Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication apparatus, which can improve the flexibility of service acquisition on an application side. Taking the method being applied to a terminal device as an example, the method comprises: receiving a first request of a first application, and on the basis of the first request, sending a service result of a first service to the first application. The first request is used for requesting the first service, the first service is a service supported by a mobile communication network with which the terminal device is registered, and the first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410941890.X, filed on July 12, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to communication methods and communication devices. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, applications located outside the mobile communication network need to initiate a service request to the core network (CN) within the mobile communication network and obtain the service result from the CN if they want to obtain services.

[0004] However, since the reception of service requests and the reporting of service results are both handled by the CN, the application side has a relatively limited way of obtaining services and a high degree of dependence on the CN. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The communication method and communication device provided in this application embodiment can improve the flexibility of the application side in obtaining services.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). Taking the application of this method to a terminal device as an example, the method includes: receiving a first request from a first application, and sending a service result of a first service to the first application according to the first request. The first request is used to request a first service, the first service being a service supported by the mobile communication network to which the terminal device is registered, and the first application being an application deployed outside the mobile communication network.

[0008] In this embodiment, the first application, deployed outside the mobile communication network, can directly send a first request to the terminal device to obtain the service result of the first service, thereby invoking the service provided by the terminal device to obtain the service result from the terminal device. This achieves service provision centered on the terminal device, reducing the first application's dependence on the mobile communication network and improving the flexibility of the first application in obtaining services. Furthermore, providing services centered on the terminal device allows for direct determination of the service result based on the terminal device's own parameters, avoiding limitations on service performance.

[0009] It can be understood that the first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network. This can mean either an application deployed on the data network (DN) side, or an application deployed or installed on a terminal device. For example, if the first application is an application deployed or installed on a terminal device, the terminal device can be a second processor (e.g., a modem) within the UE for processing signal data, and the first application can be an application deployed on a first processor (e.g., an AP) within the UE for processing application data. Therefore, the interaction between the first application and the terminal device can include the interaction between the first processor and the second processor within the UE.

[0010] In addition, assuming that the first processor and the second processor in the UE are integrated into a single processor, the interaction between the first application and the terminal device may include the interaction between the module in the UE for 3GPP access (i.e. the module responsible for the functions of the second processor) and the module for application data processing (i.e. the module responsible for the functions of the first processor).

[0011] It is understandable that, for the first application, which is an application deployed on the DN side, the first application can establish a connection with the terminal device before sending the first request. For example, the terminal device's application and the server corresponding to the application (i.e., the first application) have established a connection in advance. Then, when the terminal device's application is running, the first application can interact with the application to send the first request.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, receiving a first request from a first application includes: receiving the first request from the first application through a first interface, wherein the first interface is used to provide a first service association operation between the terminal device and the first application. It should be understood that the first service in the aforementioned first service association operation can refer to a service supported by the mobile communication network, or specifically to the first service requested in the first request. Furthermore, the first application can be an application deployed on the DN side, thus enabling the first application to interact with the terminal device regarding the service results of the first request and the first service. In other words, the terminal device can receive the first request through a first interface dedicated to the interaction between the terminal device and the first application. Since this first interface provides the first service association operation, it facilitates the transmission of first service-related messages between the terminal device and the first application, improving efficiency.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device deploys a first protocol layer for processing the first request. It should be understood that the first protocol layer processing the first request can mean that the first protocol layer entity can parse the header and payload of the data packets (e.g., protocol data unit (PDU) data) passed to the first protocol layer to obtain the first request. Based on the first request, it can then perform corresponding operations, such as determining the service result of the first service requested by the first request, or executing the first service to obtain the service result. Furthermore, considering that the first service requested by the first request belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network, and this service differs from the services traditionally processed by the application layer, involving functions related to the mobile communication network, the application layer of the terminal device may not process the first request. In other words, by deploying the first protocol layer for processing the first request, the terminal device can process the first service requested by the first request that belongs to the mobile communication network and obtain the service result of the first service.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device further deploys a second protocol layer; the method provided in the first aspect further includes: the second protocol layer receiving first data, the first data including a first request; the second protocol layer determining that the first data is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network; and the second protocol layer sending the first data to the first protocol layer. That is, the terminal device can also deploy a second protocol layer for identifying data that needs to be transmitted to the first protocol station, thereby enabling better transmission of data associated with services supported by the mobile communication network through the second protocol layer.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device further deploys a second protocol layer; the method provided in the first aspect further includes: the second protocol layer determining that the first service requested by the first request belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network; and the second protocol layer sending the first request to the first protocol layer. That is, the terminal device can also deploy a second protocol layer that can parse the first service requested in the first request, and then determine whether to send first data to the first protocol layer by determining whether the first service belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network. This allows the first protocol layer to avoid processing services not supported by the mobile communication network by pre-determining whether the first service belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the first protocol layer.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes: obtaining first authorization information from a mobile communication network, the first authorization information indicating a second service authorized by the mobile communication network for a terminal device to provide to a first application; and determining the service result of the first service if the second service includes the first service. That is, the terminal device can obtain the second service authorized by the mobile communication network for the terminal device to provide to the first application, and then, if the first service is part of the second service, the terminal device can execute the first service, thereby determining the service result of the first service. This avoids executing an unauthorized first service that requires the cooperation of the mobile communication network, thus ensuring that the first application obtains the first service.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, obtaining the first authorization information from the mobile communication network includes: sending a second request to the mobile communication network, the second request being used to request the terminal device to provide services to the first application; and receiving the first authorization information from the mobile communication network. That is, the terminal device can trigger the mobile communication network to send the first authorization information to the terminal device by sending the second request, so that the terminal device can subsequently determine whether to execute the first service based on the first authorization information, and thus determine the service result of the first service, thereby better providing services to the first application.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes: obtaining second authorization information, the second authorization information indicating that the user of the terminal device authorizes the terminal device to provide a third service to the first application; and, if the second service includes the first service, sending the service result of the first service to the first application, including: sending the service result of the first service to the first application if both the second service includes the first service and the third service includes the first service. That is, if the first service is a second service provided by the mobile communication network-authorized terminal device to the first application, and also a third service provided by the user of the terminal device to the first application, the terminal device can execute the first service to obtain the first service result, and then send the service result of the first service to the first application. This avoids executing services not authorized by the user of the terminal device, thus protecting the user's privacy and security.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes: obtaining first information from a mobile communication network; and determining the service result of a first service based on the first information. That is, the terminal device can obtain the first information from the mobile communication network for determining the service result of the first service, and then combine it with relevant information from the mobile communication network to obtain the service result of the first service, thus avoiding performance limitations of the first service.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device is deployed with a first processor for processing application data and a second processor for processing signal data; receiving a first request from a first application includes: the first processor receiving the first request; the method provided in the first aspect further includes: if it is determined that the first request is associated with a service supported by a mobile communication network, the first processor sends the first request to the second processor; the second processor determines the service result of the first service based on the first request. It should be understood that the first processor receiving the first request may mean: the network layer (e.g., the IP layer) of the first processor receives data including the first request through 3GPP access (i.e., through the second processor), and then the data including the first request reaches the application layer through the transport layer; or the network layer of the first processor receives data including the first request through a non-3GPP access network (i.e., through a Wi-Fi chip or Bluetooth chip, etc.), and then the data including the first request reaches the application layer through the transport layer. Furthermore, the association of the first request with a service supported by a mobile communication network may, for example, include: the service involved in the first request belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network, or the first request belongs to a related service provided by a first interface. For example, the first processor may be deployed with a second protocol layer, which can then determine whether the service involved in the first request belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network. Alternatively, the first processor may be deployed with a first interface, which is an API provided by the OS deployed on the first processor. This allows the determination of whether the first request is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network by checking whether the first request belongs to a service provided by the first interface or whether the first request is transmitted through the first interface. In other words, considering that the first service belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network, the terminal device may be deployed with a first processor for processing application data and a second processor for processing signal data. The second processor is dedicated to determining the service result of the first service, thereby ensuring the performance of the terminal device in determining the first service.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes: the second processor sending the service result of the first service to the first processor; correspondingly, sending the service result of the first service to the first application includes: the first processor sending the service result of the first service to the first application. It can be understood that, for 3GPP access, the first processor sending the service result of the first service includes: the first processor sending the service result of the first service to the L2 layer of the second processor. For example, the first processor may include an application layer, an OS, a transport layer, and a network layer. The application layer receives the service result of the first service from the first processor and sends the service result of the first service to the transport layer through the kernel space of the OS. The transport layer then sends the service result of the first service to the network layer, thereby the network layer delivers data to the L2 layer of the second processor through the OS. Additionally, the L2 layer of the second processor delivers the service result of the first service to the L1 layer, and the L1 layer transmits the service result through an RF chip. For non-3GPP access, the first processor sending the service result of the first service may refer to the first processor sending the service result of the first service to a Wi-Fi chip or a Bluetooth chip, etc. It is understood that when the first application is an application deployed or installed on a terminal device, the first application can be deployed or installed on the first processor, and thus the first processor can directly send the first request to the second processor.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, before receiving the first request from the first application, the method provided by the first aspect further includes: sending second information to the first application, the second information indicating a fourth service that the terminal device can provide to the first application. That is, the terminal device can indicate to the first application the fourth service it can provide, so that the first application can determine which services it can request from the terminal device based on the fourth service.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the fourth service is a second service provided by the mobile communication network authorized terminal device to the first application. It should be understood that when there are multiple second services, the fourth service may include one or at least two of the second services. That is, the fourth service may be one or more services selected from the second services provided by the mobile communication network authorized terminal device to the first application.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the fourth service also belongs to the third service provided by the user-authorized terminal device to the first application. That is to say, the fourth service can be one or more services determined from the intersection of the second and third services.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes: sending capability information to the mobile communication network, the capability information indicating that the terminal device has the capability to provide services to applications deployed outside the mobile communication network. That is, the mobile communication network can determine whether to provide services to the terminal device based on the terminal device's capability information, and then authorize the terminal device to provide which services to the first application.

[0026] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first request includes at least one of the following: the service type of the first service, or the service requirement of the first service. It is understood that the type of the first service can be a perception type, an artificial intelligence type, or a positioning type, etc. Furthermore, the input parameters corresponding to the type of the first service can be determined based on the service requirement corresponding to the type of the first service. This service requirement may include, for example, the perceived target (e.g., a person, vehicle, or license plate), the perception accuracy, or the distance resolution, etc., which will not be elaborated further here. In other words, by including the type of the first service and / or the service requirement in the first request, the input parameters required to determine the service result of the first service can be indicated, so that the terminal device can determine the service result, thereby better providing the first service to the first application.

[0027] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be used on a first network element on the mobile communication network side. The first network element can be, for example, a network element in a Radio Access Network (RAN) or a Core Network (CN). For instance, the first network element can be an RAN network element or RAN device, or a network element or network device in the CN. Taking the application of this method to a first network element as an example, the method includes: obtaining first authorization information from a terminal device and sending the first authorization information to the terminal device. The first authorization information indicates that the mobile communication network authorizes the terminal device to provide a second service to a first application, where the first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, before the first network element sends the first authorization information to the terminal device, the method provided by the second aspect further includes: receiving a second request from the terminal device, the second request being used to request services that the terminal device can provide to the first application.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the second aspect further includes: receiving information from a terminal device for indicating a first service; determining, based on first authorization information, that the first service belongs to a second service; and sending first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to determine the service result of the first service.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method provided in the second aspect further includes: receiving capability information from a terminal device, the capability information indicating that the terminal device has the capability to provide services to applications deployed outside the mobile communication network.

[0031] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the second aspect and any of its implementations can be found in the beneficial effects of the first aspect and any of its implementations, and will not be elaborated further.

[0032] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information includes: resources required to perform the first service, and / or input parameters for determining the service result of the first service. That is, the terminal device obtains the first information from the mobile communication network and can perform the first service based on the first information (e.g., perform location measurement, or perception measurement, or training, etc.), and / or, based on the input parameters for determining the service result of the first service, better obtain the service result of the first service.

[0033] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first authorization information includes the type and / or service requirements of the second service; wherein the service requirements indicate the input parameters used to determine the service result of the second service. That is, by including the type and / or service requirements of the second service in the first authorization information, the input parameters required to determine the service result of the second service can be indicated, so that the terminal device can determine the service result and thus better provide services to the first application.

[0034] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first service includes any one of the following: a perception service, an artificial intelligence service, or a location service. That is, the first service may include at least one or more of perception services, artificial intelligence services, or location services, thereby enabling the terminal device to provide perception services, artificial intelligence services, or location services to a first application located outside the mobile communication network, thereby achieving assisted navigation, target detection and / or tracking, environmental detection, providing environmental perception data (e.g., providing perception data for artificial intelligence, XR, or digital twins), assisted autonomous driving, autonomous collaboration between devices to achieve medical assistance applications, creating digital twins for event prediction, or assisting collaborative robots.

[0035] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device can be a terminal device or a first network element in any of the above aspects or implementations thereof, or a device containing the aforementioned terminal device or first network element, or a device included in the aforementioned terminal device or first network element, such as a chip. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above methods, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0036] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the transmission and / or reception functions in any of the above aspects and their possible implementations. The transceiver module may consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and their possible implementations.

[0037] In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation methods.

[0038] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes the memory. Optionally, the memory is coupled to the processor; the memory may be integrated with the processor, or it may be independent of the processor. Optionally, the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the memory is independent of the communication device.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0042] The communication device can be a terminal device or a first network element in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof, or a device containing the above terminal device or first network element, or a device contained in the above terminal device or first network element, such as a chip.

[0043] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects or any implementation thereof.

[0044] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided that, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects or any implementation thereof.

[0045] In a seventh aspect, a communication device (e.g., a chip or chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof.

[0046] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0047] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0048] It is understood that when the communication device provided by any of the third to seventh aspects is a chip, the aforementioned sending action / function can be understood as an output, and the aforementioned receiving action / function can be understood as an input.

[0049] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through seven can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspect one above, and will not be repeated here.

[0050] Eighthly, a communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal device and a first application as described in any of the preceding aspects and any implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a service-oriented architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network service architecture that supports location services according to an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a system that provides services centered on a terminal device, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figures 5 and 7-8 are schematic diagrams of a protocol stack structure between a UE and an OTT client provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an HTTP / 2 data packet structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams illustrating the interaction between an OTT client and a UE according to an embodiment of this application.

[0058] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between a first application and a UE provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figures 12 and 15-16 are schematic flowcharts of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the interaction process between the first protocol layer and the second protocol layer in a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the interaction process between a first processor and a second processor in a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figures 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0063] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as vehicle to everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as long term evolution (LTE) systems), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), future communication systems, or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems.

[0064] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technical terms of this application is given first.

[0065] First, system architecture:

[0066] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the system may include: a terminal device, a mobile communication network, and a data network (DN). The terminal device can (or is capable of) registering with or accessing the mobile communication network, and can access DNs outside the mobile communication network through the mobile communication network.

[0067] DN can refer to a network that provides data transmission services to terminal devices. This network can be a network controlled by the operator, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Service (IMS) network, which can be used to provide IMS services to terminal devices; or it can be a network outside the operator, such as the Internet, which can be used to provide third-party services to terminal devices.

[0068] The terminal device can be a terminal with transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system that can be installed in the terminal. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. The terminal device in the embodiments of this application may be a mobile phone, cellular phone, smartphone, tablet computer, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, machine type communication (MTC) terminal, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical care, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, vehicle terminal, roadside unit (RSU) with terminal function, etc. The terminal device of this application may also be an on-board module, on-board unit, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit that is built into a vehicle as one or more components or units.

[0069] Mobile communication networks can be used to provide services to terminal devices. For example, mobile communication networks can include 4G networks and / or 5G networks, and may also include future communication networks. The following uses a 5G network as an example to illustrate mobile communication networks.

[0070] As shown in Figure 2, a 5G network can include an access network (AN) and a core network (CN).

[0071] The aforementioned AN is used to implement access-related functions, providing network access capabilities for authorized users and determining transmission links of different quality levels to transmit user data based on user level, service requirements, etc. The AN forwards control signals and user data between the terminal device and the CN. The AN may include: access network equipment or access network apparatus, also referred to as radio access network (RAN) apparatus or RAN equipment.

[0072] For example, the RAN may include: access network equipment in a future communication network, or a base station; or in a future communication network, the RAN may have other naming conventions, all of which are covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application, and this application does not limit them in any way. Alternatively, the RAN may also include a gNB in ​​a 5G (such as a new radio (NR)) network, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in 5G, or it may be a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission and reception point (TRP) or a transmission point (TP) or a transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a building base band unit (BBU), or a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU), an RSU with base station functionality, or a wired access gateway, or the core network of 5G. Alternatively, RAN may also include access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted devices, etc.

[0073] The Network Center (CN) is primarily responsible for maintaining the subscription information of the mobile network and providing terminal devices with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The CN mainly includes all or some of the following functions (or network functions, NFs): User Plane Function (UPF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), or Application Function (AF).

[0074] It is understandable that 5G networks introduce a service-based architecture (SBA). In the network core (CN), all service elements (NFs) except the up-floor fairing (UPF) can implement service-based interfaces. Therefore, 5G networks can flexibly provide services by decomposing functions and enhancing service interfaces. For example, the RAN communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface (N2); the RAN communicates with the UPF through the N3 interface (N3); the SMF communicates with the UPF through the N4 interface (N4); and the UPF accesses the data network (DN) through the N6 interface (N6). Furthermore, the NFs shown in Figure 2, such as the AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR, or AF, interact using service-based interfaces. For example, AUSF provides the service interface Nausf; AMF provides the service interface Namf; SMF provides the service interface Nsmf; NSSF provides the service interface Nnssf; NEF provides the service interface Nnef; NRF provides the service interface Nnrf; PCF provides the service interface Npcf; UDM provides the service interface Nudm; UDR provides the service interface Nudr; and AF provides the service interface Naf.

[0075] It is understood that the functions involved in the embodiments of this application can also be described as functional network elements or functional entities. For example, AMF can be described as AMF network element, AMF function, AMF entity, or AMF functional entity, etc. Other NFs can use similar alternative expressions, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0076] In addition, the terms "business" and "service" can be used interchangeably in the following text. Unless otherwise specified, they have the same meaning. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0077] As shown in Figure 1, the system may also include a first application. The first application can refer to an application deployed outside the mobile communication network. This application can be an application client or an application server. Deployment outside the mobile communication network can mean deployment on a terminal device or on the DN side (e.g., on the Internet).

[0078] For example, the first application can be understood as a third-party application, such as a location service (LCS) client or an over-the-top (OTT) client. Alternatively, the first application can also be an application running on a server, such as an LCS server or an OTT server, etc. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0079] If the first application can be deployed on a terminal device, the first application may refer to an application deployed on the terminal device or an application installed on the terminal device. For example, the first application may be an LCS client or an OTT client installed on the terminal device. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0080] It is understandable that when the first application refers to the application deployed on the application server on the DN side, the first application can interact with the application installed on the terminal device.

[0081] In addition, the terminal device can communicate with the first application through the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access method (i.e., through the mobile communication network), or through non-3GPP access methods (such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0082] It should be understood that the first application may also be referred to as a service consumer or a service consumption functional entity, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit it in this way.

[0083] Second, business support is provided based on SBA:

[0084] It is understandable that, based on SBA, 5G networks typically support new services by extending existing service interfaces and adding new service-oriented functional entities (or service functions (SFs) or service network elements).

[0085] The following example, using location services, illustrates the service-oriented architecture of 5GS supporting new services.

[0086] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network service architecture supporting location services provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the difference between the architecture shown in Figure 3 and the architecture shown in Figure 4 is that the CN adds multiple NFs to support location services. These multiple NFs may include a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) and a location management function (LMF).

[0087] When a location service (LCS) client from outside the mobile communication network wants to obtain LCS (e.g., obtain the location information of the target UE), the LCS client can send an LCS service request to the GMLC. After obtaining the LCS service result, the GMLC sends an LCS service response to the LCS client, which includes the LCS service result.

[0088] The following section provides a detailed introduction to GMLC and LMF.

[0089] GMLC: Includes the functions required to support LCS, such as providing external LCS clients with access to the mobile communication network, and interacting with NFs (such as AMF or LMF) within the CN according to LCS service requests.

[0090] For example, GMLC can interact with LCS clients through the Le interface, thereby receiving LCS service requests from LCS clients and sending LCS service responses to LCS clients.

[0091] For example, GMLC can obtain the identity of the AMF serving the target UE from the UDM through the Ngmlc interface, and then obtain the UE's location from the AMF.

[0092] It is understandable that GMLC may include other functions to support location services, such as a location retrieval function (LRF). The LRF can be configured independently or integrated with GMLC. The LRF is primarily responsible for retrieving and verifying the UE's location information. For example, GMLC can use the LRF to retrieve and verify the target UE in the LCS service request, thereby obtaining the target UE's related location information (such as temporary location information, initial location information, and updated location information).

[0093] In addition, LCS clients can also interact with LRF through the Le interface.

[0094] LMF (Location Management Provider): Primarily used to coordinate and schedule the resources required for the location management of UEs (e.g., UEs registered to or accessing a 5G CN). The LMF can interact with the NF (Network Function) in the CN through the Nlmf interface. For example, after the AMF (Advanced Location Management Provider) determines the LMF serving the target UE, the LMF can provide positioning accuracy or latency requirements based on the LCS (Location Service Request) and, after determining the positioning method, trigger the specific positioning process.

[0095] Furthermore, positioning methods can be categorized into UE-based positioning methods and UE-assisted positioning methods. UE-assisted positioning methods, for example, involve the LMF obtaining the measurement information needed for positioning calculations from the UE and / or RAN, and then performing positioning calculations based on this information. UE-based positioning methods involve the UE being responsible for the positioning calculations. For instance, the UE obtains measurement results by measuring reference signals from the RAN, performs positioning calculations based on these results, and then sends the positioning calculation results to the LMF.

[0096] It is understandable that, in order to eliminate errors when the UE uses downlink positioning reference signals for measurement, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) introduced a positioning reference unit (PRU) to eliminate the aforementioned errors. See Figure 3 for a specific example of the PRU. When the PRU is a special type of UE, the UE entry process can be extended to register it in the network, or it can be configured in the LMF for use in the positioning process.

[0097] Based on the above description of LCS clients obtaining location services, it can be seen that if an application located outside the mobile communication network (such as an LCS client) wants to obtain a specific service, it needs to initiate a service request to the NF corresponding to that specific service in the CN. The NF can obtain the service result from the CN and feed the service result back to the application.

[0098] In other words, the service request and / or service result are provided to the application by the CN, which leads to the following two problems:

[0099] Problem 1: The way applications obtain services is relatively simple and highly dependent on CN, which is not conducive to the promotion and use of the business.

[0100] Question 2: Since the service result depends on the CN, the terminal device only provides some auxiliary information, and therefore cannot directly combine the terminal device's own parameters to determine the service result, which will lead to limited service performance.

[0101] The following example, using the location service shown in Figure 2, illustrates the above issues 1 and 2.

[0102] It is understandable that, regarding question 1, since the LCS client obtains the target terminal's location results by sending LCS requests to the GMLC and obtaining the target terminal's location results from the GMLC, when the LCS client cannot interact with the GMLC, the LCS client cannot obtain the target UE's location results, which is not conducive to the promotion and use of location services.

[0103] In addition, as mentioned above regarding supporting new services on the basis of SBA, it is necessary to add new SFs within CN and expand existing service interfaces, which involves significant changes to CN and is not conducive to the promotion of new services.

[0104] Regarding question 2, the CN determines the location result of the target UE based on the measurement result of the reference signal between the UE and the RAN (or the 3GPP method). It cannot combine the location-related information provided by the UE's non-3GPP (such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) and / or the location-related information provided by the various sensors built into the UE to achieve the fusion of multiple location-related information. This will lead to limited accuracy of the location result, which in turn will limit the performance of the location service.

[0105] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes the following technical solutions, which will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0106] In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain piece of information is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also instruct only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and uniformly indicated to reduce the instruction overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0107] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0108] It should be understood that the information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages sent separately, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in this application embodiment. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the sending end by sending configuration information to the receiving end.

[0109] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "terminal device sending information" can be understood as the terminal device sending information to another device (such as the network device carrying the first application), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the terminal sending information to logical module 2 in the terminal.

[0110] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "terminal device receiving information" can be understood as the terminal device receiving information from another device (such as a network device carrying the first application), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the terminal receiving information from logical module 2 in the terminal.

[0111] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., the first application)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is the first application. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to the first application. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., the first application)," "receiving information from... (e.g., the first application)," or "receiving information sent (e.g., by the first application)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is the first application. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from the first application. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0112] "Predefined" or "pre-configured" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0113] The “protocol” mentioned in the embodiments of this application may refer to a protocol family in the field of communication, a standard protocol with a similar protocol family frame structure, or a related protocol applied to future communication systems. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0114] In the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time. They do not require the device to make a judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0115] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and that "first," "second," etc., are not necessarily different. Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being used as an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

[0116] The architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0117] As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment of the application, the terminal device may be a terminal device capable of providing services to the first application, such as a terminal device in a future communication system. This embodiment of the application does not specifically limit this.

[0118] For example, a terminal device may include a communication module or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip containing a modem core, or a SIP chip). The communication module or the circuit or chip responsible for communication functions can be used to access a mobile communication network, that is, to connect to a network outside the mobile communication network via 3GPP access.

[0119] In addition, the circuits or chips responsible for communication functions in the aforementioned communication modules or terminal devices can also be used for non-3GPP access (such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), thereby enabling connection to networks outside the mobile communication network through non-3GPP access methods.

[0120] In other words, the terminal device in Figure 1 can connect to networks outside the mobile communication network through 3GPP access or non-3GPP access.

[0121] It is understood that the terminal device may also include an application processor (AP) for implementing the operating system (OS) and application layer processing of the terminal. It is also understood that in the embodiments of this application, the OS may provide a transmission channel between the modem and the AP.

[0122] To address the issues of relatively limited service acquisition methods, high dependence on CN, and limited service performance, the following solutions are provided:

[0123] The terminal device receives a first request from a first application and, in response to the first request, sends a service result of a first service to the first application. The first request requests a first service, which is a service supported by the mobile communication network to which the terminal device is registered. The first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network to which the terminal device is registered.

[0124] In other words, a first application deployed outside the mobile communication network can directly send a first request to the terminal device to obtain the service result of a first service, thereby invoking the service provided by the terminal device to obtain the service result from the terminal device. This achieves service provision centered on the terminal device, reducing the first application's dependence on the mobile communication network and improving the flexibility of the first application in obtaining services. Furthermore, providing services centered on the terminal device allows for direct determination of the service result based on the terminal device's own parameters, avoiding service performance limitations.

[0125] It is understandable that, with the terminal device at the center of the service provision, the terminal device can determine the service result based on its own parameters, or it can obtain auxiliary information from the mobile communication network (i.e., RAN and CN) to determine the service result, and then further determine the service result based on the auxiliary information (e.g., determining the service result based on the auxiliary information and its own parameters). In other words, the terminal device's determination of the service result can be divided into two modes: autonomous mode (or terminal mode) and auxiliary mode. In auxiliary mode, the mobile communication network can provide the terminal device with auxiliary information (e.g., resources required to perform the service, and / or input parameters for determining the service result), and the terminal device then performs the service based on the auxiliary information (e.g., resources required to perform the service) to determine the service result, or the terminal device can determine the service result based on the auxiliary information (e.g., input parameters for determining the service result) and its own parameters.

[0126] For example, the auxiliary mode may include: RAN auxiliary mode (or base station auxiliary terminal mode), and / or, CN auxiliary mode (or CN auxiliary terminal mode), which are not specifically limited in this application embodiment.

[0127] For example, for the first service being a location service, the CN can configure resources for reference signals used for location measurements for the RAN and the terminal device. The terminal device and the RAN can perform measurements based on these resources (e.g., the terminal device can send reference signals to the RAN, and the RAN can measure the reference signals from the terminal device to obtain measurement results). The terminal device can obtain the measurement results from the RAN and combine them with Wi-Fi information on the terminal device and / or various sensors used to determine the geographic location for fusion positioning, thereby obtaining more accurate positioning results and avoiding limitations on the performance of the location service.

[0128] The following describes the services supported by mobile communication networks.

[0129] It should be understood that future mobile communication networks can support a variety of different service scenarios, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), immersive communication, massive communication, ubiquitous connections, integrated artificial intelligence and communication, or integrated sensing and communication. The services supported by the mobile communication network can include those that the mobile communication network can provide in the above-mentioned service scenarios, such as location services, sensing services, and artificial intelligence (AI) services.

[0130] It is understood that the perception service can perceive the surrounding environment, for example, it can be used for at least one of the following: assisted navigation, target detection and / or tracking (e.g., posture or gesture recognition, fall detection, or vehicle or pedestrian detection, etc.), environmental detection, or providing environmental perception data (e.g., providing perception data for artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), or digital twins (e.g., providing perception data for environmental reconstruction, perception fusion, etc.), and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0131] Artificial intelligence services perform reasoning, learning, and action. For example, artificial intelligence services can be used for at least one of the following: assisting autonomous driving, autonomous collaboration between devices to achieve medical assistance applications, creating digital twins for event prediction, or assisting collaborative robots, etc. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0132] Furthermore, the above are merely examples. The services supported by the aforementioned mobile communication network may include other services besides the services mentioned above (location services, sensing services, and artificial intelligence services), such as computing services, or combinations of multiple services among the aforementioned location services, sensing services, artificial intelligence services, or computing services. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0133] It should be understood that the services supported by the aforementioned mobile communication network may also include OTT services, or as the network evolves, the aforementioned services may also include other services. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0134] The following example uses the terminal device in Figure 1 as the UE, the mobile communication network as a 5G network, and the first application as a service client deployed on the DN side to illustrate a system that provides services centered on the terminal device.

[0135] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a system providing services centered on a terminal device, according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the service client on the DN side and the UE can transmit service-related messages and obtain service results.

[0136] For example, the service client can send a service request (e.g., the first request) to the UE, and the UE can respond to the service request by sending a service result (e.g., the service result of the first service) to the service client.

[0137] As can be understood, as explained above regarding the terminal device's determination of service results, the UE can operate in autonomous mode or auxiliary mode. Therefore, the UE's service provision involves interaction between the UE and the service client (e.g., transmitting the aforementioned service-related requests), or interaction between the UE and the mobile communication network (e.g., transmitting the aforementioned auxiliary information). The interaction between the UE and the service client will be described first, followed by the interaction between the UE and the mobile communication network.

[0138] A. Interaction between UE and service client.

[0139] As shown in Figure 3, the service client interacts with the GMLC or LRF to transmit service requests and results related to the service. In the architecture shown in Figure 4, the service client sends service requests to the UE and receives service results from the UE. This allows the service client to obtain services without relying on the CN and can obtain services through the UE, thereby improving the flexibility of obtaining services and facilitating the rapid promotion of services.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the UE can provide a Nue service (or denoted as Nue_service). The service client can send service requests to the UE or receive service results by invoking the Nue service provided by the UE. It can be understood that the aforementioned Nue service is the service provided by the service-oriented interface (i.e., S1) between the UE and the service client.

[0141] In addition, the services provided by Nue can be used to implement the services supported by the aforementioned mobile communication networks, such as sensing services, artificial intelligence services, or location services, etc., and this application embodiment does not specifically limit them.

[0142] It should be understood that the different services included in the above Nue service can be distinguished by service type or service name. The following describes the operation of the above services in two ways: Method 1 and Method 2.

[0143] Method 1: Differentiate by service type.

[0144] For example, Table 1 is a definition example of a Nue service provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Table 1, the services shown in Table 1 can be used to enable a service client to request the UE to perform a service of a specific service type, and then determine the service result of that service.

[0145] For example, the services provided by Nue may include the following service operations: providing services, service updates, service update notifications, and service cancellation. Providing services can be used to request services from the UE. Service updates can be used by the UE to update the service results. Service update notifications can be used to notify the first application of the updated service results. Service cancellation can be used to cancel services already requested by the first application.

[0146] The aforementioned service operation may include information indicating the service type, so as to indicate that the service operation is directed to a service of that service type.

[0147] For example, taking a service type of "Awareness Service" as an example, the service client can invoke the service operation of "Provide Service Request" in the Nue service to request the UE to provide Awareness Service #1. For example, the service client sends a service request message (e.g., Nue provide service request) to the UE, which includes information indicating that the service type is Awareness Service. The UE can invoke the service operation of "Provide Service Response" in the Nue service to provide the service result of Awareness Service #1 to the service client. For example, the UE sends a service response message (e.g., Nue provide service response) to the service client, which includes the service result of Awareness Service #1, and may also include information indicating that the service type is Awareness Service.

[0148] For example, taking a location-based service as an example, the service client can invoke the service update request operation in the Nue service to request an update to the target UE's location information. For instance, the service client sends a service update request (e.g., Nue service update request) message to the UE, which includes information indicating that the service type is location-based service, and may also include the target UE's identification information. The UE can then invoke the service update response operation in the Nue service to provide the service client with the updated location information of the target UE. For example, the UE sends a service update request (e.g., Nue service update response) message to the service client, which includes the updated location information of the target UE, and may also include information indicating that the service type is location-based service.

[0149] For example, taking an AI service as an example, the service client can subscribe to the service results of AI service #1. Then, when the service results of AI service #1 change, the UE can invoke the service update notification operation in the Nue service to notify the service client of the updated service results. For instance, the UE sends a service update notification (e.g., Nue service update notify) message to the service client. This message includes the updated service results of AI service #1 and may also include information indicating that the service type is AI service.

[0150] For example, taking an AI service as an example, the service client can invoke the "Cancel Service Request" service operation in the Nue service to request the cancellation of AI service #2. For instance, the service client sends a "Cancel Service Request" message (e.g., Nue cancel service request) to the UE, which includes information indicating that the service type is AI service. Alternatively, the UE can invoke the "Cancel Service Response" service operation in the Nue service to send a response to the service client requesting the cancellation of AI service #2. For instance, the UE sends a "Cancel Service Response" message (e.g., Nue cancel service response) to the service client, which may include information indicating that the service type is AI service. This message may also indicate the result of canceling the AI ​​service, such as information indicating successful or failed cancellation.

[0151] Optionally, the input parameters may also include input parameters corresponding to the service type; the service result may be the execution result obtained by performing the service task of the service type. The input parameters corresponding to the service type may be determined based on the service requirements corresponding to the service type. For example, taking the sensing service type as an example, the input parameters may include at least one of the following: the sensed target (e.g., a person, vehicle, or license plate), the sensing accuracy, the distance resolution, the sensing distance range (used to indicate targets within a certain range of sensing), the sensing success rate, the sensing false alarm rate, the sensing latency, or the number of concurrent sensing tasks. This application embodiment does not specifically limit these parameters.

[0152] It should be understood that for services of the type of artificial intelligence, input parameters may include, for example, model parameters, the amount of data used for model training, the number of iterations, and the target accuracy. This application embodiment does not specifically limit these parameters.

[0153] For example, model parameters may include the model type or the data type of the computation. The model type can be, for example, a large language model, a computer vision model, or a multimodal model; however, this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0154] In addition, the data type of the calculation can be, for example, a vector, a matrix, or a tensor, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0155] It is understood that the input parameters for the service type of location service may include, for example, location accuracy, location mode (e.g., UE-based or UE-assisted), or location method, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0156] Table 1

[0157] It should be understood that Table 1 above is only an example, and the Nue service may also include other service operations (such as subscription services) and operation semantics, which are not specifically limited in this application embodiment.

[0158] In addition, the relevant definitions of the above-mentioned Nue service may be predefined by the protocol, negotiated in advance between the UE and the service client, or indicated by the mobile communication network. This application embodiment does not specifically limit these definitions.

[0159] Method 2: Differentiate by service name.

[0160] For example, Table 2 is a second example of the definition of a Nue service provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Table 2, the service definition shown in Table 2 is different from that in Table 1. The difference is that the multiple services included in the Nue service can be distinguished by different service names. Taking the perception service as an example, Table 2 shows the service operation, operation semantics, and consumer examples corresponding to the perception service.

[0161] Table 2

[0162] It is understandable that the service operations in Table 2, such as providing perception, perception update, perception update notification, or canceling perception, can be referred to the relevant explanations in Table 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] In addition, Table 2 above is only an example. Nue awareness may also include other service operations (such as subscription services) and operation semantics. This application embodiment does not specifically limit these aspects.

[0164] It should be understood that the service name Nue perception in Table 2 above is only an example, and other names, such as perception, can also be used. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0165] In addition, perception services can be further divided into more granular specific services. For example, perception can also include: assisted navigation services, target detection services, or environmental perception services. Therefore, the service names in Table 2 above can also be: assisted navigation, target detection, or environmental perception. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0166] It is understood that, similar to the perception service example in Table 2 above, for location services and artificial intelligence services, the service name, service operation, operation semantics, and consumer example in Table 2 can be replaced with "perception" or "location" or "artificial intelligence". For example, for location services, the service name can be replaced with Nue Location, and the service operation of providing perception can be replaced with providing location, perception update can be replaced with location update, perception update notification can be replaced with location update notification, or cancel perception can be replaced with cancel location. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0167] As shown in Figure 4, the UE determines service outcomes in two modes: autonomous mode and assisted mode. In autonomous mode, the UE can independently determine the service outcome without requiring assistance from the mobile communication network. For example, for sensing services, gesture or posture recognition in target detection and / or tracking, or fall detection, can be performed using the UE's built-in sensors without the need for mobile communication network assistance. Similarly, for environmental detection such as rainwater or pollution detection, or current monitoring in IoT applications, mobile communication network assistance is also unnecessary.

[0168] For example, AI services such as assisted autonomous driving, autonomous collaboration between devices to achieve medical assistance applications, or assisted collaborative robots can also be implemented independently by the UE without the assistance of mobile communication networks.

[0169] Additionally, in assisted mode, the UE can obtain assisted information from the mobile communication network and determine the service result based on the assisted information. For example, some sensing services require the use of specific resources (e.g., licensed spectrum resources) to perform the service, such as using unlicensed spectrum resources for sensing measurements. Another example is that some sensing services require the use of reference signals configured by the CN and / or RAN for measurement, and obtaining the measurement results from the RAN. Yet another example is that some artificial intelligence services require obtaining network data from the CN, and then using that network data for training or inference to obtain the service result; this application does not specifically limit these aspects.

[0170] It is understandable that in assisted mode, the UE needs to interact with the mobile communication network so that the UE can obtain assisted information from the mobile communication network. The interaction between the UE and the mobile communication network is described below.

[0171] B. Interaction between UE and mobile communication network.

[0172] As can be understood, as shown in Figure 4, in auxiliary mode, the UE can obtain auxiliary information from the RAN and / or core network elements. For example, the UE can obtain auxiliary information by interacting with the RAN through the air interface between the UE and the RAN, or the UE can obtain auxiliary information from the AMF through the N1 interface. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0173] Optionally, the CN in Figure 4 may also include an SF, which can be used to assist the UE in determining the service outcome (or can be replaced by assisting the UE in completing the service). For example, for positioning services, the SF in Figure 4 may be an LMF, which provides the UE with the configuration of the reference signal to be measured (e.g., downlink positioning reference signal (PRS), positioning auxiliary information (e.g., expected characteristics of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and / or PRS, such as frequency, expected arrival time, or signal encoding / decoding information, etc.)). The LMF can then send the above configuration to the RAN so that the RAN can send the above configuration to the UE.

[0174] It is understood that the aforementioned SF can provide Nsf services to transmit relevant service operations used by the UE to determine the service result. For example, the SF can send auxiliary information to the AMF by invoking its provided Nsf, and the AMF will then send the auxiliary information to the UE. It can be understood that the aforementioned Nsf service can be interpreted as a service-oriented interface between the UE and the service client.

[0175] In addition, SF can also be a function or network element used to assist the UE in determining the service results of other services (such as sensing services or artificial intelligence services), and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0176] It should be understood that, as shown in Figure 4, the UE can also obtain the auxiliary information through the service interface between the UE and the CN. Similarly, the RAN can obtain the auxiliary information through the service interface between the RAN and the CN and send it to the UE. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0177] In addition, the above-mentioned SF deployment on CN is only an example. SF can also be deployed on RAN side (see Figure 4 for details). This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0178] As can be understood, the above example, using the first application deployed on the DN side, illustrates the interaction between the terminal device and the first application, as well as the interaction between the terminal device and the mobile communication network. For the first application deployed on the terminal device, the interaction between the first application and the terminal device can also utilize the Nue service provided by the terminal device. For instance, the terminal device can provide the Nue service using an application programming interface (API), and the first application can then interact with the terminal device by calling this API.

[0179] For example, the terminal device may include a modem for 3GPP access, the OS and applications of the terminal device may be deployed on an application processor (AP), and the first application may be deployed on the AP. The first application can transmit a first request and the service result of a first service with the modem by calling the API provided by the OS.

[0180] As you can understand, the above uses the terminal device as UE and the first application as the service client as an example to introduce the interaction between UE and service client, as well as the interaction between UE and mobile communication network. The specific protocol stack will be introduced below.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the terminal device is equipped with a first protocol layer for processing the first request.

[0182] It can be understood that the first request is the first request sent by the first application to the terminal device in Figure 1 above.

[0183] It should be understood that the first protocol layer is used to process the first request, which may mean that the first protocol layer entity can parse the header and payload in the data packet (e.g., protocol data unit (PDU) data) passed to the first protocol layer, thereby obtaining the first request, and then perform corresponding operations according to the first request, such as determining the service result of the first service requested by the first request, or executing the first service to obtain the service result.

[0184] In addition, considering that the first service requested in the first request is a service supported by the mobile communication network, and that this service is different from the traditional application layer services, as it involves functions related to the mobile communication network, the application layer of the terminal device may not process the first request.

[0185] In other words, by deploying a first protocol layer for processing the first request, the terminal device can process the first service requested by the first request that is supported by the mobile communication network and obtain the service result of the first service.

[0186] It is understandable that, since the terminal device and the first application can have an end-to-end relationship, the first application can also deploy a first protocol layer. This first protocol layer can be used to encapsulate the first request into a data packet that can be parsed by the first protocol layer on the terminal device side. Furthermore, the first protocol layer on the terminal device side can encapsulate the service result of the first service, and the first protocol layer on the first application side can parse this data packet encapsulated with the service result of the first service to obtain the service result of the first service.

[0187] It should be understood that the above-mentioned first protocol layer is only an exemplary name, and it may also be called the 3GPP service layer, or the 3GPP service protocol layer, etc. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0188] The following example illustrates the protocol stack structure between the terminal device and the first application, using the terminal device as the UE, the first application as the OTT client on the DN side, and the first protocol layer as the 3GPP service layer.

[0189] For example, the protocol stack structure between the UE and the OTT client, from bottom to top, includes: physical (PHY) layer, data link layer, network layer, transport layer, application layer, and 3GPP service layer. The above protocol stack structure is illustrated below with reference to Figures 5 to 8.

[0190] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack structure between a UE and an OTT client according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the protocol stack structure, from bottom to top, includes: Layer 1 (L1), Layer 2 (L2), Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Hypertext Transfer Protocol version 2 (HTTP / 2), and 3GPP Service. Among these, L1 is the PHY layer, L2 is the data link layer, IP belongs to the network layer, TCP belongs to the transport layer, and HTTP / 2 belongs to the application layer.

[0191] In addition, the IP layer, TCP layer, TLS layer, and HTTP / 2 layer are deployed on the UE's application processor (AP). Specifically, the IP layer and TCP layer can be deployed within the UE's operating system (OS).

[0192] In one possible implementation, the 3GPP service layer can be deployed on the UE's modem.

[0193] It is understood that an L1 layer, L2 layer, or non-access stratum (NAS) layer can be deployed within the modem. The 3GPP service layer can invoke data from the L1, L2, or NAS layers to determine the service result of the first service. For example, if the first service is a sensing service, the 3GPP service layer can invoke the L1 and L2 layers to send signals for sensing and receive reflected signals to obtain the sensing result. Alternatively, the 3GPP service layer can invoke the L1 and L2 layers to obtain auxiliary information from the RAN for determining the service result of the first service; or, the 3GPP service layer can invoke the NAS layer to obtain auxiliary information from the CN for determining the service result of the first service, thereby determining the service result of the first service. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this approach.

[0194] In addition, logically, the 3GPP service layer can be located above or below the NAS layer, or the 3GPP service layer can be deployed within the NAS layer. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0195] It should be understood that the 3GPP service layer of the OTT client transmits the data packet carrying the first request to the OTT client's HTTP / 2, and then the UE's HTTP / 2 receives the data packet carrying the first request (specifically, it is transmitted from the TCP layer within the OS). Furthermore, the OTT client in Figure 5 can be an application on the DN-side server. This application can interact with the application on the UE through the 3GPP service layer and the HTTP / 2 layer. This does not mean that the OTT client includes L1, L2, or IP layers, etc., which will be explained uniformly here and will not be elaborated further below.

[0196] Furthermore, the above is merely an exemplary description using HTTP / 2 as the application layer. In reality, the application layer may include HTTP or other protocol layers, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0197] It is understandable that the HTTP / 2 processing method of the above UE can be divided into processing method one and processing method two, which will be introduced below.

[0198] For the first approach: HTTP / 2 returns the unparseable portion of the data packet to the OS.

[0199] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an HTTP / 2 data packet structure provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the HTTP / 2 data packet includes an HTTP / 2 header and a payload, wherein the payload includes a first request. It can be understood that the HTTP / 2 header may include the source address and information indicating the payload size. When the HTTP / 2 layer entity detects that the first request cannot be parsed, it returns the data in the payload, including the first request, to the OS.

[0200] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack structure between a UE and an OTT client provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the UE's HTTP / 2 determines that the data packet contains first data that HTTP / 2 cannot parse (i.e., data carrying the first request), and can then return the data to the OS. The OS then passes the data to the 3GPP service layer located in the modem.

[0201] For example, HTTP / 2 can determine that the first data carried by a data packet is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network (e.g., data including the 3GPP service layer). HTTP / 2 can then return the 3GPP service layer data to the OS, which in turn passes the data to the 3GPP service layer located in the modem. The packet header (i.e., the HTTP / 2 header) can include indication information (e.g., fields) indicating that the data packet carries 3GPP service layer data. Therefore, HTTP / 2 can determine that the data packet includes 3GPP service layer data based on the packet header. That is, if the packet header includes indication information indicating that the data packet carries 3GPP service layer data, HTTP / 2 returns the 3GPP service layer data to the OS. Alternatively, the HTTP / 2 layer can also determine whether to pass the data to the OS by parsing whether the data in the data packet is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network (e.g., whether the service requested in the first request carried by the data packet belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network).

[0202] It is understood that the HTTP / 2 data determination mentioned above, including data from the 3GPP service layer, is merely an example and depends on the actual implementation. This application does not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0203] Furthermore, the 3GPP service layer can be deployed separately from the NAS layer. This allows the 3GPP service layer to obtain data from the L1, L2, or NAS layers to determine the service result of the first service. The 3GPP service layer shown in Figure 7 preceding the NAS layer is merely an example; its specific implementation depends on the actual implementation, and this application does not impose any specific limitations on it.

[0204] It should be understood that, for the sake of illustrating the transmission channel between the modem and the AP, the OS in Figure 7 is shown separately. In fact, TCP and IP are deployed within the OS, which will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0205] For the second approach: the UE is deployed with a second protocol layer.

[0206] It should be understood that the second protocol layer is used to identify whether a data packet includes data belonging to the first protocol layer, or to identify whether the data carried by the data packet is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network. Furthermore, if the second protocol layer determines that the received first data is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network, the second protocol layer will pass the first data to the first protocol layer.

[0207] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack structure between a UE and an OTT client according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, HTTP / 2 receives first data from TLS, which includes data belonging to the first protocol layer (e.g., a first request). The first data can refer to an HTTP / 2 data packet. For example, an HTTP / 2 data packet may include a header and a payload, the payload including a 3GPP service header and 3GPP service data.

[0208] Understandably, since HTTP / 2 cannot parse the 3GPP service packet header and 3GPP service data, it passes them to the second protocol layer. The second protocol layer can determine from the 3GPP service packet header that the data carried by the packet belongs to the 3GPP service layer, and then passes the packet or the 3GPP service data in the packet to the 3GPP service layer (i.e., the first protocol layer).

[0209] In addition, the second protocol layer can also parse 3GPP service data. If the service involved in the 3GPP service data belongs to the service supported by the mobile communication network, then the second protocol layer can also pass the data packet or the 3GPP service data in the data packet to the 3GPP service layer.

[0210] In other words, the second protocol layer determines whether to send the data packet to the 3GPP service layer by checking the packet header and / or whether the 3GPP service data within the data packet belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network.

[0211] It should be understood that, from the perspective of the UE receiving the first request from the OTT client, in the UE internal structure shown in Figures 7 and 8 above, the L1 and L2 layers within the modem process the data from the OTT client before passing it to the IP layer. In reality, the UE can also receive data from the OTT client using non-3GPP access methods. For example, the UE may also include a Wi-Fi chip or a Bluetooth chip, which can further process the data from the OTT client and then pass it to the IP layer within the AP.

[0212] In other words, when a UE and an OTT client establish a connection via 3GPP access, the L1 and L2 layers of the modem within the UE can process the data from the OTT client and pass it to the IP layer within the AP. This IP layer can then pass the data to the upper protocol layer, allowing the HTTP / 2 layer within the AP to receive the data including the initial request. The HTTP / 2 layer can then pass this data to the OS, which in turn passes it to the 3GPP service layer within the modem; alternatively, the HTTP / 2 layer can pass the data to the upper second protocol layer, which in turn passes it to the 3GPP service layer (i.e., the first protocol layer).

[0213] In addition, when the UE and the OTT client establish a connection through a non-3GPP access method, the L1 and L2 layers of the Wi-Fi chip in the UE can process the data from the OTT client and pass it to the IP layer in the AP. The remaining subsequent processing procedures are similar to those of the UE and the OTT client establishing a connection through a 3GPP access method, and will not be described in detail here.

[0214] The following describes the process by which the UE sends the service result of the first service to the OTT client.

[0215] It is understandable that when a UE and an OTT client establish a connection via 3GPP access, the 3GPP service layer of the modem within the UE can pass the service result of the first service to the HTTP / 2 layer or the second protocol layer within the AP. The HTTP / 2 layer or the second protocol layer within the AP then passes the data to the IP layer within the AP. The IP layer then passes the service result of the first service to the L2 layer within the modem, and the L2 layer passes the data to the L1 layer. Correspondingly, the L1 layer within the OTT client receives the data, including the service result of the first service, from the L1 layer within the modem and sequentially submits the data to the upper protocol layers, ultimately passing it to the 3GPP service layer within the OTT client.

[0216] Furthermore, when the UE and OTT client establish a connection via a non-3GPP access method, the 3GPP service layer of the modem within the UE can pass the service result of the first service to the HTTP / 2 layer or the second protocol layer within the AP. The HTTP / 2 layer or the second protocol layer within the AP then passes the data to the IP layer within the AP. The IP layer then passes the service result of the first service to the L2 layer within the Wi-Fi chip, and the L2 layer passes the data to the L1 layer. Correspondingly, the L1 layer within the OTT client receives the data, including the service result of the first service, from the L1 layer within the modem and sequentially submits the data to the upper protocol layers, ultimately passing it to the 3GPP service layer within the OTT client.

[0217] It should be understood that the above describes the protocol stack structure between the first application (taking an OTT client as an example) and the terminal device (taking a UE as an example) when the first application is located on the DN side. When the first application is located on the terminal device side, the terminal device side (i.e., the UE) may not deploy one or more of the following layers: PHY layer (e.g., L1 layer), data link layer (e.g., L2 layer), network layer (e.g., IP layer), or transport layer (e.g., TCP layer). For example, the UE may only deploy the application layer (e.g., HTTP / 2) and / or the first protocol layer (e.g., 3GPP service layer), depending on the actual implementation. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0218] The above describes the interaction between the first application (taking an OTT client as an example) and the terminal device (taking a UE as an example) located on the DN side from the perspective of protocol stack structure. The following describes the interaction between the first application and the terminal device from the perspective of the application calling the API that provides Nue services.

[0219] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between an OTT client and a UE according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the UE may include an AP and a modem. An OS is deployed on the AP, which can provide APIs for implementing UE services. The modem is used to parse a first request and determine the service result of the first service. The OTT client, as an application located outside the UE, can transmit the first request by calling the APIs provided by the OS. Accordingly, the OS passes the first request to the modem, and the modem can determine the service result of the first service requested by the first request based on the first request.

[0220] In addition, the modem can pass the service results of the first service to the OS, and the OS can pass the service results to the OTT client through the API.

[0221] In other words, OTT clients can obtain Nue services by calling the APIs provided by the UE's OS.

[0222] It should be understood that the modem parsing the first request in Figure 9 is merely an example. Similar to how the second protocol layer in Figure 8 can parse the first request, the OS in Figure 9 can also parse the first request. For example, taking the first service requested by the first request as the location service, after parsing the first request, the OS can request the UE's location from the modem based on the location service requested by the first request. It can also request the UE's location from the UE's built-in Wi-Fi chip or other transmitters. This allows for fusion positioning by combining the UE's own parameters, improving positioning accuracy and avoiding performance limitations of the location service.

[0223] It should be understood that OTT clients can call the API through applications installed on the AP, or through other means; this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0224] The following section details how OTT clients call APIs from the application layer to applications on the AP.

[0225] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between an OTT client and a UE according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the OTT client can call the Nue service (an application-layer behavior) to the application installed on the UE through the application layer (i.e., the HTTP / 2 layer in Figure 10). In turn, the application calls the API provided by the OS, thereby realizing the OTT client calling the API.

[0226] As is understandable, the above has introduced the interaction between the first application as an OTT client on the DN side and the terminal device from the perspective of protocol stack and API. The following will take the first application as an application installed or deployed on the terminal device (taking UE as an example) to illustrate the interaction between the first application and the terminal device.

[0227] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between a first application and a UE provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the first application can obtain Nue services by calling the API provided by the UE's OS. For details, please refer to the relevant description of calling the API to obtain services through the modem in Figure 9, which will not be repeated here.

[0228] It should be understood that the above description of the protocol stack structure is merely an example. HTTP / 2 is used to represent the application layer, which can also be the HTTP layer or other protocols. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0229] Additionally, the above protocol stack structure may not include TLS. This will be explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0230] It is understood that the APIs provided by the OS are merely examples. The APIs may also be provided by the modem or other modules or units within the terminal device, depending on the actual implementation. This application does not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0231] The interaction between the terminal device and the first application has been described above with reference to Figures 4 to 11, including the service-oriented interface used in this interaction, the structure of the protocol stack, and the processing flow of the first request within the terminal device. The interaction flow between various network elements / devices in the system shown in Figure 1 will be specifically described below with reference to Figures 12 to 16 through a method embodiment. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the above system and specifically applied to the various scenarios / processes mentioned in the above system.

[0232] It should be understood that the messages or data between various devices or network elements, the names of the parameters in the messages or data, or the names of the information carried by the messages or data in the following embodiments of this application are just examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations. This application does not specifically limit these names.

[0233] Furthermore, while this application uses a terminal device and a first application as examples of the execution entities in the interactive illustration, this application does not limit the execution entities in the interactive illustration. For instance, the method executed by the terminal device in this application can also be implemented by a terminal device, or a communication module or circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the terminal device (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip containing a modem core, or a SIP chip); the method executed by the first application in this application can also be implemented by a device that deploys the first application, or a module (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the device that deploys the first application, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first application.

[0234] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the method includes the following steps:

[0235] S1201, the first application sends a first request to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first request from the first application. The first request is for requesting a first service. The first service is a service supported by the mobile communication network to which the terminal device is registered. The first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network.

[0236] S1202. The terminal device sends the service result of the first service to the first application according to the first request. Correspondingly, the first application receives the service result of the first service from the terminal device.

[0237] Steps S1201 to S1202 are described below.

[0238] For step S1201:

[0239] It is understood that the services supported by mobile communication networks can be found in the aforementioned "Services Supported by Mobile Communication Networks", and will not be repeated here.

[0240] It should be understood that the mobile communication network registered by the terminal device can be replaced by: the mobile communication network accessed by the terminal device, or the network that provides mobile communication services to the terminal device. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0241] In addition, the first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network. This can mean that the first application is an application deployed on the DN side, or that the first application is an application deployed or installed on the terminal device. For details, please refer to the relevant description in Figure 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0242] It is understood that the terminal device may be, for example, a second processor (e.g., a modem) within the UE for processing signal data, and / or a first processor (e.g., an AP) for processing application data. Wherein, for the first application deployed on the terminal device, the first application may be an application deployed on the first processor, and thus the interaction between the first application and the terminal device may include the interaction between the first processor and the second processor within the UE, or the interaction within the first processor itself.

[0243] In addition, assuming that the first processor and the second processor in the UE are integrated into a single processor, the interaction between the first application and the terminal device may include the interaction between the module in the UE responsible for the functions of the second processor and the module responsible for the functions of the first processor.

[0244] It is understandable that, for the first application, which is an application deployed on the DN side, the first application can establish a connection with the terminal device before sending the first request. For example, the terminal device's application and the server corresponding to the application (i.e., the first application) have established a connection in advance. Then, when the terminal device's application is running, the first application can interact with the application to send the first request.

[0245] In one possible implementation, the first service includes any of the following: a perception service, an artificial intelligence service, or a location service.

[0246] It is understood that the aforementioned sensing services, artificial intelligence services, or location services can be specifically referred to in the location services section of the detailed implementation method and the relevant description of "services supported by mobile communication networks" in Figure 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] In other words, the first service may include at least one of a perception service, an artificial intelligence service, or a location service, and the terminal device may provide a perception service, an artificial intelligence service, or a location service for a first application located outside the mobile communication network, thereby enabling assisted navigation, target detection and / or tracking, environmental detection, providing environmental perception data (e.g., providing perception data for artificial intelligence, XR, or digital twins), assisted autonomous driving, autonomous collaboration between devices to achieve medical assistance applications, creating digital twins for event prediction, or assisting collaborative robots.

[0248] In one possible implementation, the first request includes at least one of the following: the service type of the first service, or the service requirement of the first service.

[0249] It is understandable that the type of the first service can be perception type, artificial intelligence type, or location type, etc. For details on the service type, please refer to the relevant explanation of "Method 1" in Figure 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] In addition, according to the relevant explanation of "Method 1" mentioned above, the input parameters corresponding to the type of the first service can be determined according to the service requirements corresponding to the type of the first service. These service requirements may include, for example, the perceived target (such as a person, vehicle, or license plate), the perception accuracy, or the distance resolution, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0251] In other words, by including the type and / or service requirements of the first service in the first request, the input parameters required to determine the service result of the first service can be indicated so that the terminal device can determine the service result and thus better provide the first service for the first application.

[0252] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives a first request from the first application (step S1201), including: the terminal device receiving the first request from the first application through a first interface. The first interface is used to provide a first service association operation between the terminal device and the first application.

[0253] As you can understand, the specific details of the first interface can be found in Figure 4 regarding the description of the S1 interface and the description of the Nue service, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] In addition, the first service in the above-mentioned first service associated operation may refer to a service supported by the mobile communication network, or it may specifically refer to the first service requested in the first request. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0255] It should be understood that the first application can be an application deployed on the DN side, and the first application can interact with the terminal device to exchange the service results of the first request and the first service.

[0256] In other words, the terminal device can receive the first request through a first interface dedicated to the connection between the terminal device and the first application. Since the first interface provides operations associated with the first service, it facilitates the transmission of messages related to the first service between the terminal device and the first application, thereby improving efficiency.

[0257] For step S1202:

[0258] It is understandable that after the terminal device determines the service result of the first service, it can send the service result of the first service to the first application. As shown in the relevant explanation of the UE determining the service result in Figure 4, the terminal device determines the service in two modes: autonomous mode and assisted mode. Please refer to the relevant explanation in Figure 4 for details.

[0259] The following describes the relevant process for the assist mode.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 12 further includes:

[0261] S1203, The terminal device obtains the first information from the mobile communication network.

[0262] S1204. The terminal device determines the service result of the first service based on the first information.

[0263] It is understandable that the first information can be used to assist the terminal device in determining the service result of the first service.

[0264] In other words, the terminal device can obtain first information from the mobile communication network to determine the service result of the first service, and then combine it with relevant information from the mobile communication network to obtain the service result of the first service, thereby avoiding performance limitations of the first service.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the first information may include resources required to perform the first service, and / or input parameters for determining the service result of the first service.

[0266] It is understood that the resources required to perform the first service may include time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, or reference signal resources, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit them.

[0267] For example, for location services, a terminal device can obtain reference signal resources for location from the RAN in a mobile communication network. These resources may include time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, or measurement periods, etc. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0268] For example, for sensing services, the terminal device can obtain reference signal resources for sensing from the RAN in the mobile communication network. Similarly, the resources may also include time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and measurement periods, etc. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0269] For example, for artificial intelligence services, terminal devices can obtain some analysis results or training data from the network data analytics function (NWDAF) in the mobile communication network. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0270] In addition, the input parameters used to determine the service outcome of the first service can be associated with the service requirements corresponding to the service type. For example, taking the sensing service type as an example, the input parameters may include at least one of the following: the sensing target (e.g., a person, vehicle, or license plate), the sensing accuracy, or the distance resolution.

[0271] For example, for services of the type of artificial intelligence, the input parameters may include model parameters, the amount of data used for model training, the number of iterations, or the target accuracy, etc., and this application embodiment does not specifically limit these parameters.

[0272] It is understandable that the specific input parameters can be found in the relevant explanation in Method 1 of Figure 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0273] In other words, the terminal device obtains first information from the mobile communication network and can perform a first service based on the first information (e.g., perform location measurement, or perception measurement, or training, etc.), and / or, based on the input parameters used to determine the service result of the first service, better obtain the service result of the first service.

[0274] It is understood that when a terminal device obtains first information from a mobile communication network, it may mean that the terminal device obtains first information from a first network element. This first network element may be a network element in the RAN or CN, which will be explained uniformly here and will not be elaborated further below.

[0275] In one possible implementation, the terminal device obtains first information from the mobile communication network (i.e., step S1203), including:

[0276] S1203a, The terminal device sends information indicating the first service to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the information indicating the first service from the terminal device.

[0277] S1203b, the first network element sends first information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the first network element. The first information is used to determine the service result of the first service.

[0278] In other words, the first network element in the mobile communication network can respond to information from the terminal device that indicates the first service and trigger the sending of the first information to the terminal device. This is applicable to application scenarios where the first information may change, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can obtain the latest first information and thus improving the accuracy of the service result of the first service.

[0279] It is understandable that the first network element can also directly send the first information to the terminal device. For example, if the first information includes resources required to perform the first service, the first network element can send the first information in advance to facilitate the pre-configuration of the resources required to perform the first service and improve efficiency.

[0280] It is understandable that the first network element can determine whether to send the first information based on whether the terminal device is authorized to execute the first service. Specifically, determining whether the terminal device executes the first service and thus the service result can be based on authorization information related to the services supported by the mobile communication network. For example, the mobile communication network can authorize the terminal device to execute some services. If the first service belongs to that part of the services, the terminal device can execute the first service and thus determine the service result; if the first service is deployed in that part of the services, the terminal device can choose not to execute the first service (or refuse to execute the first service). Furthermore, in auxiliary mode, the mobile communication network can enable the CN network element and / or RAN to cooperate with the terminal device based on the specifically authorized first service, so that the terminal device can determine the service result of the first service and thus complete the first service.

[0281] For example, when providing services by a terminal device, user privacy may be involved. If the first service is not authorized or permitted by the user of the terminal device, the terminal device may not execute the first service. For instance, suppose the first service is for obtaining the location service of the terminal device. If the first application wants to obtain the location service, it should obtain the authorization or permission of the user of the terminal device. If the user of the terminal device has not authorized or permitted the first application to obtain the location service, then the terminal device may refuse to execute the first service requested by the first application.

[0282] It is understandable that the above two authorization information can be combined. For example, if the first service is a service authorized by the mobile communication network and is a service authorized or permitted by the user of the terminal device, then the terminal device executes the first service.

[0283] It should be understood that the above are merely examples. Terminal devices may not require authorization from mobile communication networks. For example, a terminal device may sign an agreement with an operator in advance to provide services to applications located outside the mobile communication network. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0284] In addition, the first service may not require user authorization from the terminal device, for example, the first service does not involve user privacy, etc., and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0285] The following describes the two authorization information mentioned above.

[0286] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 12 further includes:

[0287] S1205. The mobile communication network obtains first authorization information from the terminal device. The first authorization information indicates that the mobile communication network authorizes the terminal device to provide a second service to the first application.

[0288] It is understood that the mobile communication network can obtain the services that the pre-authorized terminal device can provide to the first application through the subscription data of the terminal device; or, the mobile communication network can also respond to a request from other network elements or terminal devices to trigger the sending of the first authorization information, and thus determine the first authorization information. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0289] It is understood that the aforementioned second service is also a service supported by the mobile communication network, such as one or more of sensing services, artificial intelligence services, or location services. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0290] S1206. The terminal device obtains the first authorization information from the mobile communication network.

[0291] As can be understood, as described above regarding step S1203, the mobile communication network can send the first authorization information to the terminal device after the terminal device registers; or, the terminal device can send a request or message to the mobile communication network to trigger the mobile communication network to send the first authorization information to the terminal device.

[0292] S1209. If the second service includes the first service, the terminal device determines the service result of the first service.

[0293] In other words, the terminal device can obtain the second service authorized by the mobile communication network to the first application. Then, if the first service is the second service, the terminal device can execute the first service and determine the service result of the first service. This can avoid executing the first service that is not authorized and requires the cooperation of the mobile communication network, thereby ensuring that the first application obtains the first service.

[0294] In one possible implementation, the first authorization information includes the type and / or service requirements of the second service. The service requirements of the second service indicate the input parameters used to determine the service outcome of the second service.

[0295] It is understandable that the type of the second service can be perception type, artificial intelligence type, or location type, etc. For details on the types of services, please refer to the relevant explanation of "Method 1" in Figure 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0296] In addition, according to the relevant explanation of "Method 1" above, the input parameters corresponding to the type of the second service can be determined according to the service requirements corresponding to the type of the second service. These service requirements may include, for example, the perceived target (such as a person, vehicle, or license plate), the accuracy of perception, or the distance resolution, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0297] In other words, by using the type and / or service requirements of the second service included in the first authorization information, the input parameters required to determine the service result of the second service can be indicated so that the terminal device can determine the service result and thus better provide services for the first application.

[0298] It can be understood that the second service provided by the mobile communication network-authorized terminal device to the first application can be replaced with: the second service provided by the mobile communication network-permitted terminal device to the first application.

[0299] In one possible implementation, the terminal device obtains the first authorization information from the mobile communication network (i.e., step S1206), including:

[0300] S1206a, The terminal device sends a second request to the mobile communication network. Correspondingly, the mobile communication network receives the second request from the terminal device. The second request is used to request services that the terminal device can provide to the first application.

[0301] S1206b: The mobile communication network sends first authorization information to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first authorization information from the mobile communication network.

[0302] In other words, the terminal device can send a second request to the mobile communication network, triggering the mobile communication network to send the first authorization information to the terminal device. This allows the terminal device to determine whether to execute the first service based on the first authorization information, and then determine the service result of the first service, thereby better providing services for the first application.

[0303] Optionally, the second request may include services that the terminal device can provide to the first application.

[0304] It is understood that the services that the terminal device can provide to the first application may be one or more services. These one or more services can be used by the mobile communication network to determine whether to send the first authorization information, or to determine the second service in the first authorization information. For example, the services that the terminal device can provide to the first application include: service #1 and service #2. If the mobile communication network determines that the terminal device is not allowed to provide service #1 and service #2 to the first application, then the mobile communication network sends a rejection response to the terminal device, which indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to provide service #1 and service #2 to the first application. If the mobile communication network determines that the terminal device is allowed to provide service #1 to the first application, then the second service in the first authorization information includes service #1.

[0305] It should be understood that the first application in the second request mentioned above can refer to an application located outside the mobile communication network, or it can refer to a specific first application that sends the first request to the terminal device. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0306] It is understood that the mobile communication network in steps S1203 to S1207 above can be replaced by the first network element in the mobile communication network. The first network element can be a RAN network element or a CN network element. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0307] In addition, if the first network element is a CN network element, the first network element can also authorize the terminal device to provide a second service for the first application, thereby enabling the RAN to allocate the resources (such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, or reference signal resources) required for the terminal device to perform the second service, so that the RAN can assist the terminal device in determining the service result of the first service.

[0308] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 12 further includes:

[0309] S1207. The terminal device obtains second authorization information. The second authorization information indicates that the user of the terminal device authorizes / allows the terminal device to provide a third service to the first application.

[0310] Accordingly, when the second service includes the first service, sending the service result of the first service to the first application includes: when the second service includes the first service and the third service includes the first service, sending the service result of the first service to the first application.

[0311] It is understood that the third service can be one or more services, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0312] In other words, if the first service is a second service provided by the mobile communication network authorized terminal device to the first application, and the third service is provided by the user-authorized terminal device to the first application, the terminal device can execute the first service to obtain the service result of the first service, and then send the service result of the first service to the first application. This can avoid executing services that have not been authorized by the user of the terminal device, thus protecting the user's privacy and security.

[0313] In one possible implementation, prior to receiving the first request from the first application (i.e., step S1201), the method shown in Figure 12 further includes:

[0314] S1208, the terminal device sends second information to the first application. Correspondingly, the first application receives the second information from the terminal device. The second information indicates a fourth service that the terminal device can provide to the first application.

[0315] It is understood that the fourth service may be one or more services, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0316] In other words, the terminal device can indicate to the first application the fourth service that it can provide to the first application, so that the first application can determine which services it can request from the terminal device based on the fourth service.

[0317] In one possible implementation, the fourth service is a second service provided by the mobile communication network authorized terminal device to the first application.

[0318] It should be understood that, in the case of multiple second services, the fourth service may include one or at least two of the second services.

[0319] In other words, the fourth service can be one or more services selected from the second services provided by the first application to the authorized terminal device of the mobile network.

[0320] For example, the second service includes services #1 to #4, and the fourth service may include services #1, or services #2, or services #3, or services #4; or, the fourth service may include services #1 to #3, or services #2 to #3 = 4, etc.; or, the fourth service may include services #1 to #4. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0321] In one possible implementation, the fourth service also belongs to the third service provided by the terminal device to the first application by the user-authorized terminal device.

[0322] In other words, the fourth service can be one or more services determined from the intersection of the second and third services.

[0323] For example, if the second service includes services #1 to #4, and the third service includes services #2 and services #4, then the fourth service may include services #2, or services #4, or services #2 and services #4.

[0324] It is understandable that before the first application sends the first request to the terminal device, the first application can obtain the services that the terminal device can provide; that is, the terminal device exposes the services or capabilities it provides to the first application. For example, if the first application is an application deployed or installed on the terminal device, during or after the installation process, the first application obtains the services that the terminal device can provide, such as obtaining services provided by the terminal device's OS. As another example, if the first application is an application deployed on the DN side, the terminal device can expose the services it provides to the DN side application, and expose the corresponding IP address and port number, so that the DN side application can call the services provided by the terminal device.

[0325] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 12 further includes:

[0326] S1210, The terminal device sends capability information to the mobile communication network. Correspondingly, the mobile communication network receives the capability information from the terminal device. The capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to provide services to applications deployed outside the mobile communication network.

[0327] In other words, a mobile communication network can determine whether to provide services to a terminal device based on the terminal device's capability information, and then authorize the terminal device to provide certain services to the first application.

[0328] In this embodiment, the first application, deployed outside the mobile communication network, can directly send a first request to the terminal device to obtain the service result of the first service, thereby invoking the service provided by the terminal device to obtain the service result from the terminal device. This achieves service provision centered on the terminal device, reducing the first application's dependence on the mobile communication network and improving the flexibility of the first application in obtaining services. Furthermore, providing services centered on the terminal device allows for direct determination of the service result based on the terminal device's own parameters, avoiding limitations on service performance.

[0329] The above describes the overall interaction process between the terminal device and the first application. The following describes the interaction between the protocol layers within the terminal device.

[0330] In one possible implementation, the terminal device is equipped with a first protocol layer for processing the first request.

[0331] As you can understand, for details regarding the first protocol layer, please refer to the relevant explanation of the protocol stack in Figure 5 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0332] In other words, by deploying a first protocol layer for processing the first request, the terminal device can process the first service requested by the first request that is supported by the mobile communication network and obtain the service result of the first service.

[0333] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the interaction process between a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer in a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the terminal device is equipped with a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer. The interaction process includes:

[0334] S1301, The second protocol layer receives the first data. The first data includes a first request.

[0335] It is understood that the second protocol layer can receive the first data from the application layer (e.g., HTTP / 2). The first data can be received by the application layer via 3GPP access or non-3GPP access methods; this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0336] S1302a, The second protocol layer determines the services supported by the first data-associated mobile communication network.

[0337] S1303, the second protocol layer sends first data to the first protocol layer. Correspondingly, the first protocol layer receives the first data from the second protocol layer.

[0338] It is understood that the specific implementation of steps S1204 and S1205 can be found in the relevant description in "Processing Method Two" in Figure 5 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0339] In other words, the terminal device can also be deployed to identify the second protocol layer that needs to be transmitted to the first protocol station, thereby enabling better transmission of data associated with services supported by the mobile communication network through the second protocol layer.

[0340] In another possible implementation, S1302a can be replaced by step S1302b.

[0341] S1302b, The second protocol layer determines that the first service requested by the first request belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network.

[0342] It is understood that the difference between step S1302b and step S1302a is that the second protocol layer can parse the first data, and then read the first service requested by the first request from the first data, and thus determine whether to send the first request to the first protocol layer based on whether the first service belongs to the services supported by the mobile communication network.

[0343] In other words, the terminal device can also deploy a second protocol layer, which can parse the first service requested in the first request, and then determine whether to send the first data to the first protocol layer by determining whether the first service belongs to the services supported by the mobile communication network. In this way, by pre-determining whether the first service belongs to the services supported by the mobile communication network, the first protocol layer can avoid processing services that do not belong to the mobile communication network, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the first protocol layer.

[0344] It is understood that the first application can also send the first request and receive the service result of the first service by calling the first interface (i.e., the API in Figure 9), thereby obtaining the first service. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Figures 9 and 10, which will not be repeated here.

[0345] It should be understood that the above describes the interaction between protocol layers within the terminal device when the first application is an application deployed on the DN side. When the first application is an application deployed or installed on the terminal device (e.g., the first processor within the terminal device), the first application can send a first request to the second processor within the terminal device by calling the API provided by the OS of the terminal device (e.g., the first processor), and obtain the service result of the first service from the second processor. For details, please refer to the relevant description in Figure 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0346] The following describes the interaction between multiple processors within the terminal device.

[0347] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow between a first processor and a second processor in a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the terminal device is equipped with a first processor for processing application data and a second processor for processing signal data. The interaction flow includes:

[0348] S1401, The first processor receives the first request.

[0349] It is understood that the first processor may be an application processor (AP) within the terminal device, or other processors used to process the application layer and / or host the operating system. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0350] In addition, the second processor may be, for example, a baseband processor (modem), or other processor used to process baseband signals or 3GPP protocols, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0351] It should be understood that the first processor receiving the first request can mean that: the network layer (e.g., the IP layer) of the first processor receives data including the first request through 3GPP access (i.e., through the second processor), and then the data including the first request reaches the application layer through the transport layer; or the network layer of the first processor receives data including the first request through a non-3GPP access network (i.e., through a Wi-Fi chip or Bluetooth chip, etc.), and then the data including the first request reaches the application layer through the transport layer. For details of the above data processing procedure of the first processor receiving the first request, please refer to Figures 5 to 8, which will not be elaborated here.

[0352] S1402. If it is determined that the first request is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network, the first processor sends the first request to the second processor. Accordingly, the second processor receives the first request from the first processor.

[0353] It is understood that the first request is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network. For example, it may include: the service involved in the first request belongs to a service supported by the mobile communication network, or the first request belongs to a related service provided by the first interface. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0354] For example, the first processor may be equipped with a second protocol layer, which can then determine whether the service involved in the first request is a service supported by the mobile communication network. It is understood that the specific determination of whether the service involved in the first request is a service supported by the mobile communication network can be found in the relevant explanation of the second protocol layer in Figure 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0355] For example, the first processor may be deployed with a first interface, which is an API provided by the OS deployed on the first processor. Then, it can be determined whether the first request is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network by whether the first request belongs to a related service provided by the first interface or whether the first request is transmitted through the first interface. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Figures 9 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0356] S1403, The second processor determines the service result of the first service based on the first request.

[0357] It is understood that the determination of the service result of the first service in step S1403 can be specifically referred to in the operation performed by the modem in Figures 5 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0358] In other words, considering that the first service is a service supported by the mobile communication network, the terminal device can be deployed with a first processor for processing application data and a second processor for processing signal data. The second processor is dedicated to determining the service result of the first service, thereby ensuring the performance of the terminal device in determining the first service.

[0359] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 14 further includes:

[0360] S1404, the second processor sends the service result of the first service to the first processor. Correspondingly, the first processor receives the service result of the first service from the second processor.

[0361] It is understood that the specific implementation of step S1404 can be found in Figure 8 regarding the "process of UE sending the service result of the first service to the OTT client", which will not be repeated here.

[0362] S1405, The first processor sends the service result of the first service.

[0363] It is understandable that, for 3GPP access, the first processor sending the service result of the first service includes: the first processor sending the service result of the first service to the L2 layer of the second processor. For example, the first processor may include an application layer, an operating system, a transport layer, and a network layer. The application layer receives the service result of the first service from the first processor and sends the service result of the first service to the transport layer through the kernel space of the operating system. Then, the transport layer sends the service result of the first service to the network layer, and the network layer delivers the data to the L2 layer of the second processor through the operating system. In addition, the L2 layer of the second processor delivers the service result of the first service to the L1 layer, and the L1 layer sends the service result through the radio frequency chip.

[0364] For non-3GPP access, the service result of the first service sent by the first processor can refer to the first processor sending the service result of the first service to a Wi-Fi chip or Bluetooth chip, etc.

[0365] In addition, the service result of the first service sent by the first processor may refer to the service result of the first service sent to the first application.

[0366] It is understood that when the first application is an application deployed or installed on a terminal device, the first application can be deployed or installed on the first processor, and thus the first processor can directly send the first request to the second processor, i.e., step S1401 described above can be omitted. Furthermore, after step S1404, the first application on the first processor can receive the service result, thus step S1405 described above can be omitted.

[0367] It is understood that after the first application deployed on the terminal device obtains the service result of the first service, it can also send the service result to other devices or network elements (such as the server that interacts with the first application), etc. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0368] The complete process of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The specific process of the above communication method will be described below by way of example, depending on the network location where the first application is deployed.

[0369] For the first application deployed on the DN side:

[0370] The following explanation uses the terminal device as UE (UE includes application, OS, and modem), the mobile communication network as access network equipment and CN, and the first application as an OTT client deployed on the DN side.

[0371] Figure 15 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 15, the method includes the following steps:

[0372] S1501, CN sends the first authorization information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first authorization information from CN.

[0373] It is understandable that the CN can also authorize the access network equipment to provide services that the UE can provide to the OTT client, thereby enabling the access network equipment to allocate the resources needed for the UE to perform the service, so as to assist the UE in completing the corresponding task.

[0374] In addition, the first authorization information and the specific implementation of step S1501 can be found in steps S1205 to S1206, which will not be repeated here.

[0375] S1502, the access network device sends the first authorization information to the modem in the UE. Correspondingly, the modem receives the first authorization information from the access network device.

[0376] S1503, A connection is established between the application in the UE and the OTT client.

[0377] It is understandable that applications in the UE can establish a connection with the OTT client in advance. The OTT client can obtain the UE's address and the services that the UE can provide to the OTT client, so the OTT client can send a first request to the UE based on the authorized services provided.

[0378] Furthermore, there is no timing requirement between step S1503 and step S1502. S1503 can be executed before or after step S1502, or simultaneously. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0379] S1504, The OTT client sends a first request to the application. Accordingly, the application receives the first request from the OTT client.

[0380] It is understandable that the OTT client can send the first request to the application by calling the service request (N_ueProvideServiceRequest) service operation in the Nue service provided by the UE.

[0381] In addition, the specific implementation of step S1504 can be found in step S1201, and will not be repeated here.

[0382] S1505, The application sends a first request to the modem via the OS. Correspondingly, the modem receives the first request from the application via the OS.

[0383] It is understood that the specific implementation of step S1505 can be found in step S1401, and will not be repeated here.

[0384] S1506, modem performs the first service.

[0385] It is understood that in auxiliary mode, the access network device and / or CN, modem perform the first service. For details, please refer to the relevant description of step S1202, which will not be repeated here.

[0386] S1507, the modem sends the service result of the first service to the application through the OS. Correspondingly, the application receives the service result of the first service from the modem through the OS.

[0387] It is understood that the specific implementation of step S1507 can be found in step S1404, and will not be repeated here.

[0388] S1508, The application sends the service result of the first service to the OTT client. Accordingly, the OTT client receives the service result of the first service from the application.

[0389] It is understandable that the application can send the service result of the first service to the application by calling the service operation of the Nue service provided by the UE (N_ueProvideServiceResponse).

[0390] For the first application deployed on a terminal device:

[0391] The following explanation uses the terminal device as UE (UE includes application, OS, and modem), the mobile communication network as access network equipment and CN, and the first application as the application deployed on the terminal device.

[0392] Figure 16 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 16, the difference between this method and the method shown in Figure 13 is that the UE's application sends a request to the modem. The method shown in Figure 16 specifically includes the following steps: S1601 to S1605, where steps S1601 to S1602 are the same as steps S1301 to S1302, and steps S1604 are the same as steps S1306.

[0393] S1603, The application sends a first request to the modem via the OS. Correspondingly, the modem receives the first request from the application via the OS.

[0394] It is understandable that the application can send the first request to the modem by calling the API (i.e. the first interface) provided by the OS. For details, please refer to the relevant explanation in Figure 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0395] S1605, the modem sends the service result of the first service to the application through the OS. Correspondingly, the application receives the service result of the first service from the modem through the OS.

[0396] It is understandable that, similar to the principle implemented in step S1601, the modem can send the service result of the first service to the application by calling the API provided by the OS.

[0397] The method embodiments provided in this application have been described above. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device may be a terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the terminal device, or a component usable in a terminal device; or, the communication device may be a first network element in the above method embodiments, or a device including the first network element, or a component usable in a first network element.

[0398] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 17, the communication device 1700 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described above. In one possible design, the communication device 1700 includes a processing unit 1702 and a communication unit 1703. Optionally, the communication device 1700 may further include a storage unit 1701 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0399] The communication device 1700 can be a terminal device or a module within a terminal device as described in the above embodiments. For example, a module within a terminal device can be a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions.

[0400] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1703 is configured to: receive a first request from a first application, the first request being for a first service, the first service being a service supported by a mobile communication network to which the terminal device is registered, and the first application being an application deployed outside the mobile communication network. The processing unit 1702 is configured to, according to the first request, send the service result of the first service to the first application through the communication unit 1703.

[0401] In one possible design, when the communication device 1700 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the function of the communication unit 1703 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0402] In one possible design, when the communication device 1700 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 1702 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 1703 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0403] The communication device 1700 can be the first network element in the mobile communication network in the above embodiments.

[0404] For example, in one embodiment, processing unit 1702 is used to obtain first authorization information from a terminal device, which instructs a mobile communication network to authorize the terminal device to provide a second service to a first application, wherein the first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network. Communication unit 1703 is used to send the first authorization information to the terminal device.

[0405] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software 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 specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0406] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0407] In one example, storage unit 1701 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0408] Furthermore, the communication device 1700 can execute the above-described communication method, and therefore the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above-described method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0409] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. This terminal device corresponds to the terminal device shown in Figure 1 and is used to implement the operation of the terminal device in the above embodiments. As shown in Figure 18, the terminal device includes: one or more antennas 1810, a radio frequency (RF) processing system 1820, and a processor system 1830.

[0410] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 1820 receives RF signals through the antenna 1810 and sends the RF-processed signals to the processor system 1830 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 1830 processes the terminal-side information (e.g., data) and sends it to the RF processing system 1820, which then processes the signal and transmits it through the antenna 1810.

[0411] In one example, the radio frequency (RF) processing system 1820 serves as the communication interface for external communication of the terminal and may include an RF front end (RFFE) 1821 and an RF transceiver 1822. The RFFE 1821 is primarily used for one or more processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain adjustment, on the RF signals received by the antenna or those to be transmitted through the antenna. It may include one or more components such as RF switches, duplexers, filters, power amplifiers, antenna tuners, and low-noise amplifiers. The RFFE 1821 can be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete components or integrated into one or more chips. The RF transceiver 1822 processes the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 1830, and processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 1830 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 1821. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 1822 and the processor system 1830 can be digital or analog signals. The RF transceiver 1822 can be implemented by one or more chips, which are commonly referred to as RF ICs.

[0412] In one example, processor system 1830 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, processor system 1830 may also include memory 1836. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 1831 (also known as a modem processor). Memory 1836 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, processor system 1830 may also include one or more application processors 1832 for implementing processing of the terminal operating system and application layer. Optionally, processor system 1830 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 1833, a multimedia subsystem 1834, or an interface circuit 1835. The voice subsystem 1833 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 1834 is used to handle multimedia-related operations, such as video encoding / decoding, image processing, etc., and the interface circuit 1835 is used to enable communication with other terminal components, such as a display 1840, an input device 1850, memory 1860, etc. The above-mentioned components in processor system 1830 can communicate with each other via a bus or communication interface circuit.

[0413] In one example, the processor system 1830 can be packaged as a single processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 1830 can be a system composed of multiple chips; for example, the baseband processor 1831 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged with part or all of the circuitry of the radio frequency processing system into a single chip.

[0414] In one example, memory 1836 can be on-chip memory, i.e., located on the processor system 1830 chip. In another example, memory 1860 can be off-chip memory, i.e., located outside the processor system 1830 chip.

[0415] In one example, the baseband processor 1831 may include one or more processor cores 18311 and interface circuitry 18314. The one or more processor cores 18311 are used to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 1831 may also include a memory 18312 for storing at least a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 18311 implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments by executing the computer program instructions stored in the memory 18312. In this embodiment, the memory 18312 is used to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. This can mean that the memory 18312 stores all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for execution by the processor core 18311; or it can mean that the memory 18312 stores a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, including the computer program instructions and / or data currently required to be executed by the processor core 18311. The memory 18312 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for execution by the processor core 18311 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. The interface circuit 18314 serves as a communication interface for communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with the radio frequency processing system 1820, communicating with other subsystems and related components of the processor system 1830 via a bus, such as transmitting data control signals with the application processor 1832, and transmitting data or computer program instructions with the memory 1836 or memory 1860. Optionally, in order to reduce the load on the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 18313 can be set to perform at least some baseband signal processing, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding or decoding.

[0416] In one example, the communication device provided in this application embodiment may be the terminal shown in FIG18, including a communication module comprising a processor system 1830 and a radio frequency system 1820, or a baseband processor 1831.

[0417] The processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit or processor core mentioned above can be collectively referred to as a processor. The processor may include one or more of the following: CPU, DSP, microprocessor unit (MPU), MCU, graphics processing unit (GPU), FPGA, artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or neural processing unit (NPU).

[0418] The aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored on non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the aforementioned memory 1860 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal is running, the corresponding computer program instructions may be partially or wholly loaded onto a memory with a faster transfer speed than the processor, such as at least a portion of memory 1836 and / or memory 18312 (e.g., one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, ReRAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for the processor to execute in order to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0419] In one example, the RF transceiver 1822 and the RF front-end 1821 can also be packaged in a single chip. In another example, the RF transceiver 1822, the RF front-end 1821, and the baseband processor 1831 can also be packaged in a single chip.

[0420] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the functions of the above-described method embodiments.

[0421] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of the above-described method embodiments.

[0422] In one possible implementation, this application embodiment also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device and the first application described in the above method embodiments.

[0423] Optionally, the above communication system further includes a first network element in a mobile communication network, wherein the first network element is a network element in the RAN or CN.

[0424] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a communication method, which includes the method described in any of the above-described method embodiments or any implementation thereof.

[0425] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This 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 flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or containing one or more data storage devices such as servers or data centers that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium, or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0426] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various 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 these functions are implemented in hardware or software 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 this application.

[0427] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0428] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0429] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0430] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0431] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0432] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: A first request is received from a first application, the first request being used to request a first service, the first service being a service supported by the mobile communication network to which the terminal device is registered, and the first application being an application deployed outside the mobile communication network. Based on the first request, the service result of the first service is sent to the first application.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Receiving the first request from the first application includes: The system receives a first request from the first application through a first interface, the first interface being used to provide the operation of associating the first service between the terminal device and the first application.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The terminal device is equipped with a first protocol layer, which is used to process the first request.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The terminal device is further configured with a second protocol layer; the method further includes: The second protocol layer receives the first data, which includes the first request; The second protocol layer determines that the first data is associated with services supported by the mobile communication network; The second protocol layer sends the first data to the first protocol layer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain first authorization information from the mobile communication network, wherein the first authorization information instructs the mobile communication network to authorize the terminal device to provide a second service to the first application; If the second service includes the first service, determine the service result of the first service.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the first authorization information from the mobile communication network includes: Send a second request to the mobile communication network, the second request being used to request the terminal device to provide services to the first application; Receive first authorization information from the mobile communication network.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The first authorization information includes the type and / or service requirements of the second service; wherein the service requirements indicate input parameters for determining the service outcome of the second service.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain second authorization information, which instructs the user of the terminal device to authorize the terminal device to provide a third service to the first application; When the second service includes the first service, sending the service result of the first service to the first application includes: If the second service includes the first service, and the third service includes the first service, the service result of the first service is sent to the first application.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain first information from the mobile communication network; Based on the first information, determine the service result of the first service.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The terminal device is equipped with a first processor for processing application data and a second processor for processing signal data. Receiving the first request from the first application includes: The first processor receives the first request; The method further includes: If it is determined that the first request is associated with a service supported by the mobile communication network, the first processor sends the first request to the second processor. The second processor determines the service result of the first service based on the first request.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Before receiving the first request from the first application, the method further includes: Send a second message to the first application, the second message indicating that the terminal device can provide a fourth service to the first application.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device sends capability information to the mobile communication network, the capability information indicating that the terminal device has the ability to provide services to applications deployed outside the mobile communication network.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The first request includes at least one of the following: the service type of the first service, or the service requirement of the first service.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The first service includes any one of the following: perception service, artificial intelligence service, or location service.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a first network element in a mobile communication network, includes: Obtain first authorization information from a terminal device, wherein the first authorization information indicates that the mobile communication network authorizes the terminal device to provide a second service to a first application, wherein the first application is an application deployed outside the mobile communication network; The first authorization information is sent to the terminal device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Before sending the first authorization information to the terminal device, the method further includes: A second request is received from the terminal device, the second request being for requesting that the terminal device provide services to the first application.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information from the terminal device indicating the first service; Based on the first authorization information, it is determined that the first service belongs to the second service; Send first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to determine the service result of the first service.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive capability information from a terminal device, the capability information indicating that the terminal device has the capability to provide services to applications deployed outside the mobile communication network.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The first authorization information includes the type and / or service requirements of the second service; wherein the service requirements indicate input parameters for determining the service outcome of the second service.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The first service includes any one of the following: perception service, artificial intelligence service, or location service.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module or unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor configured to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-20 via logic circuitry and / or execution instructions.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1-20 to be implemented.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-20.

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