Communication method, apparatus and system, and storage medium and program product

Abstract

A communication method, apparatus and system, and a storage medium and a program product. The method comprises: a second apparatus receiving from a third apparatus a request or trigger message for acquiring location information of a first ambient-Internet-of-Things device; on the basis of the request or trigger message, the second apparatus sending to a first apparatus an acquisition indication for the location information of the first ambient-Internet-of-Things device; on the basis of the acquisition indication, the first apparatus sending to the second apparatus the location information of the first ambient-Internet-of-Things device; and the second apparatus sending to the third apparatus the location information of the first ambient-Internet-of-Things device. By means of the solution of the present application, the second apparatus can acquire the location information of the first ambient-Internet-of-Things device by means of the first apparatus, such that Internet-of-Things-based object searching and positioning can be realized, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

Description

Communication method, apparatus, system, storage medium and program product

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411312305.6, filed on September 19, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, apparatus, system, storage medium and program product", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of Internet of Things (IoT), and in particular, to a communication method, apparatus, system, storage medium and program product. BACKGROUND

[0003] Currently, the ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) mainly considers the warehouse factory, such as managing the assets in the factory, and counting the assets through the inventory process or other similar processes to confirm which assets are stored in the current warehouse. For this business, the location of the factory or warehouse is fixed, and the readers and A-IoT devices (such as tags) deployed therein are also fixed, and the main implementation is to confirm whether the A-IoT devices of a certain factory or warehouse exist.

[0004] However, it is also necessary to consider that the A-IoT can be used for other consumer-oriented businesses, such as managing the assets of users, and positioning the A-IoT devices through the inventory process or other similar processes to determine whether the user's items are lost and in which area, thereby realizing the A-IoT-based lost item positioning. However, there is currently no corresponding solution for how to implement such a business. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, system, storage medium and program product to accurately realize the lost item positioning based on the Internet of Things.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to a first device side, for example, the method can be executed by the first device or by a module (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the first device. The module can be a communication module in the first device or a circuit or chip responsible for the communication function in the first device, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0007] The method comprises: a first device receiving first information indicating obtaining location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; and the first device sending second information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0008] With the method, the first device can obtain and send the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device according to the indication, thereby realizing the Internet of Things-based lost item positioning and improving the positioning accuracy.

[0009] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design, the first information comprises identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0010] With reference to the first aspect, in another possible design, the first information is located in an inventory service message.

[0011] With this design, the first information can be represented by the inventory service message in combination with a new 1-bit indication bit, for example, indicating that the A-IoT service type is inventory and simultaneously carrying the 1-bit indication bit represents the inventory related procedure based on the A-IoT positioning service. Thus, the existing inventory service procedure can be compatible.

[0012] With reference to the first aspect, in another possible design, the method further comprises: the first device obtaining information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, the information of the first environmental Internet of Things device comprising at least one of the following: location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in another possible design, the second information further indicates at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, feedback information corresponding to the first information.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in another possible design, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by location information of the first device.

[0015] With this design, the core network device can obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device through the access network device, and the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by the location information of the access network device, thereby realizing the Internet of Things-based lost item positioning and improving the positioning accuracy.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in another possible design, the first device is located in a first area.

[0017] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to a second device side, for example, the method can be performed by the second device, or performed by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the second device. The module can be a communication module in the second device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the second device, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0018] The method comprises: receiving, by the second device, third information, the third information requesting or triggering obtaining of location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; sending, by the second device, first information to the first device, the first information indicating obtaining of the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; receiving, by the second device, second information from the first device, the second information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; and sending, by the second device, fourth information, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0019] With the method, the second device can obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device through the first device, so as to realize the lost item positioning based on the Internet of Things, and improve the positioning accuracy.

[0020] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information comprises identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0021] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design, the first information is located in an inventory business message.

[0022] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design, the first information further indicates identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0023] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design, the second information further indicates at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, feedback information corresponding to the first information.

[0024] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by location information of the first device.

[0025] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design, the method further comprises: determining, by the second device, the location information of the first device.

[0026] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design, the third information comprises information of a first area.

[0027] With this design, the core network device determines the candidate access network device and / or the potential terminal according to the information of the first area.

[0028] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design of the third aspect, the third information includes identification information of the first device.

[0029] With this design, the core network device can determine the access network device to which the UE belongs according to the identification information of the first device.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in another possible design of the third aspect, the method further includes: determining, by the second device, the first device based on the third information.

[0031] The third aspect provides a communication method applied to a communication system, the system including a first device, a second device, and a third device, where the method includes: sending, by the third device, third information to the second device, the third information requesting or triggering obtaining of location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; sending, by the second device, first information to the first device, the first information indicating the obtaining of the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; determining, by the first device, the location information of the first device; and sending, by the second device, fourth information to the third device, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device being indicated by the location information of the first device.

[0032] With reference to the third aspect, in a possible design of the third aspect, the first information includes identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0033] With reference to the third aspect, in another possible design of the third aspect, the first information is located in an inventory service message.

[0034] The fourth aspect provides a communication device for implementing the communication method in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect. The device can be the first device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) applied to the first device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device.

[0035] The fifth aspect provides a communication device for implementing the communication method in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect. The device can be the second device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) applied to the second device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second device.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect to the fifth aspect includes units, modules, or means for performing the method in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any one of the implementations. The units, modules, or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. For example, the communication apparatus can include a sending unit, a receiving unit, and a processing unit.

[0037] When the communication apparatus is used to implement the method in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect, the transceiver is configured to receive first information, the first information indicating to obtain location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; and the transceiver is further configured to send second information, the second information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0038] Optionally, the first information includes identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0039] Optionally, the first information is located in an inventory business message.

[0040] Optionally, the processing unit is configured to obtain information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, the information of the first environmental Internet of Things device including at least one of the following: location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0041] Optionally, the second information further indicates at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, feedback information corresponding to the first information.

[0042] Optionally, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by location information of the first apparatus.

[0043] Optionally, the first apparatus is located in a first region.

[0044] When the communication apparatus is used to implement the method in the second aspect or any one of the implementations of the second aspect, the transceiver is configured to receive third information, the third information requesting or triggering to obtain location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; the transceiver is further configured to send first information to a first apparatus, the first information indicating to obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; the transceiver is further configured to receive second information from the first apparatus, the second information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; and the transceiver is further configured to send fourth information, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0045] Optionally, the first information comprises identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0046] Optionally, the first information is located in an inventory service message.

[0047] Optionally, the first information further indicates identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0048] Optionally, the second information further indicates at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental IoT device, feedback information corresponding to the first information.

[0049] Optionally, the location information of the first environmental IoT device is indicated by location information of the first device.

[0050] Optionally, the processing unit is configured to determine the location information of the first device.

[0051] Optionally, the third information comprises information of a first region.

[0052] Optionally, the third information comprises identification information of the first device.

[0053] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine the first device based on the third information.

[0054] Optionally, the processor can be coupled with a memory for storing programs (instructions) and / or data necessary for the device. Optionally, the communication device can further comprise a communication interface for realizing communication between the device and other network elements. Optionally, the memory can be located inside the communication device or outside the communication device.

[0055] Optionally, the communication device can further comprise a transceiver, and the processor is coupled with the transceiver, and the processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions to control the transceiver to receive and send information; when the processor executes the computer programs or instructions, the processor is further configured to realize the above method through a logic circuit or an executed code instruction. The transceiver can be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit or an input / output interface, which is configured to receive a signal from another communication device outside the communication device and transmit the signal to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication device outside the communication device. When the communication device is a chip, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0056] When the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect to the fifth aspect is a chip, the sending unit can be an output unit, such as an output circuit or a communication interface; and the receiving unit can be an input unit, such as an input circuit or a communication interface. When the communication apparatus is a terminal, the sending unit can be a transmitter or a transmitter; and the receiving unit can be a receiver or a receiver.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, a communication system is provided, the communication system comprising a first apparatus configured to perform the method in the first aspect or any one of the designs in the first aspect, and a second apparatus configured to perform the method in the second aspect or any one of the designs in the second aspect.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided, the communication system comprising a first apparatus, a second apparatus and a third apparatus, wherein: the third apparatus is configured to send third information to the second apparatus, the third information requesting or triggering obtaining of location information of a first environmental IoT device; the second apparatus is configured to send first information to the first apparatus, the first information indicating obtaining of the location information of the first environmental IoT device; the first apparatus is configured to determine the location information of the first apparatus; and the second apparatus is further configured to send fourth information to the third apparatus, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device, the location information of the first environmental IoT device being indicated by the location information of the first apparatus.

[0059] Optionally, the first information comprises identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0060] Optionally, the first information is located in an inventory service message.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the computer readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are executed, implementing the method in the aspects.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, when the instructions are run on a communication apparatus, causing the communication apparatus to perform the method in the aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0063] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting communication system;

[0064] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a topology of an environmental IoT;

[0065] FIGS. 3a-3b are schematic diagrams of topology architectures provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0066] Figures 4-7 are schematic flowcharts of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figures 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0068] The scheme of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as fifth-generation (5G) communication systems. th This technology can be applied to various scenarios, including 5G mobile communication systems, future evolution systems, and converged communication systems, as well as existing communication systems. The application scenarios of the technical solutions provided in this application can include multiple areas, such as machine-to-machine (M2M), macro-micro communication, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (uRLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). These scenarios may include, but are not limited to, communication between terminals, communication between network devices, and communication between network devices and terminals. Network devices include access network devices and core network devices. The following descriptions use examples of applications involving communication between network devices and terminals.

[0070] Figure 1 illustrates a possible, non-limiting communication system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0071] The RAN 100 can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, e.g., a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future communication network (or future mobile communication system). The RAN 100 can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0072] The RAN node 110 can also be referred to as a network device, an access network device, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc., which forms part of the communication system, to help terminals to access the network wirelessly. The RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 1000 can be of the same type or of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative, e.g., the network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured to be a mobile base station. For a terminal 120j that accesses the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station. But for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The RAN nodes 110 and the terminals 120 are sometimes referred to as communication apparatuses, e.g., the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0073] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (e.g., 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0074] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit-control plane (CU-CP), a central unit-user plane (CU-UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0075] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open-CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open-distributed unit (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an open-central unit-control plane (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open-central unit-user plane (O-CU-UP), and the RU can also be referred to as an open-radio unit (O-RU). For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0076] The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0077] The communication between the network device and the terminal complies with a certain protocol layer structure. The protocol layer can include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer can include at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, or a physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer can include at least one of the following: a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, or a physical layer, etc. The non-access stratum (NAS) of the terminal and the NAS of the access and mobility management function (AMF) of the core network interact; the RRC layer of the UE and the RRC of the access network device interact.

[0078] The base station and the terminal can be fixed in position or movable. The base station and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water; can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons and artificial satellites. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal.

[0079] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative, for example, the helicopter or the unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile base station, and for the terminal 120j that accesses the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through a base station-to-base station interface protocol, in which case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, the base station and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication device, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a base station function, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a terminal function.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, the base station is also referred to as a network device, and the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device; or can be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The device can be installed in the network device or used in combination with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0081] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the UE is also referred to as a terminal, and the device for implementing the method flow of the embodiments can be a terminal; and the corresponding method can also be implemented by a device capable of supporting the terminal to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in combination with the terminal. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the terminal is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0082] It should be understood that the number and type of devices in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 are only illustrative, and the present application is not limited thereto. In actual applications, more terminals and more access network devices can be included in the communication system, and other network elements can also be included, for example, a core network device and / or a network element for implementing an artificial intelligence function can be included.

[0083] It can be understood that all or part of the functions implemented by one or more of the terminal, the access network device, the core network device, or the network element for implementing the artificial intelligence function can be virtualized, that is, implemented by one or more of a special processor or a general processor and a corresponding software module. Among them, the terminal and the access network device involve the interface of the air interface transmission, and the transceiving function of the interface can be implemented by hardware. The core network device, such as the operation administration and maintenance (OAM) network element, can be virtualized. Optionally, one or more functions of the virtualized terminal, access network device, core network device, or network element for implementing the artificial intelligence function can be implemented by a cloud device, such as a cloud device in an over the top (OTT) system.

[0084] Embodiments of the present application relate to environmental Internet of Things, and the concept thereof is described below.

[0085] With the wide application of Internet of Things technology in the field of wireless communication, reducing the size, complexity and power consumption of Internet of Things devices is of great concern. Since most wireless communication devices need to be replaced by manual battery or powered by rechargeable batteries, to some extent, it will lead to high maintenance cost and even cause safety hazards. With the continuous introduction of digital era demand and the improvement of automation level, it is urgent to introduce new Internet of Things technology to support non-energy storage devices or energy storage devices that do not need to be manually replaced or charged. Therefore, the Internet of Things technology that supports higher density connection, lower complexity and lower power consumption - environmental Internet of Things emerges as the times require. Such battery-free Internet of Things devices are called A-IoT devices. Since there is no battery in A-IoT devices, the size of the device is reduced, and the complexity of the device is reduced, so it is expected to increase the number of devices that can be accommodated in the Internet of Things scenario. The peak power consumption of A-IoT devices is between 1 μW and several hundred μW, and the uplink transmission of A-IoT devices can be generated internally by A-IoT devices, or needs to be backscattered based on an externally provided carrier wave to realize uplink transmission. Among them, the A-IoT device with a peak power consumption of 1 μW does not have uplink or downlink amplification function, and the A-IoT device with a peak power consumption of several hundred μW has uplink and / or downlink amplification function.

[0086] 3GPP defines several topologies of environmental Internet of Things, which can be seen from Figure 2.

[0087] (1) Base station to environmental IoT device. In this topology, the base station and the environmental IoT device can communicate bi-directionally, including transmission of environmental IoT data and / or signaling. The base station that transmits data to the environmental IoT device and the base station that receives data from the environmental IoT device can be the same or different.

[0088] (2) Base station to intermediate node to environmental IoT device. In this topology, the base station and the intermediate node can communicate over Uu, and the intermediate node and the environmental IoT device can communicate bi-directionally, including transmission of environmental IoT data and / or signaling.

[0089] (3.1) and (3.2) Base station to assisting node to environmental IoT device to base station. (3.1) of FIG. 2 is a downlink assisted topology, in which the base station and the assisting node communicate over Uu for downlink transmission, the environmental IoT device receives environmental IoT data and / or signaling from the assisting node and transmits environmental IoT data and / or signaling to the base station. (3.2) of FIG. 2 is an uplink assisted topology, in which the environmental IoT device receives environmental IoT data and / or signaling from the base station and transmits environmental IoT data and / or signaling to the assisting node, and the assisting node communicates over Uu with the base station for uplink transmission.

[0090] (4) UE to environmental IoT device. In this topology, the UE and the environmental IoT device can communicate bi-directionally, including transmission of environmental IoT data and / or signaling. The UE that transmits data to the environmental IoT device and the UE that receives data from the environmental IoT device can be the same or different.

[0091] The environmental IoT device has low power consumption, low complexity, small size, and long life cycle, and is usually not equipped with a traditional battery, but mainly uses energy obtained from environmental energy, which can include radio waves, solar energy, kinetic energy, thermal energy, and pressure energy, or any other form of energy. Radio waves can come from a base station or a user equipment. The environmental IoT device can also be referred to as an IoT device, and as the standard evolves, the environmental IoT device can have other names.

[0092] The intermediate node in FIG. 2 can also be described as a relay node, which can be a relay, a repeater, an integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, a user equipment (UE), or any other device with environmental IoT capability.

[0093] The auxiliary node in FIG. 2 can be a relay, a repeater, an IAB node, a UE, or the like, which is an environmental IoT-capable device.

[0094] The base station, the intermediate node, the auxiliary node, and the UE in FIG. 2 can be collectively referred to as a reader. The reader can be an environmental IoT-capable device, and can power or provide a carrier signal for backscattering to an environmental IoT device. The reader can also be referred to as a reader-writer, a reader, an excitation source, an IoT-capable device, an IoT-capable device, and the like. As the standard evolves, the reader can have other names. The environmental IoT device can be a UE, a tag, or the like.

[0095] It can be understood that how the reader specifically communicates with the environmental IoT device depends on which of the base station, the intermediate node, the auxiliary node, and the UE the reader specifically is and the specific topology. Based on the topology described in the above embodiments, the communication between the reader and the environmental IoT device in the following embodiments can be direct communication (for example, the reader is a base station and the topology is (1) in FIG. 2), or indirect communication (for example, the reader is a base station and the topology is (2) in FIG. 2 or (3.1) in FIG. 2 or (3.2) in FIG. 2). The specific communication process can be referred to the above description of the topology.

[0096] In A-IoT, the reader and the environmental IoT device (such as a tag) can perform at least one of the following operations: an inventory operation, a read operation, a write operation, a kill operation, or a lock operation.

[0097] The inventory operation, which can also be referred to as an inventory operation, can obtain the identification of the tag through the inventory operation. For example, the reader can use a query, an acknowledgment (ACK), or the like, to obtain the identification of the tag. The inventory operation can be used to confirm whether the tag is currently in the inventory area.

[0098] The specific process of the inventory operation can include:

[0099] 1) The server sends an inventory request to the core network device, to request the core network device to trigger the inventory process;

[0100] 2) The core network device sends an inventory request to the reader, to request the reader to trigger an A-IoT air interface access process, to obtain tag information; wherein the reader can be a network device or a terminal;

[0101] 3) The reader triggers the tag to perform an A-IoT air interface access procedure, the reader triggers the tag to access, if the tag responds and successfully accesses, the reader sends the tag information to the core network as an inventory report;

[0102] 4) The core network device can further send the inventory report to the server, so that the server can confirm whether the tag is currently in the inventory area.

[0103] The read operation can read the electronic product code (EPC) or tag identifier (TID) in the storage area of the tag, or read the content stored in the reserved area of the tag or the content stored in the user storage area, etc.

[0104] The write operation can perform a write operation on the storage area of the tag.

[0105] The inactivation operation can make the tag never work.

[0106] The lock operation can lock the information of the tag to prevent read or write operations on the tag. Alternatively, the lock operation can also lock the storage area of the tag to prohibit read or write operations on the storage area.

[0107] The above is only an example, and other operations can be performed between the reader and the tag, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0108] Currently, A-IoT mainly considers a warehouse factory, for example, managing assets in a factory, and performing asset inventory through an inventory process or other similar processes to confirm which assets are currently stored in the warehouse. For this business, the location of the factory or warehouse is fixed, the reader and environmental Internet of Things devices (such as tags) deployed therein are also fixed, and the main implementation is to confirm whether the environmental Internet of Things devices of a certain factory or warehouse exist.

[0109] However, it is also necessary to consider that A-IoT can be used for other consumer-oriented businesses, such as managing assets of a user, positioning environmental Internet of Things devices through an inventory process or other similar processes to determine whether the user's items are lost and in which area, thereby realizing a lost item positioning based on A-IoT. However, there is currently no corresponding solution for how to implement such a business.

[0110] Therefore, the present application provides a communication scheme, and a second device can obtain location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device through a first device, thereby realizing a lost item positioning based on Internet of Things and improving the accuracy of positioning.

[0111] The present application can be applied to the architecture of topology 1 as shown in FIG. 3a and the architecture of topology 2 as shown in FIG. 3b. In the architecture of topology 1 as shown in FIG. 3a, the access network device is generally in a small range working mode, and the access network device directly communicates with the A-IoT device. In the architecture of topology 2 as shown in FIG. 3b, the access network device is generally outdoor, and can communicate with the A-IoT device through an indoor intermediate node (for example, a UE).

[0112] Based on the above communication system, the communication method provided by the present application is described as follows:

[0113] As shown in FIG. 4, it is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the method can include the following steps:

[0114] S401. The third device sends third information to the second device.

[0115] Correspondingly, the second device receives the third information.

[0116] Exemplarily, the third device can be a server (also known as an application server). In one scenario, a user wants to find a first environmental IoT device, and therefore instructs the third device to request or trigger the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental IoT device. After receiving the instruction of the user, the third device generates the third information and sends the third information to the second device, where the third information requests or triggers the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental IoT device. Exemplarily, the third device can be a UE, and in one scenario, the UE sends the third information to the second device, where the third information requests or triggers the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0117] Exemplarily, the second device can be a server core network (CN), or a network element in the core network, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the core network device. The module can be a communication module in the core network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the core network device, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0118] Exemplarily, the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental IoT device can be replaced by: acquisition of the location information of a first device corresponding to the first environmental IoT device, or performing a positioning service.

[0119] Further, the third information includes identification information of the first environmental IoT device, for example, can be the name, index, identifier, etc. of the first environmental IoT device.

[0120] S402. The second device sends first information to the first device.

[0121] Correspondingly, the first device receives the first information.

[0122] After the second device receives the third information from the third device, the second device sends first information to the first device, where the first information indicates obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device. The first device can be a reader. Illustratively, the present embodiment can be applicable to the above topology 1, and the first device can be an access network device, or a module (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the access network device. The module can be a communication module in the access network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the access network device, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core. The present embodiment can also be applicable to the above topology 2, and the first device can be a UE, or a module (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the UE. The module can be a communication module in the UE, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the UE, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0123] Further, the first information includes identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0124] S403. The first device sends second information to the second device.

[0125] Correspondingly, the second device receives the second information.

[0126] After the first device receives the first information from the second device, the first device triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access, for example, triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access on the A-IoT interface and report information of the first environmental IoT device. The information of the first environmental IoT device can include identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0127] After the first device obtains the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, the first device sends second information to the second device, where the second information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0128] Illustratively, the second information indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device can have the following two implementations:

[0129] In one implementation, the second information can directly indicate the location information of the first environmental IoT device. After receiving the information reported by the first environmental IoT device, the first device can determine the location information of the first environmental IoT device (for example, the first environmental IoT device directly reports its own location information, or the first device has a certain mapping relationship with the first environmental IoT device, and the first device pre-stores the location information of the first environmental IoT device), thereby directly indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device to the second device.

[0130] In another implementation, the second information indicates the location information of the first device, and the location information of the first environmental IoT device is indicated by the location information of the first device (the first environmental IoT device is in a set area near the first device). That is, the first device can indicate the location information of the first device to the second device, and the second device can determine the location information of the first environmental IoT device based on the location information of the first device.

[0131] Further, the second information can also indicate at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental IoT device, and feedback information corresponding to the first information. The feedback information corresponding to the first information refers to the feedback of the access network device to the received first information. By reporting the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, the second device can know that the received location information is of the first environmental IoT device.

[0132] S404. The second device sends fourth information to the third device.

[0133] Correspondingly, the third device receives the fourth information.

[0134] After receiving the second information, the second device sends fourth information to the third device.

[0135] The fourth information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0136] Corresponding to the two implementations of the above second information, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device can also have the following two implementations:

[0137] In one implementation, the fourth information can directly indicate the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0138] In another implementation, the fourth information indicates the location information of the first device, and the location information of the first environmental IoT device is indicated by the location information of the first device.

[0139] After receiving the fourth information, the third device can output the location information of the first environmental IoT device or the location information of the first device to the user.

[0140] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the second device can obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device through the first device, so that the lost object positioning based on the Internet of Things can be realized, and the positioning accuracy is improved.

[0141] The above embodiment describes that the second device can obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device through the first device, so that the lost object positioning based on the Internet of Things can be realized. The following embodiment is described by taking the application to topology 1 (the first device is an access network device) as an example:

[0142] As shown in FIG. 5, it is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. The method can include the following steps:

[0143] S501. The third device sends third information to the core network device.

[0144] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the third information.

[0145] The third information requests or triggers the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0146] In the embodiment, the third device can be an (application function, AF). In one scenario, a user wants to find the first environmental Internet of Things device, and the user can provide the identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device and the information of the first area (i.e., the first environmental Internet of Things device is probably in the first area) to the server. The information of the first area can be coordinate information, etc. Alternatively, the third device can be a UE, and in one scenario, the UE sends the third information to the second device, wherein the third information requests or triggers the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0147] After the third device obtains the identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device and the information of the first area provided by the user, the third device generates the third information, which requests or triggers the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, or the third information requests or triggers the execution of the first service on the first environmental Internet of Things device, wherein the first service is a positioning service, or the first service is used to acquire the location information of the access network device, or the first service is used to acquire the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device. The third information includes the identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device and the information of the first area. Alternatively, the third information can not include the information of the first area, and the first environmental Internet of Things device is searched in the whole network or in a predetermined area by default.

[0148] After the third device generates the third information, the third device sends the third information to the core network device.

[0149] The core network device can be a tag management function (TMF) or the like. The present application does not limit the core network device used for the object positioning.

[0150] S502. The core network device determines the candidate access network device according to the first area information.

[0151] The area indicated by the first area information can be a coverage area of a certain access network device, or a subset of the coverage area. The core network device can determine the candidate access network device according to the first area information.

[0152] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 5, step S502 can include the following steps: step S502a. A unified data management (UDM) function network element stores mapping information between area information and access network devices and / or TMFs; step S502b. An AF sends the third information a including the area information to a network exposure function (NEF) network element; step S502c. The NEF sends the first area information to the UDM; step S502d. The UDM determines the candidate access network device according to the received first area information and the mapping information, and indicates the candidate access network device and / or TMF that can be a reader to the NEF; and step S502e. The NEF sends the third information b to the corresponding TMF, which can not include the area information. After receiving the third information b, the TMF sends the first information to the access network device, which indicates to obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, or indicates to perform the first service on the first environmental Internet of Things device, and the first information includes the identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device. Exemplarily, the third information a and the third information b request or trigger to obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; or the third information a and the third information b request or trigger to perform the first service on the first environmental Internet of Things device. Exemplarily, the third information a and the third information b include the identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0153] S503. The core network device sends the first information to the access network device.

[0154] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information.

[0155] After the core network device determines the candidate access network device, the core network device sends the first information to the access network device. The first information indicates to obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, or indicates to perform the first service on the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0156] In this embodiment, the access network device acts as the first device, i.e., the reader.

[0157] Further, the first information includes identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0158] The first information can be a new service indication information. For example, the currently indicated A-IoT service types are inventory, read, write, and inactivation, and a new A-IoT service type can be added as the first service, which is a positioning service, or the first service is used to obtain the location information of the first device. Alternatively, the first information can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through the inventory service message, for example, indicating that the A-IoT service type is inventory, and simultaneously carrying a 1-bit indication bit to represent that it is an inventory-related process based on A-IoT positioning service, so as to be compatible with the existing inventory service message. The core network device can be a tag management function (TMF) or the like. The present application does not limit the core network device used for object positioning.

[0159] S504. The access network device triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access and report the information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0160] After the access network device receives the first information, the access network device triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access, for example, triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access on the A-IoT interface and report the information of the first environmental IoT device, which can include the identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0161] S505. The access network device sends second information to the core network device.

[0162] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the second information.

[0163] The second information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0164] Further, the second information can also indicate at least one of the following: the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, and the feedback information corresponding to the first information. The feedback information corresponding to the first information refers to the feedback of the access network device to the received first information.

[0165] Exemplarily, the second information can be located in the inventory service report.

[0166] S506. The core network device determines the location information of the access network device.

[0167] The core network device receives the second information from the access network device, so that it can be determined that the first environmental Internet of Things device accesses the access network device, i.e., the first environmental Internet of Things device is within the coverage of the access network, so that the core network device can determine the location information of the access network device.

[0168] In the communication system, the core network device can obtain the location information of each access network device, so that the core network device can also obtain the location information of the access network device that performs positioning on the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0169] S507. The core network device sends fourth information to the third device.

[0170] Correspondingly, the third device receives the fourth information.

[0171] The fourth information indicates the location information of the access network device, and the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by the location information of the access network device. Thus, the positioning of the first environmental Internet of Things device can be implemented, and it is known that the first environmental Internet of Things device is currently within the first region.

[0172] Further, the fourth information can also include the identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

[0173] After the third device receives the fourth information, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is output to the user.

[0174] Exemplarily, in the embodiment, the third device can also be a UE.

[0175] Exemplarily, in the embodiment, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by the location information of the access network device, and the determined location information can be relatively rough location information. The core network device can determine a plurality of candidate access network devices based on the information of the first region, and obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device from each candidate access network device, so that each candidate access network device can trigger the access of the first environmental Internet of Things device. Thus, the core network device can accurately position the location of the first environmental Internet of Things device based on the location information of the plurality of access network devices.

[0176] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application, the core network device can obtain the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device through the access network device, and the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by the location information of the access network device, so that the positioning of the lost object based on the Internet of Things can be implemented, and the accuracy of the positioning is improved.

[0177] The above embodiments describe how to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device under topology 1. The following embodiments describe how to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device under topology 2 (the first device is a UE):

[0178] As shown in FIG. 6, a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown. The method can include the following steps:

[0179] S601. The third device sends third information to the core network device.

[0180] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the third information.

[0181] The third information requests or triggers the acquisition of the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0182] The specific implementation of the step S601 can refer to the step S501 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, which will not be described here.

[0183] S602. The core network device determines the candidate access network device and / or potential UE according to the information of the first area.

[0184] The area indicated by the information of the first area can be the coverage area of a certain access network device, or a subset of the coverage area. The core network device can determine the candidate access network device according to the information of the first area.

[0185] Optionally, there are several UEs accessing in the coverage range of the access network device, and the core network device can further determine the potential UE according to the area information of the first area. In this embodiment, the UE is the first device, i.e., the reader.

[0186] Optionally, the third information can not include the information of the first area, and the core network device can search for the first environmental IoT device in the whole network by default, or search for the first environmental IoT device in a predetermined area.

[0187] The further implementation of the step S602 can refer to the step S502 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, which will not be described here.

[0188] S603. The core network device sends the first information to the UE.

[0189] Correspondingly, the UE receives the first information.

[0190] In a possible implementation, after determining the potential UE, the core network device sends first information to the UE. The first information indicates to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device or indicates to perform the first service for the first environmental IoT device. For example, the first information can be carried in a non-access stratum (NAS) message and forwarded to the UE through the access network device. For example, the core network device sends the first information to the access network device, and the access network device forwards the first information to the UE.

[0191] In another possible implementation, the core network device determines a candidate access network device, and sends first information a to the access network device. The first information a indicates to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device or indicates to perform the first service for the first environmental IoT device, or indicates that the access network device requests or triggers to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device, or indicates that the access network device performs the first service for the first environmental IoT device. After further determining the potential UE, the access network device sends first information b to the UE. The first information b indicates to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device or indicates to perform the first service for the first environmental IoT device.

[0192] Further, the first information includes identification information of the first environmental IoT device. Alternatively, the first information a and the first information b include the identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0193] The first information can be a new service indication information. For example, the currently indicated A-IoT service types are inventory, read, write, and inactivation. A new A-IoT service type can be added as the first service, which is a positioning service or is used to obtain the location information of the first device. Alternatively, the first information can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through an inventory service message. For example, it is indicated that the A-IoT service type is inventory, and a 1-bit indication bit is carried to indicate that it is an inventory related process based on A-IoT positioning service. Alternatively, the first information a can be a new service indication information, or the first information a can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through an inventory service message. The first information b can be a new service indication information, or the first information b can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through an inventory service message.

[0194] S604. The UE triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access and report information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0195] After the UE receives the first information, the UE triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access, for example, triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access on the A-IoT interface and reports information of the first environmental IoT device. The information of the first environmental IoT device can include identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0196] S605. The UE sends second information to the core network device.

[0197] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the second information.

[0198] The second information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0199] Exemplarily, the second information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device, which can have the following two implementations:

[0200] In one implementation, the second information can directly indicate the location information of the first environmental IoT device. After the UE receives the information reported by the first environmental IoT device, the UE can determine the location information of the first environmental IoT device (for example, the first environmental IoT device directly reports its own location information, or the UE has a certain mapping relationship with the first environmental IoT device, and the UE pre-stores the location information of the first environmental IoT device), so that the UE can directly indicate the location information of the first environmental IoT device to the second device.

[0201] In another implementation, the location information of the first environmental IoT device can be the location information of the UE. If the UE determines that the first environmental IoT device initiates access on the A-IoT interface and reports information of the first environmental IoT device, that is, the first environmental IoT device is within the coverage of the UE, the UE can determine and report its own location information, thereby helping to indicate / locate the location of the first environmental IoT device. It should be noted that according to the new service indication information or the 1-bit indication, the UE knows that the first service is a positioning-related service rather than an ordinary inventory service, so the UE determines the access of the first environmental IoT device for this service, and determines to report its own location information at the same time.

[0202] One possible way is that the second information can be carried in a NAS message and forwarded to the core network device through the access network device, for example, the UE sends the second information to the access network device, and the access network device forwards the first information to the core network device.

[0203] Another possible way is that the UE sends second information a to the access network device, the second information a indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device, and the access network device sends second information b to the core network device, the second information b indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0204] Further, the second information can further indicate at least one of the following: the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, and feedback information corresponding to the first information. The feedback information corresponding to the first information refers to feedback of the access network device to the received first information. Alternatively, the second information a and the second information b can further indicate at least one of the following: the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, and feedback information corresponding to the first information. The feedback information corresponding to the first information refers to feedback of the access network device to the received first information.

[0205] Exemplarily, the second information can be located in the inventory business report. The location information of the first environmental IoT device can be indicated by adding several bits in the inventory business report. Alternatively, the second information a and the second information b can be located in the inventory business report. Thus, the existing inventory business process can be compatible.

[0206] S606. The core network device sends fourth information to the third device.

[0207] Correspondingly, the third device receives the fourth information.

[0208] After the core network device receives the second information, the core network device sends fourth information to the third device, where the fourth information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0209] Further, the fourth information can further include the identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0210] After the third device receives the fourth information, the third device outputs the location information of the first environmental IoT device to the user.

[0211] Exemplarily, in the embodiment, the third device can also be a UE.

[0212] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the core network device can obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device through the UE, so as to realize the lost item positioning based on the Internet of Things, and improve the positioning accuracy.

[0213] The above embodiments describe how to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device according to the information of the first area provided by the user in topology 2 (the first device is a UE). The following embodiments will describe how to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device according to the identification information of the first device provided by the user in topology 2 (the first device is a UE):

[0214] As shown in FIG. 7, it is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the method can include the following steps:

[0215] S701. The third device sends third information to the core network device.

[0216] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the third information.

[0217] The third information requests or triggers obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0218] In one scenario, a user wants to find the first environmental IoT device. The user can provide the third device with the identification information of the first environmental IoT device and the identification information of the first device. Exemplarily, the first device can be a UE (e.g., a mobile phone), and the identification information of the first device can be an authorized mobile phone number, i.e., the UE is authorized to find the first environmental IoT device.

[0219] After the third device obtains the identification information of the first environmental IoT device and the identification information of the first device provided by the user, the third device generates third information. The third information requests or triggers obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device, or the third information requests or triggers performing a first service on the first environmental IoT device, where the first service is a positioning service, or the first service is used to obtain the location information of the access network device, or the first service is used to obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device. The third information includes the identification information of the first environmental IoT device and the identification information of the first device.

[0220] After the third device generates the third information, the third device sends the third information to the core network device. The core network device is the second device described above.

[0221] The core network device can be a TMF or the like. The present application does not limit which core network device is used for the lost property positioning.

[0222] Exemplarily, in the embodiment, the third device can also be a UE.

[0223] S702. The core network device determines the access network device to which the UE belongs according to the identification information of the first device.

[0224] After the core network device receives the third information described above, the core network device can determine the access network device to which the UE belongs according to the identification information of the first device.

[0225] For further implementation of the step S702, reference can be made to the step S502 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, which will not be described here again.

[0226] S703. The core network device sends the first information to the UE.

[0227] Correspondingly, the UE receives the first information.

[0228] In a possible implementation, after determining the access network device to which the UE belongs, the core network device can send the first information to the UE through the access network device. For example, the first information can be carried in a NAS message and forwarded to the UE through the access network device. For example, the core network device sends the first information to the access network device, and the access network device forwards the first information to the UE. The first information indicates obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device or indicates performing the first service on the first environmental IoT device.

[0229] In another possible implementation, the core network device determines a candidate access network device, and sends first information a to the access network device. The first information a indicates obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device or indicates performing the first service on the first environmental IoT device, or indicates that the access network device requests or triggers obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device, or indicates that the access network device performs the first service on the first environmental IoT device. After further determining a potential UE, the access network device sends first information b to the UE. The first information b indicates obtaining the location information of the first environmental IoT device or indicates performing the first service on the first environmental IoT device.

[0230] Further, the first information includes identification information of the first environmental IoT device. Alternatively, the first information a and the first information b include the identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0231] The first information can be a new service indication information. For example, the currently indicated A-IoT service types are inventory, read, write, and inactivation. A new A-IoT service type can be added as the first service, which is a positioning service or is used to obtain the location information of the first device. Alternatively, the first information can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through an inventory service message. For example, it is indicated that the A-IoT service type is inventory, and a 1-bit indication bit is carried to indicate that the inventory is related to the A-IoT positioning service. Alternatively, the first information a can be a new service indication information, or the first information a can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through an inventory service message. The first information b can be a new service indication information, or the first information b can be indicated by combining a new 1-bit indication bit through an inventory service message.

[0232] S704. The UE triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access and report information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0233] After the UE receives the first information, the UE triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access, for example, triggers the first environmental IoT device to initiate access on the A-IoT interface and reports information of the first environmental IoT device. The information of the first environmental IoT device can include identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0234] S705. The UE sends second information to the core network device.

[0235] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the second information.

[0236] The second information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0237] Exemplarily, the second information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device, which can have the following two implementations:

[0238] In one implementation, the second information can directly indicate the location information of the first environmental IoT device. After the UE receives the information reported by the first environmental IoT device, the UE can determine the location information of the first environmental IoT device (for example, the first environmental IoT device directly reports its own location information, or the UE has a certain mapping relationship with the first environmental IoT device, and the UE pre-stores the location information of the first environmental IoT device), so as to directly indicate the location information of the first environmental IoT device to the second device.

[0239] In another implementation, the location information of the first environmental IoT device can be the location information of the UE. If the UE determines that the first environmental IoT device initiates access on the A-IoT interface and reports information of the first environmental IoT device, that is, the first environmental IoT device is within the coverage of the UE, the UE can determine and report its own location information, thereby helping to indicate / locate the location of the first environmental IoT device. It should be noted that according to the new service indication information or the 1-bit indication, the UE knows that the first service is a positioning-related service rather than an ordinary inventory service, so the UE determines the access of the first environmental IoT device for this service, and determines to report its own location information at the same time.

[0240] One possible way is that the second information can be carried in a NAS message and forwarded to the core network device through the access network device, for example, the UE sends the second information to the access network device, and the access network device forwards the first information to the core network device.

[0241] Another possible way is that the UE sends second information a to the access network device, the second information a indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device, and the access network device sends second information b to the core network device, the second information b indicating the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0242] Further, the second information can further indicate at least one of the following: the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, and feedback information corresponding to the first information. The feedback information corresponding to the first information refers to feedback of the access network device to the received first information. Alternatively, the second information a and the second information b can further indicate at least one of the following: the identification information of the first environmental IoT device, and feedback information corresponding to the first information. The feedback information corresponding to the first information refers to feedback of the access network device to the received first information.

[0243] For example, the second information can be located in the inventory business report. The location information of the first environmental IoT device can be indicated by adding several bits in the inventory business report. Alternatively, the second information a and the second information b can be located in the inventory business report.

[0244] S706. The core network device sends fourth information to the third device.

[0245] Correspondingly, the third device receives the fourth information.

[0246] After the core network device receives the second information, the core network device sends fourth information to the third device, where the fourth information indicates the location information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0247] Further, the fourth information can further include the identification information of the first environmental IoT device.

[0248] After the third device receives the fourth information, the third device outputs the location information of the first environmental IoT device to the user.

[0249] For example, in the embodiment, the third device can also be replaced by a UE.

[0250] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application, the core network device can obtain the location information of the first environmental IoT device through the UE, so that the lost object positioning based on the Internet of Things can be realized, and the positioning accuracy is improved.

[0251] It can be understood that the method and / or the steps realized by the first device in the above embodiments can also be realized by the components (for example, a chip or a circuit) available for the first device; the method and / or the steps realized by the second device can also be realized by the components (for example, a chip or a circuit) available for the second device. When realized by the components as described above, the receiving / sending can be understood as inputting / outputting, that is, the components communicate with other components of the first device, the second device, and the third device. In addition, the method realized by the first device can also be divided into being executed by a plurality of execution subjects, for example, divided into being executed by a plurality of components available for the first device; the method realized by the second device can also be divided into being executed by a plurality of execution subjects, for example, divided into being executed by a plurality of components available for the second device. The execution subjects can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0252] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the embodiments of the application from the perspective of the interaction among the first device, the second device, and the third device. Accordingly, the embodiments of the application also provide a communication device for implementing the various methods. The communication device can be the first device in the above method embodiments, or a component available for the first device; or the communication device can be the second device in the above method embodiments, or a component available for the second device. It can be understood that the communication device contains the hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to the execution of each function in order to implement the above functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application of the technical solution and the design constraint conditions. The skilled person can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0253] The embodiments of the application can divide the function modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiments, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing unit. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner when actually implemented.

[0254] Based on the same concept of the above communication method, the application also provides the following communication device:

[0255] As shown in FIG. 8, a structure diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 8. The communication apparatus 800 includes a transceiver unit 801 and a processing unit 802. Wherein:

[0256] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 801 can include a receiving unit and a sending unit, which can be an integral unit or independent units.

[0257] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the function of the first device, the transceiver unit 801 is configured to perform at least one operation performed by the first device in steps S402 and S403 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0258] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the function of the second device, the transceiver unit 801 is configured to perform at least one operation performed by the second device in steps S401-S404 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0259] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the function of the third device, the transceiver unit 801 is configured to perform at least one operation performed by the third device in steps S401 and S404 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0260] The specific implementation of the transceiver unit 801 and the processing unit 802 can refer to the related description in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4-FIG. 7.

[0261] The division of the modules in the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division mode can be used. In addition, the function modules in each example of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module.

[0262] As shown in FIG. 9, another structure diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 9. The communication apparatus 900 includes a processor 901. Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include an interface circuit 902 (shown in dashed lines in the figure), and the processor 901 and the interface circuit 902 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 902 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a memory 903 (shown in dashed lines in the figure), which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 901, or to store input data required by the processor 901 to run instructions, or to store data generated after the processor 901 runs instructions.

[0263] When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the first device, the interface circuit 902 is configured to perform at least one operation performed by the first device in steps S402 and S403 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0264] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the second device, the interface circuit 902 is configured to perform at least one operation performed by the second device in steps S401-S404 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0265] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the third device, the interface circuit 902 is configured to perform at least one operation performed by the third device in steps S401 and S404 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0266] The specific implementation of the processor 901, the interface circuit 902 and the memory 903 can refer to the related description in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4-7.

[0267] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to the first device, the chip implements the function of the first device in the method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the first device, and the information is sent by the second device to the first device; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the first device, and the information is sent by the first device to the second device.

[0268] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to the second device, the chip implements the function of the second device in the method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the second device, and the information is sent by the first device or the third device to the second device; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the second device, and the information is sent by the second device to the first device or the third device.

[0269] In addition, it should be noted that the aforementioned transceiver unit and / or processing unit can be implemented by a virtual module, for example, the processing unit can be implemented by a software function unit or a virtual device, and the transceiver unit can be implemented by a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing unit or the transceiver unit can also be implemented by an entity device, for example, if the device is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, which performs an input operation (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and an output operation (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); the processing unit is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0270] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0271] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the method in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0272] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in the above embodiments.

[0273] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which comprises the communication device.

[0274] The embodiments of the present application further provide a circuit, which is coupled with a memory, and is used for executing the method shown in the above embodiments. The circuit can include a chip circuit.

[0275] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip device, which comprises a processor, and is used for calling computer degrees or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method provided in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0276] In a possible implementation manner, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any one of the above method embodiments, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0277] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0278] Optionally, the chip device further comprises a memory, and the memory stores computer degrees or computer instructions.

[0279] It should be noted that the above units or one or more of the units can be implemented in software, hardware or a combination thereof. When the above any unit or unit is implemented in software, the software is in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in the memory, and the processor can be used to execute the program instructions and realize the above method flow.

[0280] In this application, the processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, which can realize or execute the methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in this application. The general processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in this application can be directly embodied as hardware processor execution or executed by the combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0281] When the above unit or unit is implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, programmable logic device (PLD), special purpose digital circuit, hardware accelerator or non-integrated discrete device, which can run necessary software or be independent of software to execute the above method flow.

[0282] Optionally, the embodiments of the present application also provide a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, the at least one processor is coupled with the memory through the interface, when the at least one processor runs the computer program or instructions in the memory, the chip system executes the method in any method embodiment. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can contain a chip and other discrete devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitation to this.

[0283] The memory in the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing a storage function, used for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory can be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. For example, the memory can be a non-volatile memory such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., and can also be a volatile memory such as a random-access memory (RAM).

[0284] It can be understood that in the present application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When it is described that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A. In the present application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information, or the to-be-indicated information can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be only a part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be realized by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be sent separately into multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the present application. The sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be pre-defined, for example, pre-defined according to a protocol, or configured by a transmitting end device through sending configuration information to a receiving end device.

[0285] At least one of the terms, indicates one or more. More than one, refers to two or more. The "and / or", describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, where A, B can be single or multiple. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects. In addition, it should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used in the present application to describe various objects, these objects should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish each object from each other. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions are used to represent any combination of the listed items; for example, at least one of A, B and (or) C can represent the following cases: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist together, B and C exist together, A and C exist together, A, B and C exist together, where A, B, C can be single or multiple.

[0286] The terms "comprising" and "having" mentioned above and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include other steps or units not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product or device. It should be noted that in the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate an example, illustration or description. Any method or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other methods or design solutions. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific way.

[0287] A network element in a communication system can send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. Wherein the signal can include information, signaling or data, etc. Wherein, the network element can also be replaced by entity, network entity, device, UE, communication module, node, communication node, etc. In the present application, the network element is taken as an example for description. For example, the communication system can include at least one UE and at least one network device. The network device can send a downlink signal to the UE, and / or the UE can send an uplink signal to the network device. In addition, it can be understood that if the communication system includes multiple UEs, the multiple UEs can also send signals to each other, that is, the sending network element of the signal and the receiving network element of the signal can be UEs.

[0288] In the above embodiments, all or part can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode.

[0289] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, other variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art through viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "one" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Some measures described in mutually different dependent claims can be combined and produce a good result.

[0290] It can be understood that various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for convenient differentiation and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined by its function and inherent logic.

[0291] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus, and the parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can refer to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0292] The components in the device of the embodiments of the present application can be combined, divided and deleted according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can combine or combine the features of different embodiments and different embodiments described in the specification.

[0293] In this application, under the premise of no logical contradiction, examples can be referred to each other, for example, methods and / or terms between method embodiments can be referred to each other, for example, functions and / or terms between device embodiments can be referred to each other, and for example, functions and / or terms between device examples and method examples can be referred to each other.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The first device receives first information indicating obtaining location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; The first device sends second information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information comprises identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first information is located in an inventory service message.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The first device obtains information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, which comprises at least one of the following: location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The second information further indicates at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, feedback information corresponding to the first information.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by location information of the first device.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The first device is located in a first area.

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The second device receives third information requesting or triggering obtaining location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; The second device sends first information to the first device, the first information indicating obtaining location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; The second device receives second information from the first device, the second information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; The second device sends fourth information, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first information comprises identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein, The first information is located in an inventory service message.

11. The method of any one of claims 8-10, wherein, The first information further indicates identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

12. The method of any one of claims 8-11, wherein, The second information further indicates at least one of the following: identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, feedback information corresponding to the first information.

13. The method of any one of claims 8-12, wherein, The location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device is indicated by location information of the first device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The method further comprises: The second device determines the location information of the first device.

15. The method of any one of claims 8-14, wherein, The third information comprises information of a first area.

16. The method of any one of claims 8-14, wherein, The third information comprises identification information of the first device.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, The method further comprises: The second device determines the first device based on the third information.

18. A communication system, characterized by Comprise a first device, a second device and a third device, wherein: The third device is configured to send third information to the second device, the third information requesting or triggering obtaining location information of a first environmental Internet of Things device; The second device is configured to send first information to the first device, the first information indicating obtaining location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device; The first device is configured to determine location information of the first device; The second device is further configured to send fourth information to the third device, the fourth information indicating the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device, the location information of the first environmental Internet of Things device being indicated by the location information of the first device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein, The first information comprises identification information of the first environmental Internet of Things device.

20. The system of claim 18 or 19, wherein, The first information is located in an inventory service message.

21. A communications device, characterized by comprising means for implementing the method of any of claims 1-7, or comprising means for implementing the method of any of claims 8-17.

22. A communications device, characterized by a processor configured to cause the communication apparatus to implement the method of any of claims 1-7, or to implement the method of any of claims 8-17, when the computer program is executed by the processor.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the method of any of claims 1-7 to be implemented, or cause the method of any of claims 8-17 to be implemented.

24. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product contains program instructions related to, which, when executed, cause the method of any of claims 1-7 to be implemented, or cause the method of any of claims 8-17 to be implemented.

Images