Internet of things service management method and apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

An Internet of Things service management method and apparatus, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium, relating to the technical field of wireless communications. The method comprises: receiving a registration request of a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things, and registering said communication device on the basis of the registration request; when the registration of said communication device is completed, identifying a device type and / or a communication scenario of said communication device; and on the basis of the identified device type and / or communication scenario of said communication device, providing a target network service for said communication device. The present disclosure can provide targeted network services for different communication devices to be managed, thereby improving the device service effectiveness in the Internet of Things.

Description

Internet of Things (IoT) service management methods and devices, electronic devices, and storage media

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application filed on April 22, 2024, application number 202410482397.6, entitled "Internet of Things Service Management Method and Apparatus, Electronic Device, Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to an Internet of Things (IoT) service management method, IoT service management device, electronic device, and computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0004] Currently, the Internet of Things (IoT) technology has brought many conveniences to people's production and life. Items can be connected to the Internet through information sensing devices such as radio frequency identification (RFID) to achieve intelligent identification and management. It has wide applications in multiple scenarios such as traffic management, intelligent identification, object positioning and tracking.

[0005] Different terminal devices may have different application scenarios and capabilities. However, the existing IoT architecture cannot identify the capabilities of different terminal devices and provide them with targeted network services, preventing these devices from fully utilizing their potential. Therefore, how to effectively manage services for terminal devices in the IoT is a problem that current technologies urgently need to solve.

[0006] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] This disclosure provides an Internet of Things (IoT) service management method, IoT service management device, electronic device, and computer-readable storage medium, thereby overcoming, at least to some extent, the problem in the prior art that it is impossible to provide effective network services to devices in the IoT.

[0009] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this disclosure.

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an Internet of Things (IoT) service management method is provided, the method being applied to a management function node in an IoT; the method includes: receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the IoT, and registering the communication device to be managed according to the registration request; when the communication device to be managed completes registration, identifying the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed; and providing a target network service to the communication device to be managed according to the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, after receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things (IoT), the method further includes: receiving a reader registration request from the IoT regarding an unregistered reader, and searching for a candidate reader in the IoT corresponding to the communication device to be managed according to the reader registration request; detecting the working status of the candidate reader, and determining the candidate reader whose working status meets a first preset condition as the target reader.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: re-detecting the working state of the target reader / writer to determine whether the target reader / writer is in an active state.

[0013] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending a status check request to a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things (IoT) through the target reader / writer to check the working status of the communication device to be managed and determine whether the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the IoT; when the working status of the communication device to be managed meets a second preset condition and the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the IoT, registering the communication device to be managed according to the registration request.

[0014] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, identifying the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed includes: obtaining identification information of the communication device to be managed from a target reader corresponding to the communication device to be managed, and identifying the device type of the communication device to be managed based on the identification information; obtaining an access request sent by the target reader for the communication device to be managed to access the Internet of Things, and identifying the communication scenario of the communication device to be managed based on the access request.

[0015] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, providing target network services to the communication device to be managed based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario includes: classifying the communication device to be managed based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario; and providing the communication device to be managed with target network services corresponding to the classification results according to pre-configured service management rules.

[0016] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the Internet of Things (IoT) further includes a network open function node and an application layer function node; receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the IoT includes: receiving a registration request from the communication device to be managed sent by the network open function node; wherein the registration request is sent from the application layer function node to the network open function node.

[0017] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an Internet of Things (IoT) service management device is provided, the device being applied to a management function node in an IoT; the device includes: a request receiving module, configured to receive a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the IoT, and register the communication device to be managed according to the registration request; a device identification module, configured to identify the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed after the communication device to be managed has completed registration; and a service providing module, configured to provide a target network service to the communication device to be managed according to the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed.

[0018] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the method described in any of the preceding methods by executing the executable instructions.

[0019] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in any of the preceding claims.

[0020] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein have the following beneficial effects:

[0021] This exemplary embodiment proposes a novel IoT service management method. By receiving registration requests from managed communication devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) and registering the devices accordingly, it identifies the device type and communication scenario of each device upon registration. Based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario, it provides target network services to the managed communication devices. On one hand, this exemplary embodiment proposes a novel IoT service management method that provides corresponding target network services to managed communication devices based on their device type and / or communication scenario. This maximizes the network capabilities of devices of different categories within the IoT and enhances the effectiveness of communication within the IoT. On the other hand, by effectively identifying the device type and communication scenario of the managed communication devices upon registration, this exemplary embodiment comprehensively explores the device capabilities of communication devices in the IoT. This enables the provision of targeted network services to different managed communication devices, and the service management process is flexible and convenient, meeting the business needs of different scenarios and devices.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0024] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a flowchart of an IoT service management method in this exemplary embodiment;

[0025] Figure 2 schematically illustrates a sub-flowchart of an IoT service management method in this exemplary embodiment;

[0026] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a sub-flowchart of another IoT service management method in this exemplary embodiment;

[0027] Figure 4 schematically illustrates a system architecture diagram of a passive Internet of Things (IoT) in this exemplary embodiment;

[0028] Figure 5 schematically illustrates a structural block diagram of an Internet of Things service management device in this exemplary embodiment;

[0029] Figure 6 schematically illustrates an electronic device for implementing the above method in this exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0031] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure first provide an Internet of Things (IoT) service management method applied to management function nodes in an IoT system. The IoT in this exemplary embodiment can be a passive IoT, which refers to an IoT system without a power source or energy source. Devices in a passive IoT are passive IoT devices, which may not have power cords or built-in batteries. They can obtain energy from the environment, such as light or radio waves, to reduce energy consumption while ensuring real-time data acquisition and transmission. The management function nodes in the IoT can be used for registration management, connection management, or mobility management, and can also interact with other network components or external network components to achieve user authentication, authorization, or other functions. Passive IoT can be used in various application scenarios such as automatic toll collection, vehicle identification, cargo tracking, and item management.

[0032] In this exemplary embodiment, the management function node can be an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element, or an AIoTMF (Ambient IoT Management Function) network element obtained by improving or enhancing the functionality of an AMF. There can be multiple management function nodes, such as setting up AMF network elements and AIoTMF network elements separately. There can also be a single management function node, such as integrating AMF and AIoTMF into a single network element, so that it can realize both the functions of AMF and AIoTMF.

[0033] The exemplary embodiment will be further described below with reference to Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the IoT service management method may include the following steps S110 to S130:

[0034] Step S110: Receive the registration request of the communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things, and register the communication device to be managed according to the registration request.

[0035] In this context, a managed communication device refers to a terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT) that needs to interact with the network or provide network services. In passive IoT, the managed communication device is also a passive device, such as a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) device or an RFID tag. In this exemplary embodiment, the registration request can be sent from an application layer function node, such as an AF (Application Function) network element, to the management function node. The registration request may include registration request information for the managed communication device, or information about the managed communication device, such as its business information. This business information can reflect which services the managed device can perform or which business scenarios it can be used for. After receiving the registration request including the business information of the managed communication device, the IoT can call or query the business information of the managed communication device when needed.

[0036] After receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed, the management function node can perform a registration process based on the registration request. Before the registration process, it can also check or verify information such as the license status, operating status, working status, or location range of the communication device to be managed, as needed.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned Internet of Things may further include network exposure function nodes and application layer function nodes; wherein, the network exposure function node may be a NEF (Network Exposure Function) network element, and the application layer function node may be an AF network element.

[0038] In step S110 above, receiving the registration request from the communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things may include:

[0039] Receive registration requests from network open function nodes for communication devices to be managed; wherein, the registration request is sent from the application layer function node to the network open function node.

[0040] In this exemplary embodiment, the registration request can be initiated by the application layer functional node. After initiating the registration request for the communication device to be managed, the application layer functional node can send the registration request to the network open functional node, which then forwards it to the management functional node. In some necessary implementations, the application layer functional node can also send a registration request for the reader corresponding to the communication device to be managed to the network open functional node. For example, the AF network element can send a registration request for the UE Reader (User Equipment Reader) managed or authorized by the communication device to the NFF network element.

[0041] For example, in this exemplary embodiment, the AF network element can initiate a registration request for the managed communication device to the network-side NEF network element. Simultaneously, if necessary, the AF will also send registration requests for the UE Readers it manages or authorizes. After receiving the registration request from the AF network element, the NEF network element can discover and select one or more corresponding managed communication devices based on the registration information. Furthermore, after discovering and selecting one or more corresponding managed communication devices, the NEF network element can forward the registration request for the corresponding managed communication device to the corresponding AMF network element and / or AIoTMF network element. It should be noted that if the NEF network element, after discovering and selecting one or more corresponding managed communication devices, also receives a registration request for a UE reader, it can also forward it to the corresponding AMF network element and / or AIoTMF network element.

[0042] In one exemplary embodiment, the Internet of Things (IoT) further includes an information processing node, which is used to perform relevant information processing on the communication devices to be managed.

[0043] In this exemplary embodiment, the information processing node may include an AUSF (Authentication Server Function) network element, a UDM (Unified Data Management) network element, etc. The AUSF network element can be used to access the network or authenticate information for managed communication devices, while the UDM network element can uniformly manage data for authentication, user identification, access authorization, registration, mobility, subscription, or SMS management, etc.

[0044] In this exemplary embodiment, after being enhanced with relevant functions for passive IoT, the management function node can perform related services such as registration, authorization, authentication, or access management on devices in the IoT. At the same time, the registration information of the communication devices to be managed in the IoT can also be stored in the management function node, and the authorization or authentication information can be stored on the AUSF / UDM side.

[0045] Figure 2 illustrates a flowchart of a registration request initiation process in this exemplary embodiment, which may specifically include:

[0046] Step S210: Application layer functional node (AF) 201 initiates a registration request for the communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things to the network-side network open functional node (NEF) 300;

[0047] In step S220, after receiving the request sent by the application layer function network element 201, the network open function node 202 discovers and selects one or more corresponding management function nodes (AMF / AIoTMF) 203 according to the registration information.

[0048] In step S230, after discovering and selecting one or more corresponding management function nodes 203, the network open function node 300 forwards the registration request of the corresponding communication device to be managed, or the registration request of the communication device to be managed and the user equipment reader to the corresponding management function node 203.

[0049] In step S240, the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) / Unified Data Management Function (UDM) node 204 and the management function node 203 will collaboratively process the relevant registration, authorization, and authentication information of the communication devices to be managed and the user equipment readers.

[0050] In one exemplary embodiment, after receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things (IoT), the IoT service management method may further include:

[0051] Receive reader registration requests for unregistered readers in the Internet of Things (IoT), and search for candidate readers in the IoT that correspond to the communication device to be managed based on the reader registration requests;

[0052] The working status of candidate readers is detected, and the candidate readers whose working status meets the first preset condition are identified as target readers.

[0053] In this exemplary embodiment, after receiving the corresponding registration request, if there are unregistered readers in the Internet of Things, the management function node can also accept a reader registration request for the unregistered reader. The reader registration request can be sent to the management function node by the unregistered reader or by the application layer function node (such as the AF network element). This disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0054] This exemplary embodiment considers that when an application layer functional node initiates a registration request, the Internet of Things (IoT) typically needs to confirm which reader / writer the managed communication device falls within its service range. Therefore, the management functional node needs to confirm the specific reader / writer before requesting that reader / writer to access the corresponding candidate communication device. Based on this, after receiving a reader / writer registration request for an unregistered reader / writer, the management functional node can search for candidate readers / writers in the IoT based on the registration request to determine one or more readers / writers corresponding to the managed communication device. The searched candidate readers / writers have a certain correspondence with the managed communication device; this correspondence can be that the managed communication device is within the reader / writer's service range. For example, the AMF network element and / or AIoTMF network element can discover and select devices with read / write capabilities based on data stored in the core network or relevant requests sent by the AF network element. It should be noted that because base station information is confidential to the outside of the network, the core network typically stores information on base stations and terminals with read / write capabilities. Some unregistered terminals with read / write capabilities require the AF network element to provide device information. The UE Reader requested by the AF network element can only read, write, and transmit data after network authorization. In this exemplary embodiment, the candidate reader type may include a user equipment reader, such as a UE Reader, or a base station reader, such as a gNB Reader. To improve the effectiveness and accuracy of reader search, this exemplary embodiment may search for both UE Readers and gNB Readers simultaneously.

[0055] After identifying candidate readers, their operating status can be checked. This status reflects the current operating condition of the candidate reader, including whether it is currently available, idle, in terms of power consumption, active, or the percentage of tasks currently running. Then, to ensure the selected reader can execute subsequent processes correctly, this exemplary embodiment can determine the candidate reader whose operating status meets a first preset condition as the target reader. This first preset condition can be determined based on the specific operating status. For example, when the operating status is "available," the first preset condition could be that the reader is under the management of a management function node and is in an "available" state; when the operating status is "idle," the first preset condition could be that it is idle; when the operating status is "power consumption," the first preset condition could be that the power consumption is less than a preset threshold, etc.

[0056] It should be noted that when there are unregistered readers in the Internet of Things, the above search process is performed to register the readers. After network authorization, the readers can operate on the corresponding communication devices to be managed. If there are already registered readers in the network, there is no need to register again. The subsequent process can be performed through the registered readers corresponding to the communication devices to be managed and whose working status meets the first preset condition.

[0057] In addition, to ensure the security and effectiveness of the registration process, after receiving the corresponding registration request, the management function node can also be set to first register the communication device to be managed and process the relevant licensed services. If the license is approved, the subsequent services will be executed. If the license is rejected, the "request rejected" feedback data can be directly returned to the application layer function node.

[0058] In one exemplary embodiment, the above-described IoT service management method may further include:

[0059] The working status of the target reader is checked again to determine whether the target reader is active.

[0060] To ensure that the target reader can respond to service requests from the network, this exemplary embodiment can also re-detect the working status of the target reader to determine whether the target reader is in an active state. The purpose of the re-detection is to verify the status and capabilities of the target reader. The active state refers to the state in which the reader can work normally, respond to service requests from the network, or provide services.

[0061] For specific testing, a second testing process needs to be performed based on the type of the target reader. When the target reader is a base station reader, such as a gNB Reader, no confirmation is required because the management function node can already confirm whether it is active when querying and selecting the corresponding gNB Reader. However, when the target reader is a user equipment reader, such as a UE Reader, it may be within the service range, but it may not be active or able to provide services. Therefore, the working status of the UE Reader needs to be checked again to confirm whether it is active.

[0062] In one exemplary embodiment, the above-described IoT service management method may further include:

[0063] The target reader sends a status check request to the communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things (IoT) to check the working status of the communication device and determine whether the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage of the IoT.

[0064] When the working status of the communication device to be managed meets the second preset condition, and the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the Internet of Things, the registration of the communication device to be managed is performed according to the registration request.

[0065] After completing the status checks on all target readers, the management node can send status check requests to all managed communication devices that have been requested to register, through the target readers, to confirm whether the working status of the managed communication devices meets the second preset condition and whether they are within the coverage area of ​​the Internet of Things (IoT). The working status can include whether the managed communication device is idle, active, available, or capable of providing business services. Correspondingly, the second preset condition can include whether the managed communication device is idle, active, or available. When the working status of the managed communication device meets the second preset condition and the managed communication device is within the network coverage area of ​​the IoT, registration of the managed communication device is performed according to the registration request.

[0066] For example, AMF network elements and / or AIoTMF network elements can send a request to the target Reader to help the network confirm the device status of the corresponding communication device to be managed. The device status can include "Available" and "Unavailable". When the device status of the communication device to be managed is determined to be "Available" and it is within the network coverage of the Internet of Things, the communication device to be managed is registered.

[0067] In addition, this exemplary embodiment can also perform a registration process on readers that have not been registered but have sent a reader registration request when performing registration on the communication device to be managed.

[0068] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of the registration process performed by the management function node in this exemplary embodiment, which may specifically include:

[0069] In step S310, after receiving the corresponding registration request, the management function node (AMF / AIoTMF) 301 first processes the registration and related licensing services of the communication device to be managed;

[0070] In step S320, after receiving a registration request from a relevant communication device to be managed, or a communication device to be managed and a user equipment reader, the management function node 301 first discovers and selects candidate readers. Among one or more candidate readers corresponding to the communication device to be managed, it determines the target reader that is under the management of the management function node 301 and is in the "Available" state. The candidate reader may include a base station reader (gNB Reader) 302 or a user equipment reader (UE Reader) 303.

[0071] In step S330, after the management function node 301 has completed the discovery and selection of the target reader, it performs another round of confirmation on the status and capabilities of all selected readers.

[0072] Step S340: After completing the status check of all target readers, the management function node 301 sends a status check request to all the managed communication devices 304 in the passive IoT that have been requested to register through the target readers to confirm whether the managed communication device is within the network coverage of the passive IoT and whether the working status of the managed communication device is available.

[0073] Step S350: When the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the passive Internet of Things and its working state is available, the communication device to be managed is registered according to the registration request.

[0074] Step S120: If the communication device to be managed has completed registration, identify the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed.

[0075] In this exemplary embodiment, after the management function node completes the registration of all communication devices to be managed, or the communication devices to be managed and related readers, the management function node can perform relevant classification management of the device types and communication scenarios of the communication devices to be managed.

[0076] Typically, terminal devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) can be categorized into multiple types. For example, based on the capabilities of passive IoT devices, they can be divided into weak terminal devices (Type I terminals) and strong terminal devices (Type II terminals). A communication scenario can refer to the topology of the communication environment. Communication scenarios can also include multiple categories. For instance, based on the different readers used—base station reading and writing, and terminal reading and writing—four communication scenarios can be derived. These specific scenarios can include: "Base station—Ambient IoT device (BS)," "Base station—intermediate node—Ambient IoT device (BS)," "Base station—assisting node—Ambient IoT device—Base station (BS—assisting node—Ambient IoT device—BS) (taking line assistance as an example)," and "User Equipment—Ambient IoT device (UE)." Depending on the actual deployment, readers can be categorized into two types, thus simplifying the communication scenarios to base station reading / writing scenario (gNB Reading) and terminal reading / writing scenario (UE Reading).

[0077] In this exemplary embodiment, the management function node can perform classification of the communication devices to be managed after obtaining the type data of the communication devices to be managed reported by the RAN, and classify the communication scenarios after obtaining the relevant information and capabilities of the reader corresponding to the communication devices to be managed.

[0078] Step S130: Based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed, provide target network services to the communication device to be managed.

[0079] Finally, after determining the device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed, this exemplary embodiment can provide suitable target network services for the communication device to be managed according to the device type and / or communication scenario. Specifically, the target network service can be determined according to the device type, for example, deploying different types of network services for communication devices to be managed with different device types; the target network service can be determined according to the communication scenario, for example, deploying different types of network services for communication devices to be managed under different communication scenarios; the target network can also be determined jointly according to the device type and communication scenario, for example, deploying different network services for communication devices to be managed with different device types and different communication scenarios, etc.

[0080] In an exemplary embodiment, step S120 described above may include:

[0081] Obtain the identification information of the communication device to be managed from the target reader corresponding to the communication device to be managed, and identify the device type of the communication device to be managed based on the identification information;

[0082] The system acquires access requests from the target reader for the managed communication device to access the Internet of Things, and identifies the communication scenario of the managed communication device based on the access request.

[0083] In this exemplary embodiment, the management function node can obtain identification information about the communication device to be managed from the target reader (typically a base station or terminal with read / write capabilities), such as ID (Unique Identifier), name, or other identification strings that reflect the device or device type. Then, it identifies the device type of the communication device to be managed based on this identification information. This exemplary embodiment can enhance the AMF network element to determine the AIoTMF network element in a passive IoT environment, enabling the management function node to collect and classify the identification information of the communication devices to be managed. After obtaining the identification or capability information of the communication devices to be managed, the management function node can classify them and provide different target network services to different types of communication devices to be managed.

[0084] The management node can also determine the access communication scenario, i.e., the scenario topology, of the managed communication device by identifying the source of the access request sent by the target reader to the Internet of Things. The access request received by the management node can be the same as or different from the registration request. For example, the registration request may include additional business information so that the network can access or query this information when needed.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, step S130 described above may include:

[0086] Based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication devices to be managed, classify the communication devices to be managed.

[0087] Based on pre-configured service management rules, provide the target network services corresponding to the classification results to the communication devices to be managed.

[0088] The service management rules refer to management information that includes devices and the network services they can provide, as well as the correspondence between devices and network services. This information can be pre-stored on a specific terminal after configuration or stored in the Internet of Things (IoT). This exemplary embodiment can pre-configure the service management rules for devices in the IoT, setting what types of devices can provide what services. In other words, it can classify devices of different types or communication scenarios and set the network services that can be provided for different categories of devices. Furthermore, after identifying the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed, the device can be classified according to its type and / or communication scenario. Then, based on the classification results, the target network service with a mapping relationship with the device is determined by searching the service management rules. The target network service can include communication interaction services, such as roaming and sessions, data transmission services, data processing services, and so on.

[0089] For example, in this exemplary embodiment, the device type of the communication device to be managed can be divided into a strong terminal or a weak terminal, and the communication scenario can be divided into a base station read / write scenario and a terminal read / write scenario. According to the classification of the communication device to be managed as a strong terminal or a weak terminal, a strong terminal may have the ability to roam across different networks, or the ability to directly establish a data session and transmit data, or the ability to meet network positioning requirements. Here, the positioning capability refers to the network locating the terminal. A weak terminal may only transmit some simple data information through a reader / writer. When the device type of the communication device to be managed is identified as a strong terminal, the target network service may be to provide cross-network roaming service, direct data session transmission service, or network positioning service, etc. When the device type of the communication device to be managed is identified as a weak terminal, the target network service may be to provide simple data information transmission service, etc. For example, if there is a new protocol stack, strong terminals can directly use the existing protocol stack, while weak terminals can deploy a simplified protocol stack. When the device type of the communication device to be managed is identified as a strong terminal, the target network service can be the existing protocol stack. When the device type of the communication device to be managed is identified as a weak terminal, the target network service can be a pre-deployed simplified protocol stack, and so on.

[0090] Based on the above description, in this exemplary embodiment, a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things (IoT) is received, and the communication device to be managed is registered according to the registration request; when the communication device to be managed completes registration, the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed are identified; and target network services are provided to the communication device to be managed based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario. On the one hand, this exemplary embodiment proposes a novel IoT service management method that provides corresponding target network services to the communication device to be managed based on its device type and / or communication scenario, maximizing the network capabilities of devices under different categories in the IoT and the effectiveness of communication by the communication device to be managed in the IoT. On the other hand, when the communication device to be managed completes registration, this exemplary embodiment comprehensively explores the device capabilities of communication devices in the IoT by effectively identifying the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed, thus enabling the provision of targeted network services to different communication devices to be managed. Furthermore, the above service management process is flexible and convenient, and can meet the business needs of different scenarios and different devices.

[0091] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a passive Internet of Things (IoT) network system architecture in this exemplary embodiment. Specifically, it may include a passive IoT management function node 402, such as an AMF / AIoTMF (Ambient IoT Management Function) network element; a passive IoT user equipment (UE) reader / writer terminal 404, such as an Ambient IoT UE Reader; a base station reader / writer terminal 406, such as a Base Station (gNB Reader); a passive IoT terminal 408, such as a managed communication device in Ambient IoT; an authentication service function node 410, such as an AUSF (Authentication Server Function) network element; a unified data management node 412, such as a UDM (Unified Data Management) network element; a network open function node 414, such as a NEF network element; and an application function node 416, such as an AF network element. Additionally, other function nodes may be optionally selected, such as a passive non-standalone network 418, an AIoT NAS; a session management node 420, such as an SMF (Session Management Function) network element; and a user plane function node 422, such as a UPF (User Plane Function). Functions (user plane functions), network elements, etc.

[0092] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure also provides an Internet of Things (IoT) service management device. Referring to FIG5, the device 500 may include: a request receiving module 510, configured to receive a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the IoT and register the communication device to be managed according to the registration request; a device identification module 520, configured to identify the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed after the communication device to be managed has completed registration; and a service providing module 530, configured to provide target network services to the communication device to be managed according to the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed.

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things (IoT), the IoT service management device further includes: a reader search unit, configured to receive a reader registration request from the IoT regarding an unregistered reader, and search for candidate readers corresponding to the communication device to be managed in the IoT according to the reader registration request; and a reader detection unit, configured to detect the working status of the candidate readers, and determine the candidate readers whose working status meets a first preset condition as the target reader.

[0094] In an exemplary embodiment, the IoT service management device further includes: a reader re-detection unit, configured to re-detect the working state of the target reader to determine whether the target reader is in an active state.

[0095] In an exemplary embodiment, the IoT service management device further includes: a device status checking unit, configured to send a status checking request to a communication device to be managed in the IoT via a target reader / writer to check the working status of the communication device to be managed and determine whether the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the IoT; and when the working status of the communication device to be managed meets a second preset condition and the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the IoT, to perform registration of the communication device to be managed according to the registration request.

[0096] In one exemplary embodiment, the device identification module includes: an identification information identification unit, configured to obtain identification information of the communication device to be managed from a target reader corresponding to the communication device to be managed, and identify the device type of the communication device to be managed based on the identification information; and an access request identification unit, configured to obtain an access request sent by the target reader for the communication device to be managed to access the Internet of Things, and identify the communication scenario of the communication device to be managed based on the access request.

[0097] In one exemplary embodiment, the service providing module includes: a device classification unit, configured to classify the communication devices to be managed according to the identified device type and / or communication scenario; and a service providing unit, configured to provide the communication devices to be managed with target network services corresponding to the classification results according to pre-configured service management rules.

[0098] In one exemplary embodiment, the Internet of Things further includes a network open function node and an application layer function node; the request receiving module includes: a registration request receiving unit, used to receive a registration request from a communication device to be managed sent by the network open function node; wherein the registration request is sent from the application layer function node to the network open function node.

[0099] The specific details of each module / unit in the above-mentioned device have been described in detail in the embodiments of the method section. For any undisclosed details, please refer to the embodiments of the method section, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0100] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure also provides an electronic device capable of implementing the above-described method.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented as a system, method, or program product. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms: a completely hardware implementation, a completely software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software aspects, collectively referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system."

[0102] The electronic device 600 according to such an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to FIG6. The electronic device 600 shown in FIG6 is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0103] As shown in Figure 6, the electronic device 600 is presented in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 600 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 610, at least one storage unit 620, a bus 630 connecting different system components (including storage unit 620 and processing unit 610), and a display unit 640.

[0104] The storage unit stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 610 to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For example, the processing unit 610 can perform the steps shown in FIG1, FIG2, or FIG3, etc.

[0105] Storage unit 620 may include readable media in the form of volatile storage units, such as random access memory (RAM) 621 and / or cache memory 622, and may further include read-only memory (ROM) 623.

[0106] Storage unit 620 may also include a program / utility 624 having a set (at least one) of program modules 625, including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0107] Bus 630 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0108] Electronic device 600 can also communicate with one or more external devices 700 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), and with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 600, and / or with any device that enables electronic device 600 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 650. Furthermore, electronic device 600 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 660. As shown, network adapter 660 communicates with other modules of electronic device 600 via bus 630. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 600, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0109] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0110] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a program product stored thereon capable of implementing the methods described above in this specification. In some possible implementations, various aspects of this disclosure may also be implemented as a program product including program code that, when the program product is run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0111] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide a program product for implementing the above-described method, which may employ a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and may run on a terminal device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of this disclosure is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that may be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0112] The program product may employ any combination of one or more readable media. A readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of readable storage media include: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0113] Computer-readable signal media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, capable of sending, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0114] The program code contained on the readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0115] Program code for performing the operations of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing devices can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0116] Furthermore, the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Additionally, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0117] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0118] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and embodiments are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the claims.

[0119] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is defined only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An Internet of Things (IoT) service management method, the method being applied to management function nodes in an IoT; the method comprising: Receive a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things, and register the communication device to be managed according to the registration request; Upon completion of registration of the communication device to be managed, the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed are identified; Based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed, provide target network services to the communication device to be managed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, After receiving a registration request from a communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things, the method further includes: Receive a reader registration request for an unregistered reader in the Internet of Things (IoT), and search for a candidate reader in the IoT corresponding to the communication device to be managed based on the reader registration request; The working status of the candidate readers is detected, and the candidate readers whose working status meets the first preset condition are determined as the target readers.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The method further includes: The working status of the target reader is checked again to determine whether the target reader is active.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The method further includes: The target reader sends a status check request to the communication device to be managed in the Internet of Things to check the working status of the communication device to be managed and to determine whether the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the Internet of Things. When the working state of the communication device to be managed meets the second preset condition, and the communication device to be managed is within the network coverage area of ​​the Internet of Things, the registration of the communication device to be managed is performed according to the registration request.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The process of identifying the device type and communication scenario of the communication device to be managed includes: The identification information of the communication device to be managed is obtained from the target reader corresponding to the communication device to be managed, and the device type of the communication device to be managed is identified according to the identification information; The system obtains the access request sent by the target reader for the communication device to be managed to access the Internet of Things, and identifies the communication scenario of the communication device to be managed based on the access request.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The step of providing target network services to the communication device under management based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario includes: The communication devices to be managed are classified according to the identified device type and / or communication scenario; Based on pre-configured service management rules, target network services corresponding to the classification results are provided to the communication devices to be managed.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The Internet of Things also includes network open function nodes and application layer function nodes; Receiving registration requests from communication devices to be managed in the Internet of Things includes: Receive a registration request from the network open function node for the communication device to be managed; wherein the registration request is sent from the application layer function node to the network open function node.

8. An Internet of Things (IoT) service management device, the device being used as a management function node in an IoT; the device comprising: A request receiving module is used to receive registration requests from communication devices to be managed in the Internet of Things, and to register the communication devices to be managed according to the registration requests; The device identification module is used to identify the communication device to be managed after the device has completed registration. Device type and communication scenario; The service providing module is used to provide target network services to the communication device to be managed based on the identified device type and / or communication scenario of the communication device to be managed.

9. An electronic device, comprising: processor; as well as Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1-7 by executing the executable instructions.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

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