOTF, and the device includes: A first sending module is configured to send a paging message to an access network NG-RAN; the paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page the passive device; A second sending module is configured to send a first NAS message to the passive device, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; a receiving module, configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the passive device, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

13. A passive device communication apparatus, wherein: The device is applied to the network open function NEF, and the device includes: A receiving module, configured to receive a first request message sent by an application function AF; A processing module, configured to request authorization for the first request message and query address information of an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive equipment function AIOTF; A sending module, configured to send a second request message to the AMF or the AIOTF according to the address information of the AMF or the AIOTF; the second request message is used to instruct the access network NG-RAN to send a paging message to the passive device through the AMF or AIOTF.

14. A passive device, wherein: Includes receiver and transmitter: The receiver is configured to receive a paging message sent by an access network NG-RAN and initiate a random access process to the NG-RAN; receive a first NAS message sent by an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive device function AIOTF, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; The transmitter is used to send a second NAS message to the AMF or the AIOTF, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein The transmitter is further configured to send a registration request message to an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive device function AIOTF, where the registration request message includes a subscription identifier of the passive device; The receiver is further used to receive a registration acceptance message fed back by the AMF or the AIOTF, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

16. A communication device, wherein: The communication device includes an access and mobility management function AMF or a passive equipment function AIOTF, and the communication device includes: A transmitter, configured to send a paging message to an access network NG-RAN; the paging message is used to instruct the NG-RAN to page the passive device; The transmitter is further configured to send a first NAS message to the passive device, where the first NAS message includes an operation command for the passive device; a receiver, configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the passive device, where the second NAS message includes feedback data corresponding to the operation command; the second NAS message is used to instruct the AMF or the AIOTF to send a response message to the network open function NEF and transmit the feedback data to the application function AF through the response message.

17. The communication device according to claim 16, wherein: The receiver is further configured to receive a registration request message sent by the passive device; the registration request message includes a contract identification of the passive device; The transmitter is further configured to feed back a registration acceptance message to the passive device, where the registration acceptance message includes a temporary identifier allocated to the passive device.

18. The communication device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The receiver is further configured to receive a request message from a network open function NEF, wherein the request message includes an operation command for the passive device and a subscription identifier of the passive device.

19. The communication device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The transmitter is configured to send a paging message to the NG-RAN if the passive device is not registered with the AMF or the AIOTF; the paging message includes a subscription identifier of the passive device; If the passive device has been registered with the AMF or the AIOTF, a temporary identifier is determined according to the subscription identifier of the passive device, and a paging message is sent to the NG-RAN; the paging message includes the temporary identifier allocated by the AMF or the AIOTF to the passive device.

20. A communication device, wherein: The communication device includes a network opening function NEF, and the communication device includes: A receiver, configured to receive a first request message sent by the application function AF; a processor, configured to request authorization of the first request message and query address information of an access and mobility management function AMF or an passive equipment function AIOTF; A transmitter is used to send a second request message to the AMF or the AIOTF according to the address information of the AMF or the AIOTF; the second request message is used to instruct the access network NG-RAN to send a paging message to the passive device through the AMF or AIOTF.

21. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein: The receiver is further configured to receive a first request message sent by the AF; the first request message includes indication information of all the passive devices in the target area and information about the area where the passive devices are located; The processor is also used to request the unified data management function UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the area information.

22. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein The receiver is further configured to receive a first request message sent by the AF; the first request message includes an external identifier of a passive device or a group of external identifiers of a group of passive devices in a target area; The processor is also used to request the UDM to authorize the first request message and query the address information of the AMF or AIOTF corresponding to the external identifier or the external identifier group.

23. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein The processor is configured to feed back the address information and the subscription identifier of the passive device to the NEF through the UDM if the UDM stores the address information of the AMF or AIOTF with which the passive device has been registered; If the UDM does not store the address information of the AMF or AIOTF with which the passive device has been registered, the UDM feeds back the unregistered information of the passive device and the contract identifier of the passive device corresponding to the external identifier of the passive device to the NEF.

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