Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method. The method comprises: a network data analytics function network element sends a first request to a location management function network element, wherein the first request is used for requesting location information and location measurement information corresponding to at least one terminal device, and the at least one terminal device is a terminal device that does not support a positioning reference unit (PRU) function; and the network data analytics function network element receives a first response from the location management function network element, wherein the first response comprises identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device. In this way, the network data analytics function network element can obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device which does not support the PRU function, so as to perform positioning model training.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410660004.6, filed on May 24, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] Positioning can be performed using an artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) model. The AI / ML model can be located on a location management function (LMF) or on a network data analytics function (NWDAF), which can be deployed in combination with the LMF.

[0004] The NWDAF network element needs to collect training data for model training, which includes model input and labels corresponding to the model input (i.e., the position of the terminal device).

[0005] The terminal device can support a positioning reference unit (PRU) function or not. In the prior art, for a terminal device supporting the PRU function, the NWDAF network element obtains PRU information including PRU position information (which can be used as labels corresponding to the model input) and PRU measurement information (which can be used as model input), which can be used for positioning model training of the terminal device.

[0006] However, in the case where the terminal device does not support the PRU function, there is currently no solution for the NWDAF network element to train the positioning-related AI / ML model. SUMMARY

[0007] The communication method and the communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application can obtain information of at least one terminal device not supporting the PRU function for model training, so as to improve the accuracy of positioning.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0009] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a network data analytics function (NWDAF) or a component of an access and mobility management function (AMF), such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the NWDAF or the AMF, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the NWDAF or the AMF. The method comprises: sending a first request to a location management function (LMF), the first request being used to request location information and location measurement information corresponding to at least one terminal device, wherein the at least one terminal device is a terminal device that does not support a position reference unit (PRU) function; and receiving a first response from the LMF, the first response comprising identification information, location information, and location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device.

[0010] In the embodiments of the present application, if the execution subject of the method is the NWDAF, the NWDAF can request the LMF to obtain the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function through the first request, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag. The NWDAF can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, the location tag, and the location measurement information, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0011] In the embodiments of the present application, if the execution subject of the method is the AMF, the AMF can request the LMF to obtain the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function through the first request, and then further send the information to the NWDAF, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag. The NWDAF can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, the location tag, and the location measurement information, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0012] It should be understood that the name of the first request itself has the function of instructing the LMF to provide the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device. In this case, the first request can be a service operation name or a message name newly defined in the present application, which is different from the prior art.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first indication information included in the first request is used to indicate that the location management function network element provides the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device. It should be understood that if the first request is a service name or a message name in the prior art, the first indication information in the first request is used to indicate that the location management function network element provides the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device, so that the location management function network element can determine the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function according to the first indication information.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first request further includes identification information of the at least one terminal device. That is, the first request can further include the identification information of the at least one terminal device, so that the location management function network element can determine the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function according to the identification information of the at least one terminal device.

[0015] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first request further includes region information. That is, the first request can further include the region information, so that the location management function network element can determine the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device according to the region information.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes determining the identification information of the at least one terminal device according to the region information. That is, the identification information of the at least one terminal device included in the first request can be determined by the network data analysis function network element or the access and mobility management function network element according to the region information.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, before the first request is sent to the location management function network element, the method further includes determining information of the location management function network element. It should be understood that the network data analysis function network element or the access and mobility management function network element can first determine the information of the location management function network element before the first request is sent to the location management function network element. The information of the location management function network element can include identification of the location management function network element or address of the location management function network element, and the like.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the information of the location management function network element is determined by: sending a second request to the network storage function network element, the second request being used for requesting the information of the location management function network element, wherein the second request comprises the area information and / or the first service name of the location management function network element; and receiving the information of the location management function network element from the network storage function network element, wherein the service area of the location management function network element comprises the area indicated by the area information, and / or the location management function network element supports the service indicated by the first service name. That is, in order to determine the information of the location management function network element, the network data analysis function network element or the access and mobility management function network element sends a second request comprising the area information and / or the first service name of the location management function network element to the network storage function network element, to assist the network storage function network element in determining and feeding back the information of the location management function network element. It should be understood that if the first request is a service operation name or a message name in the prior art, the second request can only comprise the area information; if the first request is a service operation name or a message name newly defined in the application, the second request comprises the area information and the first service name of the location management function network element, or only comprises the first service name of the location management function network element.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first request is sent to the location management function network element by: sending the first request to the location management function network element through an intermediate network element.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first response is received from the location management function network element by: receiving the first response from the location management function network element through an intermediate network element.

[0021] That is, the interaction (such as the first request and the first response) between the network data analysis function network element or the access and mobility management function network element and the location management function network element can be direct interaction, or indirect interaction through some intermediate network element.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the intermediate network element comprises the access and mobility management function network element, or the intermediate network element comprises a gateway mobile positioning center network element and the access and mobility management function network element.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first request can further comprise accuracy information. That is, the first request can further comprise accuracy information such as a location accuracy requirement or a location accuracy threshold, so that the location information corresponding to the at least one terminal device in the first response meets the accuracy information.

[0024] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: determining the positioning model based on the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function.

[0025] The second aspect provides a communication apparatus for implementing the methods described above. The communication apparatus can be the network data analytics function network element or the access and mobility management function network element in the implementation manners of the first aspect, or a device containing the network data analytics function network element or the access and mobility management function network element, or a device, such as a chip, contained in the network data analytics function network element or the access and mobility management function network element. The communication apparatus includes modules, units, or means for implementing the methods described above, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0026] In some possible designs, the communication apparatus can include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement the functions of transmitting and / or receiving in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof. The transceiver module can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. The processing module can be configured to implement the processing functions in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0027] In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a transmitting module and a receiving module, which are configured to implement the functions of transmitting and receiving in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0028] The third aspect provides a communication apparatus, including: at least one processor; the processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions to enable the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the aspects described above.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the memory is coupled with the processor, and the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be independent of the processor. Optionally, the processor is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the memory is independent of the communication apparatus.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface configured to communicate with modules outside the communication apparatus.

[0032] The communication apparatus can be the network data analytics function network element or the access and mobility management function network element in any of the above aspects or any implementation manner thereof, or an apparatus containing the network data analytics function network element or the access and mobility management function network element, or an apparatus contained in the network data analytics function network element or the access and mobility management function network element, such as a chip.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions, when running on a communication apparatus, causes the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the above aspects or any implementation manner thereof.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, when running on a communication apparatus, causes the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the above aspects or any implementation manner thereof.

[0035] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus (for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system) is provided, which includes a processor configured to implement the functions involved in any of the above aspects or any implementation manner thereof.

[0036] In some possible designs, the communication apparatus includes a memory configured to store necessary program instructions and data.

[0037] In some possible designs, when the apparatus is a chip system, the apparatus can be composed of a chip or contain a chip and other discrete devices.

[0038] It can be understood that, when the communication apparatus in any of the second aspect to the sixth aspect is a chip, the sending action / function can be understood as output, and the receiving action / function can be understood as input.

[0039] The technical effects brought by any of the third aspect to the seventh aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by the different design manners of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the network data analytics function network element and the location management function network element in any of the above aspects or any implementation manner thereof, or the access and mobility management function network element and the location management function network element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0041] FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of downlink positioning;

[0042] FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of uplink positioning;

[0043] FIG. 2 is an information collection flowchart of a terminal device supporting PRU function according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG. 3 is an architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 9 is a structure diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 10 is a structure diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] For the convenience of understanding the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, first, a brief introduction of the related technical terms of the present application is given. The brief introduction is as follows:

[0053] Traditional wireless positioning algorithms (e.g. downlink-time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), downlink-angle of departure (DL-AOD), uplink-time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink-angle of arrival (UL-AOA), etc.) have poor location accuracy in some scenarios, which cannot meet the demand of high-precision positioning. For example, traditional positioning algorithms generally need at least 3 path measurement information to estimate the location, but in a severe non-line of sight (NLOS) environment, it is almost impossible to find at least 3 line of sight (LOS) paths that can be used to calculate the location at the same time, which will lead to stronger NLOS paths being mistaken for LOS paths, and the measurement signal of NLOS paths is poor, resulting in poor location accuracy of traditional algorithms. Or in a light / medium NLOS environment, the number of LOS paths is sufficient, but LOS path misjudgment may also occur, resulting in poor location accuracy of traditional algorithms.

[0054] To solve the problem of poor accuracy of traditional positioning algorithms in NLOS environment, AI model can be used for positioning in NLOS environment. Research results show that using AI model can obtain much higher location accuracy than traditional positioning algorithms in NLOS environment. Currently, the third generation partnership project (3 rd generation partnership project,3GPP) standard discusses multiple AI positioning scenarios, and the embodiments of the present application mainly consider the scenario where the AI / ML model is located in the LMF as shown in FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 1a, it is a schematic diagram of downlink positioning. The gNB sends downlink positioning reference signal (PRS) to the UE, the UE measures to obtain PRS measurement data, and sends the measurement data to the location management function (LMF) network element. The LMF infers the UE location estimation result based on the local AI / ML model and the measurement data of the UE.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1b, which is a schematic diagram of uplink positioning, the UE sends an uplink channel sounding reference signal (SRS) to the gNB, the gNB measures to obtain SRS measurement data, and sends the measurement data to the LMF, and the LMF infers the UE position estimation result based on the local AI / ML model and the measurement data of the gNB.

[0057] The positioning AI / ML model is mainly divided into two categories according to the model output type. One is AI assisted positioning (A-AI / ML), which outputs intermediate information such as LOS / NLOS probability of the path or TOA estimation of the path, and the LMF uses these intermediate information to obtain the estimated UE position based on the traditional positioning algorithm (such as time difference of arrival (TDOA)); the other is direct AI / ML positioning (D-AI / ML), which directly outputs the estimated UE position. The model on the LMF side is a D-AI / ML model, that is, the model output is the UE position.

[0058] In order to perform AI positioning, the LMF network element needs to use an AI / ML model, which may be pre-configured to the LMF or obtained by the LMF from other places, such as from the network data analysis function (NWDAF) network element. The 5G network introduces the NWDAF, which is divided into two types of model training logical function (MTLF) and analytics logical function (AnLF). The MTLF can collect data in the network and train AI / ML models based on these data, and can provide trained models to the AnLF based on the request of the AnLF;

[0059] An LF can perform data statistics and inference, or perform model inference based on an AI / ML model, derive corresponding analysis results according to the request of a consumer (for example, an access and mobility function (AMF) / session management function (SMF) / policy control function (PCF)), and open the analysis results to the consumer. Therefore, an AI / ML model for positioning can be trained by an MTLF, and then sent to an LMF, and the LMF performs AI positioning based on the AI / ML model and collected measurement data.

[0060] MTLF training an AI / ML positioning model needs to collect training data, which includes model input (for example, channel impulse response (CIR) / channel power delay profile (PDP), etc.) and labels corresponding to the model input (i.e., UE position). The MTLF can calculate the model output based on the model input, and update the model parameters based on the error between the model output and the label until the error between the model output and the label is small enough.

[0061] The label of the AI / ML positioning model can be obtained by a UE supporting the function of a PRU, wherein the concept of the PRU is as follows:

[0062] The UE can support the function of the PRU, and the UE can associate PRU information to one or more LMFs through a PRU association process. The PRU information associated to the LMF network element includes one or more attribute information of the PRU:

[0063] PRU positioning capabilities;

[0064] PRU known location information if known;

[0065] PRU ON / OFF state, indicating whether the PRU function in the UE is turned on or off.

[0066] When the LMF network element and PRU information are associated, the LMF network element can update its network element profile (NF profile) to the network repository function (NRF), that is, store / update the "location reference unit existence indication (PRU existence indication)" at the tracking area identifier (TAI) level in the NF profile, thereby supporting the AMF / other LMFs to discover the LMF network element supporting the PRU from the NRF based on the information.

[0067] If the UE supports the PRU function, the UE can also store the location service (LCS) subscription data in the unified data management (UDM), and the subscription data includes the "location reference unit indication (PRU indication)", which is used to indicate that the UE can serve as a PRU.

[0068] Correspondingly, if the UE does not support the PRU function, the UE cannot associate the PRU information to one or more LMFs through the PRU association process, so that these LMFs cannot update their network element profiles (NF profiles) to the NRF network element (including the above-mentioned location reference unit existence indication).

[0069] It should be understood that if the UE does not support the PRU function, the UE will not store the corresponding subscription data including the "location reference unit indication (PRU indication)" in the unified data management (UDM).

[0070] In the prior art, the NWDAF network element obtains the terminal location label and location measurement data from the UE supporting the PRU function, and the positioning-related AI / ML model training process is as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically:

[0071] S101, the NWDAF network element triggers the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request service operation to the NRF network element, and the service operation includes the PRU existence indication and the area of interest (AOI).

[0072] S102, the NRF network element determines information (i.e., NF profile) of one or more LMF network elements that can be associated with the terminal device supporting the PRU function according to the PRU existence indication and the AoI, and sends the information of the LMF network element to the NWDAF network element through the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request response service operation.

[0073] S103, after the NWDAF network element receives the information of one or more LMF network elements that can be associated with the terminal device supporting the PRU function from the NRF, the LMF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to each of the LMF network elements, for requesting information of the terminal device supporting the PRU function in the area, including UE ID, location label and measurement information (such as CIR / PDP, etc.) of the terminal device. Wherein, the PRU indication information and the AoI are carried in the service operation.

[0074] S104, the LMF network element identifies one or more terminal devices supporting the PRU function in the AoI.

[0075] S105, the LMF network element obtains the information of the terminal device using the positioning process of the terminal device supporting the PRU function.

[0076] S106, the LMF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Response service operation to the NWDAF network element, and sends the information of the terminal device to the NWDAF network element.

[0077] S107, after the NWDAF obtains the information of one or more terminal devices supporting the PRU function (including UE ID, location label and measurement information (such as CIR / PDP, etc.) of the terminal device), the NWDAF performs positioning related AI / ML model training.

[0078] However, it is not clear at present how the NWDAF network element supporting the MTLF obtains the information of the terminal device not supporting the PRU function (including UE ID, location label and measurement information (such as CIR / PDP, etc.) of the UE not supporting the PRU function).

[0079] To solve the technical problem, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions, which will be described below in combination with other drawings.

[0080] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a wireless network system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle networking communication system, a 4G mobile communication system such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5G mobile communication system such as a new radio (NR) system, and a future communication system.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, the indication can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by certain information (for example, the first indication information, the second indication information, or the third indication information, etc. in the following) is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information, etc. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be only indicated in part, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common part of each information can be identified and uniformly indicated to reduce the indication overhead caused by separately indicating the same information.

[0082] In addition, the specific indication manner can also be various existing indication manners, for example, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication manners and various combinations thereof, etc. The specific details of various indication manners can refer to the prior art, which will not be described herein. As known from the above, for example, when multiple information of the same type needs to be indicated, the indication manners of different information can be different. In the implementation process, the required indication manner can be selected according to the specific needs, and the selected indication manner is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In this way, the indication manner involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood as covering various methods that can enable the to-be-indicated party to know the to-be-indicated information.

[0083] The predefinition or pre-configuration can be realized by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating relevant information in the device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation manner. The storage can be in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately arranged or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor or communication device. The one or more memories can be partially separately arranged and partially integrated in the decoder, processor or communication device. The memory can be any form of storage medium, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0084] The protocol referred to in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a protocol family in the communication field, a standard protocol similar to the protocol family frame structure, or a relevant protocol applied to a future communication system, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions such as "when", "in the case of", "if" and "whether" all refer to that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective condition, and are not limited in time, and do not require the device to have a judgment action when implemented, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0086] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents that the objects before and after the correlation are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the embodiments of the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, of which A and B can be singular or plural. And in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or the like means any combination of the items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, of which a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same function and role. The skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second", etc. do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second", etc. also do not limit the difference. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, "exemplary" or "for example" means to serve as an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, "exemplary" or "for example" is used to present the relevant concept in a specific manner, and to facilitate understanding.

[0087] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. The skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0088] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, FIG. 3 is a 5G network architecture based on a service interface provided by an embodiment of the present application. The architecture includes network elements such as a terminal device (user equipment, UE), a radio access network device (radio access network, RAN), operation / administration and maintenance (operation administration and maintenance, OAM), an access and mobility management function (access and mobility management function, AMF), a session management function (session management function, SMF), a user plane function (user plane function, UPF), a policy control function (policy control function, PCF), a unified data management (unified data management, UDM), an NRF, a NWDAF, an NEF, an application function (application function, AF), an LMF, a gateway mobile location center (gateway mobile location center, GMLC), and the like.

[0089] wherein,

[0090] The UE can be located within the coverage range of the beam / cell of the access network device, and the access network device can provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0091] In FIG. 3, the UE can be a device supporting wireless transceiving function or a chip or chip system that can be provided in the device, and can allow a user to access a network, which is a device for providing voice and / or data connectivity to a user. The UE can also be referred to as a terminal device, a terminal device, a subscriber unit, a terminal, or a mobile station (MS) or a mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0092] For example, the UE in FIG. 3 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or a computer with wireless transceiver function. The terminal device can also be a user station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile terminal device, a user terminal device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, a user device, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device supporting wireless communication function, a computing device, a processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in Internet of Things, a household appliance, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle supporting vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capability, a smart connected vehicle, a drone with unmanned aerial vehicle to unmanned aerial vehicle (U2U) communication capability, a terminal device in future network, or a terminal device in future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., without limitation.

[0093] RAN: can be any kind of device deployed in an access network capable of wireless communication with a terminal device, can also be a chip or chip system that can be provided in the above device, can also be a logical node or a logical module or a software-implemented function, and can be used to implement wireless physical control functions, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management, etc. Specifically, the network device can be a device supporting wired access or a device supporting wireless access.

[0094] An access network device can be composed of one or more access network (AN) / radio access network (RAN) nodes, for example. The AN / RAN nodes can be: a gNB, a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB, a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, home eNodeB, or home NodeB, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc.

[0095] In yet another example, a radio access network device can also be a device including a centralized unit (CU) node, or including a distributed unit (DU) node, or including a CU node and a DU node. For example, an access network device can be logically divided into a CU and a DU, with the functions of part of the protocol layers being centrally controlled in the CU, and the rest of the protocol layers being distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. Further, the centralized unit CU can also be divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). In different systems, the CU (including CU-CP or CU-UP), or the DU can also have different names, for example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, and the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP.

[0096] NWDAF network element: with functions of data collection, model training, data analysis, model inference, etc., which can be used to collect relevant data from network function network elements, third-party service servers, terminal devices or network management systems (such as OAM), make data analysis or model training based on relevant data, and provide data analysis results to network function network elements, third-party service servers, terminal devices or network management systems, or provide trained models to other data analysis function network elements. Network data analysis function network elements can be divided into analysis logic function and model training logic function according to functions. Among them, the analysis logic function is a logical function in the network data analysis function network element, which is used to perform model inference, derive analysis results (i.e. derive statistical or predicted analysis results according to the request of analysis consumer), and open analysis results. The model training logic function is a logical function in the network data analysis function network element, which is used to train models and open training services (such as providing trained models). A network data analysis function network element may only contain analysis logic function or only contain model training logic function, or may contain both analysis logic function and model training logic function, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0097] AMF network element: mainly responsible for terminal device access authentication, mobility management, signaling interaction between various function network elements, termination of non-access layer (non-access stratum, NAS) layer signaling security, etc. Such as: management of user registration state, reachability state, N1 / N2 interface signaling transmission, access authentication and authorization, user connection state, user registration into network, tracking area update, cell handover user authentication, key security, etc.

[0098] SMF network element: mainly provides session management of terminal device session (such as session establishment, modification and release), internet protocol (internet protocol, IP) address allocation and management, and selection and control of user plane network element, etc.

[0099] UPF network element: responsible for packet routing and forwarding, policy implementation, traffic reporting, quality of service (Quality of Services, QoS) processing, etc.

[0100] UDM network element: manages user subscription, access authorization, authentication information generation, etc.

[0101] NRF network element: provides network element registration and discovery capability in network.

[0102] PCF network element: mainly responsible for generating terminal device access policy and quality of service flow control policy, and can also provide generated policy to access and mobility management function network element or session management function network element, etc.

[0103] OAM: mainly complete daily network and service analysis, prediction, planning and configuration, and test and fault management of network and its services, etc. OAM can interact with RAN to obtain UE location information measured by RAN or reported by UE.

[0104] AF network element: mainly an intermediate functional entity for interaction between application server in data network (DN) and network element in core network, delivering application side requirements to network side (such as quality of service requirement or user state event subscription, etc.), through which application server can realize dynamic control of network quality of service and charging, obtain running information of certain network element in core network, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the application function network element can be a functional entity deployed by an operator, that is, a trusted AF, or a functional entity deployed by a service provider, which can be a third-party service provider (corresponding to untrusted AF), or an internal service provider of the operator (corresponding to trusted AF), without limitation.

[0105] NEF network element: mainly responsible for providing network capabilities and event exposure to external access entities (such as untrusted AF network element), and receiving related external information (such as receiving information provided by untrusted AF network element).

[0106] LMF network element: mainly responsible for overall coordination and scheduling of resources required for management of UE location registered or accessing 5G core network, and can calculate or verify estimated UE location or speed, etc.

[0107] GMLC network element: the first node of a public land mobile network (PLMN) accessed by an external positioning application, responsible for performing registration authentication and other tasks.

[0108] Among them, the discovery and selection of LMF network element:

[0109] The AMF network element supports the LMF network element selection function to determine the LMF network element for location estimation of the target UE. The LMF network element selection function is also supported by the LMF network element for selecting other LMF network elements if the LMF network element determines that it is not suitable or unable to support the location of the current UE accessing the network or the serving cell. The LMF network element selection function can also be supported by the GMLC network element, which can provide the selected LMF ID to the AMF network element.

[0110] The selection / reselection of the LMF network element can be performed by the AMF network element, the LMF network element or the GMLC network element based on local available information (i.e. the configuration file of the LMF network element configured locally in the AMF network element or the LMF network element or the GMLC network element), or by querying the NRF network element.

[0111] When the AMF receives a non-access stratum (NAS) message from the UE, if the LMF ID and the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message are included in the NAS message, the AMF network element sends the LPP message to the LMF network element indicated by the LMF ID.

[0112] The UDM network element can store the LMF ID in the UE subscription data. In the positioning process, the GMLC network element can receive the LMF ID from the UDM network element and provide it to the AMF.

[0113] The GMLC network element / AMF network element can be locally configured with the following parameters:

[0114] LMF ID: and / or per group ID and its correlating LMF ID.

[0115] The GMLC network element / AMF network element can use the local configuration to determine the LMF according to the UE identity or its group information.

[0116] When the GMLC network element receives a positioning request from a positioning service client (LCS Client) / application function (AF), the GMLC determines the LMF ID according to the configuration parameters corresponding to the LCS Client / AF. In the case where a group ID is provided or derived from the positioning request, the GMLC network element determines the relevant LMF ID according to the provided group ID.

[0117] The GMLC network element can configure one or more dedicated LMF IDs, which are independent of any LCS Client / AF. When the GMLC network element receives a positioning request from the LCS Client / AF network element, the GMLC network element only determines the LMF ID in the configuration corresponding to all LCS Client / AF network elements.

[0118] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method, so that the NWDAF network element can obtain the information of the terminal device (including the UE ID, location tag, and measurement information (such as CIR / PDP, etc.) corresponding to the UE that does not support the PRU function), thereby realizing the training of the positioning-related AI / ML model.

[0119] The interaction process between the network elements / devices in the communication system will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 4. The information transmission method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 3.

[0120] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a general information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0121] S401, the first network element sends a first request to the location management function network element, the first request being used to request location information and location measurement information corresponding to at least one terminal device, wherein the at least one terminal device is a terminal device that does not support a PRU function.

[0122] It should be understood that the first network element can be a network data analysis function network element or an access and mobility management function network element.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the message name or service name corresponding to the first request can itself indicate that the location management function network element provides the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device.

[0124] In the embodiments of the present application, if the execution subject of the method is the network data analysis function network element, the network data analysis function network element can request the location management function network element to obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function through the first request, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag, and the network data analysis function network element can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, the location tag and the location measurement information, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0125] In the embodiments of the present application, if the execution subject of the method is the access and mobility management function network element, the access and mobility management function network element can request the location management function network element to obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function through the first request, and then further send them to the network data analysis function network element, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag, and the network data analysis function network element can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, the location tag and the location measurement information, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0126] It should be understood that the name of the first request itself has the function of indicating that the location management function network element provides the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device, and in this case, the first request can be a service operation name or a message name newly defined in the present application and different from the prior art.

[0127] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is included in the first request, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management function network element provides the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device. It should be understood that if the first request is a service name or a message name in the prior art, the first indication information in the first request is used to indicate that the location management function network element provides the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device, so that the location management function network element can determine the identity information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function according to the first indication information.

[0128] In a possible implementation, the identity information of the at least one terminal device is included in the first request. That is, the identity information of the at least one terminal device can be further included in the first request, so that the location management function network element can determine the identity information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function according to the identity information of the at least one terminal device.

[0129] In a possible implementation, the area information is included in the first request. That is, the area information can be further included in the first request, so that the location management function network element can determine the identity information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function according to the area information.

[0130] In a possible implementation, the first network element determines the identity information of the at least one terminal device according to the area information. That is, the identity information of the at least one terminal device included in the first request can be determined by the network data analysis function network element or the access and mobility management function network element according to the area information.

[0131] In a possible implementation, when the first network element is the network data analysis function network element, the first network element determines the identity information of the at least one terminal device according to the area information, including: the network data analysis function network element can send a second request to the access and mobility management function network element, the second request being used to request the identity information of the at least one terminal device, and the area information being included in the second request; and the network data analysis function network element receives a second response from the access and mobility management function network element, and the identity information of the at least one terminal device located in the area information being included in the second response.

[0132] In a possible implementation, before sending the first request to the location management function network element, the first network element determines information of the location management function network element. It should be understood that the information of the location management function network element includes identification information or address information of the location management function network element. It should be understood that before sending the first request to the location management function network element, the first network element can first determine the information of the location management function network element. The determination of the information of the location management function network element can include identification of the location management function network element or address information of the location management function network element.

[0133] In a possible implementation, the first network element determines the information of the location management network element, including: the first network element sends a third request to the network storage function network element, the third request being used for requesting the information of the location management function network element, wherein the third request includes the area information and / or the first service name of the location management function network element; and the first network element receives a third response from the network storage function network element, the third response including the information of the location management function network element, wherein the service area of the location management function network element includes the area indicated by the area information, and / or the location management function network element supports the service indicated by the first service name. That is, in order to determine the information of the location management function network element, the first network element can send a second request including the area information and / or the first service name of the location management function network element to the network storage function network element, to assist the network storage function network element in determining and feeding back the information of the location management function network element. It should be understood that if the first request is a service operation name or a message name in the prior art, the second request can only include the area information; if the first request is a service operation name or a message name newly defined in the application, the second request includes the area information and the first service name of the location management function network element, or only includes the first service name of the location management function network element.

[0134] In a possible implementation, the first network element determines the information of the location management network element, including: the first network element sends a fourth request to the unified data management network element, the fourth request being used for requesting the information of the location management function network element, wherein the fourth request includes identification information of at least one terminal device; and the first network element receives a fourth response from the unified data management network element, the fourth response including the information of the location management function network element, the location management function network element being a service location management function network element of the at least one terminal device.

[0135] In a possible implementation, when the first network element is a network data analysis function network element, the first network element sends the first request to the location management function network element, including: the network data analysis function network element sends the first request to the location management function network element through an intermediate network element. The intermediate network element includes an access and mobility management function network element, or the intermediate network element includes a gateway mobile location center network element and an access and mobility management function network element.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the first request can further include accuracy information. It should be understood that the accuracy information herein refers to location accuracy information. Specifically, the location accuracy information can be a location accuracy requirement or a location accuracy threshold.

[0137] S402, the location management function network element determines the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function.

[0138] In a possible implementation, in the case where the first request includes the area information, the location management function network element determines the identification information corresponding to the at least one terminal device according to the area information.

[0139] In a possible implementation, the location management function network element determines the identification information corresponding to the at least one terminal device according to the area information, including: the location management function network element sends a fifth request to the access and mobility management function network element, the fifth request being used to request the identification information of the at least one terminal device, the fifth request including the area information; and the location management function network element receives a fifth response from the access and mobility management function network element, the fifth response including the identification information of the at least one terminal device.

[0140] In a possible implementation, in the case where the first request includes the identification information corresponding to the at least one terminal device or the location management function network element determines the identification information corresponding to the at least one terminal device according to the area information, the location management function network element triggers a terminal device positioning procedure for each of the at least one terminal device (that does not support the PRU function), in which the location management function network element obtains the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device. In this way, the location information corresponding to the at least one terminal device included in the first response meets the accuracy information.

[0141] It should be understood that the location information of the terminal device appearing in the embodiments of the present application can be understood as the location label of the terminal device, and details are not repeated here.

[0142] S403, the first network element receives the first response from the location management function network element, the first response including the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function.

[0143] In a possible implementation, when the first network element is a network data analysis function network element, the first network element receives the first response from the location management function network element, including: the first network element receives the first response from the location management function network element through an intermediate network element. The intermediate network element includes the access and mobility management function network element, or includes the gateway mobile positioning center network element and the access and mobility management function network element.

[0144] For example, the data structure of the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device in the first response is shown in Table 1.

[0145] Table 1

[0146] In a possible implementation, if the identification information of only one terminal device is included in the first request, the identification information of the terminal device can not be included in the first response, and only the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device are included.

[0147] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, if the first network element is a network data analysis function network element, the network data analysis function network element can request the location management function network element to obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function through the first request. The location information can be used as a location tag. The network data analysis function network element can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, the location tag and the location measurement information, so as to improve the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0148] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, if the first network element is an access and mobility management function network element, the access and mobility management function network element can request the location management function network element to obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function through the first request, and then further send the information to the network data analysis function network element. The location information can be used as a location tag. The network data analysis function network element can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, the location tag and the location measurement information, so as to improve the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0149] It is worth noting that although the first response includes the corresponding identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function in the embodiment of FIG. 4 of the present application, in actual implementation, the location measurement information is optional, that is, the first response only includes the corresponding identification information and location information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function. It should be understood that if the first response only includes the corresponding identification information and location information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function, and does not include the corresponding location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function, the network data analysis function network element can obtain the corresponding location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function by other methods, and the embodiment of FIG. 4 of the present application is not limited. It should be understood that the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function obtained by the network data analysis function network element (such as the NWDAF network element) directly (or through the AMF network element) from the location management function network element (such as the LMF network element) in other embodiments of the present application can be referred to herein, and will not be described again.

[0150] As another implementation manner, for the embodiment of FIG. 4 of the present application, the first request of step S401 can not carry the indication information of the at least one terminal device that is the terminal device without the PRU function. It should be understood that if the first request does not include the indication information of the at least one terminal device that is the terminal device without the PRU function, in step S402, the location management function network element can also (by default) obtain the identification information, location information (non-PRU location) and location measurement information (non-PRU location measurement information) of the at least one terminal device, and send them to the first network element (network data analysis function network element or access and mobility management function network element) through step S403. It should be understood that in this case, in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the NWDAF network element directly requests the LMF network element or the LMF network element indirectly through the “GMLC network element and AMF network element” or “AMF network element” for the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device, the indication information of the at least one terminal device that is the terminal device without the PRU function can not be carried, and the LMF network element can also (by default) obtain the identification information, location information (non-PRU location) and location measurement information (non-PRU location measurement information) of the at least one terminal device, and finally send them to the NWDAF network element.

[0151] As a specific embodiment of the information transmission method shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a specific information transmission method provided by the embodiments of the present application. Specifically, the network data analysis function network element is a NWDAF network element, the access and mobility management function network element is an AMF network element, the unified data management network element is a UDM network element, and the location management function network element is an LMF network element.

[0152] It should be understood that the NWDAF network element first determines (for example, according to an operator policy or a third-party positioning requirement) to train a positioning-related AI / ML model for terminal devices that do not support PRU in a specific area, which is identified by AoI information.

[0153] In the embodiments of the present application, the area information or AoI information can be one or more of a cell identifier (Cell ID) or a cell identifier list (Cell ID list) or a tracking area identifier (TAI) or a tracking area identifier list (TAI list). The descriptions of the area information or AoI in other places can be referred to here, and will not be repeated.

[0154] S501, the NWDAF network element triggers a Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to the AMF network element, for subscribing to the identification information (i.e., UE ID list) of at least one terminal device in the AoI. The AoI information is included in the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation.

[0155] S502, the AMF network element sends a Namf_EventExposure_Notify to the NWDAF network element.

[0156] The AMF network element determines the identification information of at least one terminal device according to the AoI information.

[0157] Then, the AMF network element triggers a Namf_EventExposure_Notify service operation to the NWDAF network element to send the identification information of at least one terminal device in the AoI to the NWDAF network element.

[0158] S503, the NWDAF network element triggers a Nudm_SDM_Get Request service operation to the UDM network element for at least one terminal device identification information, for requesting to obtain the information (such as LMF ID) of the LMF network element serving each terminal device.

[0159] S504, the UDM network element triggers the Nudm_SDM_Get Request service operation to the NWDAF network element, and sends information of the LMF network element serving each terminal device to the NWDAF network element.

[0160] S505, the NWDAF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF network element, and the service operation includes indication information for indicating to obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device not supporting the PRU function.

[0161] In a possible implementation, the NWDAF network element can trigger the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF for each of the at least one terminal device, and at this time, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation includes the identification information of the corresponding single terminal device and indication information for indicating that the LMF network element provides the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the terminal device.

[0162] In a possible implementation, the NWDAF network element can trigger the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF network element for one or more of the at least one terminal device served by the same LMF network element, at this time, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation includes the identification information list of the corresponding one or more served by the LMF network element and the indication information for indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device. For example, the at least one terminal device includes UE 1, UE 2, UE 3, UE 4 and UE 5, wherein UE 1, UE 2 and UE 3 are served by LMF 1, and UE 4 and UE 5 are served by LMF 2, at this time, the NWDAF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to LMF 1 and LMF 2 respectively, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation sent to LMF 1 includes UE 1 ID, UE 2 ID, UE 3 ID and Indicator for indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the three terminal devices, and the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation sent to LMF 2 includes UE 4 ID, UE 5 ID and Indicator for indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the two terminal devices.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation is a service operation in the prior art, as an alternative, the NWDAF network element can trigger a newly defined service operation (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Request) or a newly defined message (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Request) of the present application to the LMF network element, and the newly defined service operation or newly defined message name of the present application can replace the indicator information (or indicator) in step S505, that is, the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application can play a role of indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function. Correspondingly, if the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application is used in step S505, the service operation name (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Response) or message name (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Response) of step S507 needs to be adaptively modified.

[0164] In a possible implementation, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation can also carry the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold. It should be understood that, in the case of carrying the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold, the NWDAF network element expects the accuracy of the location information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function obtained from the LMF network element to meet the location accuracy requirement or be higher than / equal to the location accuracy threshold.

[0165] S506, the LMF network element triggers a terminal device positioning process for each terminal device according to the identification information of the at least one terminal device, and in this process, the LMF network element obtains the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device.

[0166] S507, the LMF network element provides the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without supporting the PRU function to the NWDAF network element through the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Response service operation.

[0167] It should be understood that the format of the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function supported in the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Response service operation can refer to Table 1, and details are not described herein.

[0168] S508, the NWDAF network element trains the positioning related AI / ML model according to the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function supported.

[0169] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the NWDAF network element first determines the identification information of the at least one terminal device from the AMF network element according to the area information, obtains the information (identification information or address information) of the LMF network element serving the terminal devices from the UDM network element according to the identification information of the terminal devices, and then requests the LMF network element to obtain the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function supported, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag, and the NWDAF network element can train the positioning related model based on the identification information, the location tag and the location measurement information, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the terminal device.

[0170] As another specific embodiment of the information transmission method shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a specific information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, the network data analysis function network element is the NWDAF network element, the access and mobility management function network element is the AMF network element, the gateway mobile positioning center network element is the GMLC network element, and the location management function network element is the LMF network element.

[0171] It should be understood that the NWDAF network element first determines (for example, according to the operator strategy or the third party positioning demand) to train the positioning related AI / ML model for the terminal device without PRU function supported in a specific area, and the specific area is identified by the AoI information.

[0172] S601-S602, the NWDAF network element obtains the identification information of the at least one terminal device from the AMF network element according to the AoI information. For details, refer to steps S501-S502 of FIG. 5.

[0173] S603, the NWDAF network element triggers the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation to the GMLC network element, and the service operation carries the indication information for obtaining the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function supported.

[0174] In a possible implementation, the NWDAF network element triggers the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation to the GMLC network element for each of the at least one terminal device respectively, at this time, the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation includes the identification information of the corresponding single terminal device and the indication information for indicating the GMLC network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device.

[0175] In a possible implementation, the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation can also carry the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold. It should be understood that in the case of carrying the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold, the NWDAF network element hopes that the accuracy of the location information of the terminal device without the PRU function provided by the GMLC network element meets the location accuracy requirement or is higher than / equal to the location accuracy threshold.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation is the service operation in the prior art, as an alternative, the NWDAF network element can trigger a newly defined service operation (such as Ngmlc_Location_Label&MeasurementData Request) or a newly defined message (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Request) of the application to the GMLC network element, and the name of the newly defined service operation or the newly defined message of the application can replace the indication information (or indicator) in step S603, that is, the name of the newly defined service operation or the newly defined message of the application can play the role of indicating the GMLC network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device without the PRU function. Correspondingly, if the newly defined service operation name or the newly defined message name of the application is adopted in step S603, the service operation name (such as Ngmlc_Location_Label&MeasurementData Response) or the message name (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Response) of the corresponding step 609 needs to be modified adaptively.

[0177] S604, the GMLC network element triggers a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation to the AMF network element, and carries indication information for obtaining the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function in the service operation.

[0178] In a possible implementation, the GMLC network element triggers the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation to the AMF for each of the at least one terminal device respectively, and at this time, the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation includes the identification information of the corresponding single terminal device and indication information for indicating that the GMLC network element provides the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the terminal device.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation can also carry a location accuracy requirement or a location accuracy threshold. It should be understood that, in the case of carrying the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold, the GMLC network element hopes that the accuracy corresponding to the location information of the terminal device that does not support the PRU function obtained from the AMF network element satisfies the location accuracy requirement or is higher than / equal to the location accuracy threshold.

[0180] In a possible implementation, the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioninglnfo Request service operation is the existing service operation in the prior art, and as an alternative, the GMLC network element can trigger a newly defined service operation (such as Namf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Request) or a newly defined message (such as UE Location Label & Measurement Data Request) of the present application to the AMF network element, and the newly defined service operation or newly defined message name of the present application can replace the indicator in step S604, that is, the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application can play a role in indicating the GMLC network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function. Correspondingly, if the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application is used in step S604, the service operation name (such as Ngmlc_Location_Label&MeasurementData Response) or message name (such as UE Location Label & Measurement Data Response) of step S608 needs to be modified accordingly.

[0181] In an optional implementation, for steps S603 and S604, the NWDAF network element can directly trigger the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioninglnfo Request service operation to the AMF network element without going through the GMLC network element, and correspondingly, for steps S608 and S609, the AMF network element directly triggers the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioninglnfo Response service operation to the NWDAF network element. Specifically, for the information carried by the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioninglnfo Request service operation and the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioninglnfo Response service operation and their roles, refer to steps S604 and S608 respectively, and no further description is given.

[0182] S605, the AMF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF network element, and the service operation includes indication information for obtaining the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function.

[0183] In a possible implementation, the AMF network element can trigger the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF for each of the at least one terminal device, and the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation includes the identification information of the corresponding single terminal device and indication information for instructing the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the terminal device.

[0184] In a possible implementation, the AMF network element can trigger the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF for one or more PRU-unable terminal devices that are served by the same LMF network element, and the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation includes a list of identification information of the corresponding one or more PRU-unable terminal devices served by the LMF network element and indication information for instructing the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the terminal devices. For example, the at least one terminal device includes UE 1, UE 2, UE 3, UE 4, and UE 5, wherein the UE 1, the UE 2, and the UE 3 are served by the LMF 1, and the UE 4 and the UE 5 are served by the LMF 2, and the AMF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF 1 and the LMF 2 respectively, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation sent to the LMF 1 includes the UE 1 ID, the UE 2 ID, the UE 3 ID, and the Indicator for instructing the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the three terminal devices, and the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation sent to the LMF 2 includes the UE 4 ID, the UE 5 ID, and the Indicator for instructing the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information, and the location measurement information of the two terminal devices.

[0185] In a possible implementation, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation is a service operation in the prior art, as an alternative, the AMF network element can trigger a newly defined service operation (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Request) or a newly defined message (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Request) of the present application to the LMF network element, and the newly defined service operation or newly defined message name of the present application can replace the indicator information (or indicator) in step S605, that is, the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application can play a role of indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function. Correspondingly, if the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application is used in step S605, the service operation name (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Response) or message name (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Response) of step S607 needs to be adaptively modified.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation can also carry the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold. It should be understood that, in the case of carrying the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold, the AMF network element expects the accuracy of the location information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function obtained from the LMF network element to meet the location accuracy requirement or be higher than / equal to the location accuracy threshold.

[0187] S606, the LMF network element triggers a terminal device positioning process for each terminal device according to the identification information of the at least one terminal device, and in this process, the LMF network element obtains the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device.

[0188] S607, the LMF network element provides the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without supporting the PRU function to the AMF network element through the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Response service operation.

[0189] It should be understood that the format of the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function in the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Response service operation can refer to Table 1, and details are not repeated.

[0190] S608, the AMF network element triggers, for each terminal device without PRU function in the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function obtained from the LMF network element, a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Response service operation to the AMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device without PRU function to the AMF network element.

[0191] S609, the GMLC network element triggers, for each terminal device without PRU function in the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function obtained from the AMF network element, a Ngmlc_Location_EventNotify service operation to the NWDAF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device without PRU function to the NWDAF network element.

[0192] S610, the NWDAF network element trains the AI / ML model related to positioning according to the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function.

[0193] In the embodiment of FIG. 6 of the present application, the NWDAF network element first determines the identification information of at least one terminal device from the AMF network element according to the area information, and obtains the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function from the LMF network element through the GMLC network element and the AMF network element according to the identification information of the terminal devices, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag, and the NWDAF network element can train the model related to positioning based on the identification information, the location tag and the location measurement information, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0194] As another specific embodiment of the information transmission method shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a specific information transmission method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, the network data analysis function network element is the NWDAF network element, the access and mobility management function network element is the AMF network element, the network storage function network element is the NRF network element, and the location management function network element is the LMF network element.

[0195] It should be understood that the NWDAF network element first determines (for example, according to an operator policy or a third-party positioning requirement) to train a positioning-related AI / ML model for terminal devices that do not support PRU in a certain specific area, which is identified by AoI information.

[0196] S701, the NWDAF network element triggers the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request service operation to the NRF network element, for requesting the LMF network element capable of providing the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function. The LMF network element type and the AoI information are included in the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request service.

[0197] In a possible implementation, if the LMF network element provides a newly defined service operation (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) or a message name (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Request in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) to support the provision of the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of the terminal device that does not support the PRU function, the newly defined service operation name or the newly defined message name of the present application can also be included in the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request service operation.

[0198] S702, the NRF determines the information of the LMF network element meeting the requirement of step S701, and triggers the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request response service operation to the NWDAF network element, including the information of the LMF network element in the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request response service operation. It should be understood that the information of the LMF network element includes the identification information or the address information of the LMF network element.

[0199] S703, the NWDAF network element triggers the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation to the LMF network element, for requesting the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function. The AoI information and the indication information for indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function in the AoI are included in the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation.

[0200] In a possible implementation, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation is a service operation in the prior art, as an alternative, the NWDAF network element can trigger a newly defined service operation (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Request) or a newly defined message (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Request) of the present application to the LMF network element, and the newly defined service operation or newly defined message name of the present application can replace the indicator in step S703, that is, the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application can play a role in indicating the LMF network element to provide the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function. Correspondingly, if the newly defined service operation name or newly defined message name of the present application is used in step S703, the service operation name (such as Nlmf_Location_Label&MeasurementData Response) or message name (such as UE Location Label&Mesurement Data Response) of the corresponding step 707 needs to be modified accordingly.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the Nlmf_Location_MeasurementData Request service operation can also carry the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold. It should be understood that, in the case of carrying the location accuracy requirement or the location accuracy threshold, the NWDAF network element expects the accuracy of the location information of the terminal device without supporting the PRU function obtained from the LMF network element to meet the location accuracy requirement or be higher than / equal to the location accuracy threshold.

[0202] In an alternative embodiment, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 6, for step S703, the NWDAF network element can indirectly trigger the service operation to the LMF network element through the GMLC network element and the AMF network element in sequence, or through the AMF network element. The service operation used in this process is the same as steps S603-S605 of the embodiment of FIG. 6, and will not be described again. The parameters and roles of the service operation used in this process are the same as step S703, and will not be described again. Correspondingly, for step S707, the LMF network element can indirectly trigger the service operation to the NWDAF network element through the AMF network element and the GMLC network element in sequence, or through the AMF network element. The service operation used in this process is the same as steps S607-S609 of the embodiment of FIG. 6, and will not be described again. The parameters and roles of the service operation used in this process are the same as step S707, and will not be described again.

[0203] S704-S705, the LMF network element obtains the identification information of at least one terminal device from the AMF network element according to the AoI information. For details, refer to the process of the NWDAF network element obtaining the identification information of at least one terminal device from the AMF network element according to the AoI information in steps S501-S502 of FIG. 5. Only the subject of execution of the LMF network element and the NWDAF network element is different, and will not be described again.

[0204] S706-S708, the LMF obtains the identification information, location information and location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function and provides them to the NWDAF network element for model training. For details, refer to steps S506-S508.

[0205] In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the NWDAF network element first obtains the LMF network element that can provide the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the terminal device that does not support the PRU function in the area from the NRF network element according to the area information, and then requests the LMF network element to obtain the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device that does not support the PRU function according to the area information. The location information can be used as a location tag. The NWDAF network element can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, location tag and location measurement information to improve the accuracy of terminal device positioning.

[0206] As another specific embodiment of the information transmission method given in FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a specific information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, the network data analysis function network element is the NWDAF network element, the access and mobility management function network element is the AMF network element, the unified data management network element is the UDM network element, the location management function network element is the LMF network element, and the network storage function network element is the NRF network element.

[0207] It should be understood that the NWDAF network element first determines (for example, according to an operator policy or a third-party positioning requirement) to train a positioning-related AI / ML model for terminal devices that do not support PRU in a certain specific area, which is identified by AoI information.

[0208] S801, the NWDAF network element triggers a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation to the AMF network element, for requesting the AMF network element for identification information, location information, and location measurement information of at least one terminal device. The AoI information and indication information for indicating that the LMF network element provides identification information, location information, and location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support PRU function within the AoI are included in the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation.

[0209] In an optional implementation, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 6, for step S801, the NWDAF network element can indirectly trigger a service operation to the AMF network element through the GMLC network element. The service operation used in this process is the same as step S603 of the embodiment of FIG. 6, and thus will not be described again. The parameters and roles of the service operation used in this process are the same as step S801, and thus will not be described again. Correspondingly, for step S815, the AMF network element triggers a service operation to the NWDAF network element through the GMLC network element. The service operation used in this process is the same as step S609 of the embodiment of FIG. 6, and thus will not be described again. The parameters and roles of the service operation used in this process are the same as step S815, and thus will not be described again.

[0210] The following steps S802-S814 are divided into two cases:

[0211] 1) The AMF network element first determines the identification information of at least one terminal device based on the AoI information, and the process of obtaining the identification information, location information, and location measurement information of these terminal devices from the LMF. Refer to the description of steps S501-S507 of FIG. 5, the only difference is that the initial execution subject is changed from the NWDAF network element to the AMF network element, and thus will not be described again.

[0212] 2) The AMF network element directly obtains the identification information, location information, and location measurement information of at least one terminal device that does not support PRU function from the LMF network element based on the AoI information. Refer to the description of steps S701-S707 of FIG. 7, the only difference is that the initial execution subject is changed from the NWDAF network element to the AMF network element, and thus will not be described again.

[0213] S815, the AMF network element provides the obtained identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function to the NWDAF network element through the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Response service operation.

[0214] S816, the NWDAF network element trains the AI / ML model related to positioning according to the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function.

[0215] In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the NWDAF network element first requests the AMF network element for the identification information, location information and location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function in the area indicated by the area information according to the area information. The method for the AMF network element to obtain the identification information, location information and location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function in the area indicated by the area information is as follows (the difference is only that the execution subject is changed from the NWDAF network element to the AMF network element):

[0216] 1) the method for the NWDAF network element to obtain the identification information, location information and location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function in the area indicated by the area information in the embodiment of FIG. 5;

[0217] 2) the method for the NWDAF network element to obtain the identification information, location information and location measurement information of at least one terminal device without PRU function in the area indicated by the area information in the embodiment of FIG. 7;

[0218] The AMF further sends the identification information, location information and location measurement information of the at least one terminal device without PRU function to the NWDAF network element, wherein the location information can be used as a location tag, and the NWDAF network element can train a positioning-related model based on the identification information, location tag and location measurement information, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the terminal device.

[0219] The above describes the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements. Correspondingly, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication apparatus for implementing the above methods. The communication apparatus can be the first network element in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the first network element, or a component for the first network element device; or the communication apparatus can be the location management function network element in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the location management function network element, or a component for the location management function network element. It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication apparatus contains the hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0220] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the communication apparatus according to the above method embodiments, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or software function module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. Actual implementation can have another division manner.

[0221] Taking the communication apparatus as the first network element or the location management function network element in the above method embodiments, FIG. 9 is a structure schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes a processing module 901 and a transceiver module 902. The processing module 901 is configured to perform the processing function of the first network element or the location management function network element in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 902 is configured to perform the transceiving function of the first network element or the location management function network element in the above method embodiments.

[0222] The above method embodiments involve all related contents of each step, which can be referred to the function description of the corresponding function module, and will not be repeated here.

[0223] Since the communication apparatus 900 provided by the embodiments of the present application can perform the above information transmission method, the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can be referred to the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] In a possible design, the transceiver module 902 can include a receiving module and a sending module (not shown in FIG. 9). The transceiver module is configured to implement the sending function and the receiving function of the communication apparatus 900.

[0225] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 9), which stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 901 executes the programs or instructions, the communication apparatus 900 can perform the function of the first network element or the location management function network element in any of the methods shown in FIGS. 4 to 8.

[0226] It should be understood that the processing module 901 involved in the communication apparatus 900 can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, and can be a processor or a processing unit; and the transceiver module 902 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component, and can be a transceiver or a transceiving unit.

[0227] For example, FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus can be a first network element or a location management function network element, or can be a chip (system) or other components or elements that can be arranged in the first network element or the location management function network element. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 can include a processor 1001. In a possible design, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include a memory 1002 and / or a transceiver 1003. The processor 1001 is coupled with the memory 1002 and the transceiver 1003, for example, through a communication bus.

[0228] The components of the communication apparatus 1000 will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 10.

[0229] The processor 1001 is the control center of the communication apparatus 1000, and can be one processor or a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 1001 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement one or more embodiments of the present application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0230] In a possible design, the processor 1001 can execute various functions of the communication device 1000 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1002 and calling data stored in the memory 1002.

[0231] In a specific implementation, as an example, the processor 1001 can include one or more CPUs, for example, the CPU0 and the CPU1 shown in FIG. 10.

[0232] In a specific implementation, as an example, the communication device 1000 can also include multiple processors, for example, the processor 1001 and the processor 1004 shown in FIG. 10. Each of the processors can be a single-CPU or a multi-CPU. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (for example, computer program instructions).

[0233] The memory 1002 is configured to store software programs for implementing the solutions of the present application, and the processor 1001 is configured to control execution. For specific implementation, refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0234] In a possible design, the memory 1002 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory 1002 can be integrated with the processor 1001, or can exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1001, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0235] The transceiver 1003 is configured to communicate with other communication devices. For example, the communication device 1000 is a first network element, and the transceiver 1003 can be configured to communicate with a location management function network element, or a network storage function network element, etc. For another example, the communication device 1000 is a location management function network element, and the transceiver 1003 can be configured to communicate with a first network element, or a network storage function network element, etc.

[0236] In a possible design, the transceiver 1003 can include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in FIG. 10). The receiver is configured to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is configured to implement the transmitting function.

[0237] In a possible design, the transceiver 1003 can be an input / output interface or an interface circuit, configured to input and / or output a signal.

[0238] In a possible design, the transceiver 1003 can be integrated with the processor 1001, or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1001, and the embodiments of the present application do not make a limitation in this regard.

[0239] It should be noted that the structure of the communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, and actually, the communication device can include more or fewer components than those shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0240] In addition, the communication device 1000 can perform the information transmission method described above, and thus can obtain the technical effects described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] In a possible implementation, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer to implement the functions of the above method embodiments.

[0242] In a possible implementation, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, which is executed by a computer to implement the functions of the above method embodiments.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which includes the first network element and the second network element described in the above method embodiments.

[0244] In a possible implementation, the communication system further includes the third network element described in the above method embodiments.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method, which includes the method described in any of the above method embodiments or any implementation thereof.

[0246] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or data storage device such as one or more servers, data centers, etc. integrated with one or more media. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media or semiconductor media (such as solid state drive (SSD)) and the like.

[0247] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0248] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0249] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0250] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0251] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can be a physically independent unit, or two or more units can be integrated into a unit.

[0252] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0253] Although the application has been described in connection with the embodiments thereof with reference to the various drawings, it will be understood that other variations and modifications of the details, and specific examples can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. It will be noted that the term "comprising" does not, by itself, exclude other components or steps, and the singular return to plural is not excluded unless otherwise indicated. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0254] Although the application has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications and that the particular embodiments set forth are meant to be illustrative only and not as limitations of the scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded simply as illustrative and the scope of the application is to be determined solely by the claims that follow. Obviously, many modifications and variations of this application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the claims, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first request to a location management function network element, the first request being used for requesting location information and location measurement information corresponding to at least one terminal device, wherein the at least one terminal device is a terminal device that does not support a position reference unit (PRU) function; receiving a first response from the location management function network element, the first response comprising identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first request comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used for instructing the location management function network element to provide the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first request further comprises identification information of the at least one terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first request further comprises area information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining the identification information of the at least one terminal device according to the area information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Before sending the first request to the location management function network element, the method further comprises: determining information of the location management function network element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The determination of the information of the location management function network element comprises: sending a second request to a network storage function network element, the second request being used for requesting information of the location management function network element, wherein the second request comprises the area information and / or a first service name of the location management function network element; receiving the information of the location management function network element from the network storage function network element, wherein a service area of the location management function network element comprises an area indicated by the area information, and / or the location management function network element supports a service indicated by the first service name.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The sending of the first request to the location management function network element comprises: sending the first request to the location management function network element through an intermediate network element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The receiving of the first response from the location management function network element comprises: receiving the first response from the location management function network element through the intermediate network element.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The intermediate network element comprises an access and mobility management function network element, or the intermediate network element comprises a gateway mobile location center network element and an access and mobility management function network element.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first request further comprises precision information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining a positioning model based on the identification information, the location information and the location measurement information corresponding to the at least one terminal device.

13. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises modules or units for performing the method of any one of claims 1-12.

14. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises a processor configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12 by means of a logic circuit and / or executing instructions.

15. The communication apparatus according to claim 14, wherein The communication apparatus further comprises a memory configured to store the instructions.

16. The communication apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, The communication apparatus further comprises a communication interface configured to input and / or output signaling and / or data.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the method of any one of claims 1-12 to be implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

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