Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus. In the method, a core network device sends a first message to a first access network device, the first message being used for indicating a first AIoT service. The first AIoT service is executed by a first terminal. However, the first terminal is in an RRC inactive state. Therefore, the first access network device cannot forward the first message to the first terminal, and thus the first terminal in the RRC inactive state cannot execute the first AIoT service. Next, the first access network device sends a second message on the basis of the first message, wherein the second message is used for paging the first terminal. In the present application, after the first access network device receives the first message, when the first terminal is in the RRC inactive state, the first access network device sends the second message for paging the first terminal and, if the first terminal is successfully paged, the first terminal restores from the RRC inactive state to a connected state, and executes the first AIoT service. Thus, the execution efficiency and success rate of AIoT services are improved.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411383412.8 filed on September 27, 2024, and entitled "A communication method and related apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) defines ambient internet of things (AIoT) technology. In the AIoT technology, an AIoT device can be located within the coverage provided by a reader, which can be a base station or a terminal.

[0004] When the terminal is a reader, how to perform an AIoT service in an inactive state of radio resource control (RRC) is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which can improve the execution efficiency of an AIoT service.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method. The method is applied to a first access network device, which can be an access network device, or a communication module / processing 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 system on chip (SoC) chip or system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), or a circuit or chip responsible for processing function in the access network device (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU)). In the method, a core network device sends a first message to the first access network device, and the first message is used to indicate a first AIoT service. Exemplarily, the first AIoT service can be an inventory service, and the first message can be an Inventory Request.

[0007] In this application, the first AIoT service is executed by the first terminal or a chip in the first terminal, or in other words, the first terminal acts as a reader / writer for the first AIoT service, and the first terminal communicates with the AIoT device (tag) in order to execute the first AIoT service. Optionally, the aforementioned "first terminal" can be replaced by other descriptions, such as a reader / writer (Reader), or a User Equipment (UE) Reader, or a UE supporting a common reader function (Common reader function), also known as an AIoT-enabled UE, which can enable / support communication with AIoT devices.

[0008] However, the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state, wherein the RRC non-connected state includes an RRC inactive state and / or an RRC idle state. Wherein, when the first terminal is in an RRC connected state, it means that the first terminal and the access network device have established an RRC connection; when the first terminal is in an RRC idle state, it means that the first terminal and the access network device have not established an RRC connection; when the first terminal is in an RRC Inactive state, the first terminal suspends data processing, but the access network device still maintains the context information of the first terminal. Therefore, the first access network device cannot forward the first message to the first terminal in the RRC non-connected state, so the first terminal in the RRC non-connected state cannot execute the first AIoT service.

[0009] Next, the first access network device sends a second message based on the first message. Wherein, the second message is used to page the first terminal.

[0010] In this application, after the first access network device receives the first message, in the case that the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state, the first access network device sends a second message for paging the first terminal. If the first terminal is successfully paged, the first terminal can be triggered to recover from the RRC non-connected state to a connected state, and execute the first AIoT service. Thus, the execution efficiency and success rate of the AIoT service are improved.

[0011] Optionally, the "first message is used to indicate the first AIoT service" can be replaced by other descriptions, such as "the first message is used to request / indicate the first AIoT service", or "the first message is used to request / indicate to perform the first AIoT service", or "the first message is used to request / indicate the first terminal to perform / execute the first AIoT service".

[0012] Optionally, the first message includes one or more of the following:

[0013] The first indication information is used for indicating the AIoT service, and indicates that the first message is a message for the AIoT service.

[0014] The first identifier is used for identifying the first AIoT service, or can also be understood as the identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service identifier (service ID), a session identifier (session ID), a task identifier (task ID), or a transaction identifier (transaction ID).

[0015] The second identifier is used for identifying the AIoT device (or tag, or AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group identifier (group ID), which is used for identifying one, a group, or all AIoT devices.

[0016] The eighth indication information is used for indicating the first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the type of the first AIoT service is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type, or a command type. For the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used for identifying a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, and the like.

[0017] The ninth indication information is used for indicating the first area, which indicates the area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be the area corresponding to the first AIoT service, such as an inventory area or an area for performing the first AIoT service, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing inventory first and then performing command.

[0018] The tenth indication information is used for indicating the number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, it can be understood that the tenth indication information is used for indicating the estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or for indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0019] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the first access network device sends a second message to the second access network device based on the first message, where the second message is used to request the second access network device to page the first terminal. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second message. In this scenario, the first terminal can not be in the cell managed by the first access network device, and thus the first access network device cannot page the first terminal. Then, the first access network device sends the second message to the second access network device. Exemplarily, the second message can be a paging message sent through an Xn interface. After receiving the second message, the second access network device sends a forwarding message (for example, a paging message sent through a uu interface) of the second message to the cell managed by the second access network device.

[0020] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the first access network device sends a second message to the first terminal based on the first message. That is, the first access network device sends the second message to the cell managed by the first access network device. Optionally, the second message can be a broadcast paging message, for example, a paging message sent through a uu interface.

[0021] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the second message includes one or more of the following:

[0022] First indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate an AIoT service, and indicates that the second message is a message for the AIoT service;

[0023] A first identifier, where the first identifier is used to identify a first AIoT service, or it can also be understood as an identifier of the first AIoT service. Exemplarily, the first identifier can be a service identifier (service ID), a session identifier (session ID), a task identifier (task ID), or a transaction identifier (transaction ID);

[0024] A second identifier, where the second identifier is used to identify an AIoT device (AIoT tag). Exemplarily, the second identifier can be a mask or a group identifier (group ID), thereby identifying one, a group, or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags);

[0025] An eighth indication information is used to indicate a first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the first AIoT service type is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type, or a command type. For the command type, the eighth indication information can further be used to identify a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, and the like.

[0026] A ninth indication information is used to indicate a first area, which indicates an area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be an area corresponding to the first AIoT service, such as an inventory area or an area where the first AIoT service is performed, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing a command after an inventory.

[0027] A tenth indication information is used to indicate a number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, the tenth indication information can be used to indicate an estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or to indicate whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0028] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, in a case where the second access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal, the first access network device sends a third message to the core network device, the third message being used to indicate a failure of the first AIoT service or being used to indicate a rejection of performing the first AIoT service. In this scenario, the third message is sent by the second access network device to the first access network device in a case where the second access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal. After receiving the third message, the first access network device forwards the third message to the core network device.

[0029] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, in a case where the first access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal, the first access network device sends a third message to the core network device, the third message being used to indicate a failure of the first AIoT service or being used to indicate a rejection of performing the first AIoT service.

[0030] For example, if the first message is an Inventory Request, the third message is an Inventory Failure.

[0031] As to “the second access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal”, other descriptions can be used as alternatives, such as “the second access network device fails to establish a connection with the first terminal”, or “the first terminal fails to enter a connected state”, or “the second access network device fails to receive a response from the first terminal to the second message”, or “the first terminal fails to receive the third message from the second access network device”.

[0032] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the third message comprises one or more of the following:

[0033] The first identifier is used to identify the first AIoT service, or can also be understood as the identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service ID, a session ID, a task ID or a transaction ID.

[0034] The second indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal moves out of the first area, and the first area is associated with the first AIoT service. As to the first terminal moving out of the first area, it can be understood as that the first terminal leaves the radiation area of the AIoT device (for example, the inventory area in the inventory scenario), or the first terminal leaves the RAN notification area (RNA) allocated or managed by the first access network device.

[0035] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the second access network device comprises at least one access network device belonging to the same RNA as the first access network device, and there is an Xn interface between the second access network device and the first access network device.

[0036] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method. The method is applied to a second access network device. The second access network device can be an access network device, or a communication module / processing module in the access network device, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) in the access network device responsible for communication functions, or a circuit or chip (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU)) in the access network device responsible for processing functions. In the method, the core network device sends a first message to the second access network device, and the first message is used to indicate a first AIoT service. After the first access network device receives the first message, the first access network device sends a second message to the second access network device for paging the first terminal in the case that the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second message from the first access network device.

[0037] The core network device sends a fourth message to the second access network device, and the second access network device receives the fourth message from the core network device. The fourth message includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal is authorized to perform the first AIoT service, or is used to indicate that the first terminal is authorized to act as a reader for the first AIoT service, or is used to indicate that the first terminal and an AIoT device corresponding to the first AIoT service are authorized to communicate.

[0038] In the present application, after the first access network device receives the first message, the first access network device sends a second message for paging the first terminal in the case that the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state. In addition, the core network device also sends third indication information to the second access network device for authorizing the first terminal to perform the first AIoT service, so that the first terminal can continue to communicate with the second access network device and maintain the AIoT service, thereby improving the execution efficiency and success rate of the AIoT service.

[0039] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the second access network device sends the fourth message to the first terminal to indicate that the first terminal has been authorized to perform the first AIoT service.

[0040] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the second message includes one or more of the following:

[0041] First indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate an AIoT service, and indicates that the second message is a message for the AIoT service;

[0042] The first identifier is used to identify the first AIoT service. Alternatively, the first identifier can be understood as an identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service identifier (service ID), a session identifier (session ID), a task identifier (task ID), or a transaction identifier (transaction ID).

[0043] The second identifier is used to identify the AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group identifier (group ID), thereby identifying one, a group, or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags).

[0044] The eighth indication information is used to indicate the first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the type of the first AIoT service is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type, or a command type. Alternatively, for the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used to identify a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, and the like.

[0045] The ninth indication information is used to indicate the first area, which indicates the area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be the area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing inventory first and then performing command, the first area is an inventory area (Inventory area) or an area where the first AIoT service is performed.

[0046] The tenth indication information is used to indicate the number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, the tenth indication information can be understood as being used to indicate the estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or being used to indicate whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0047] According to the second aspect, in an optional implementation, after receiving the second message from the second access network device, the first terminal sends a fifth message to the second access network device, and the fifth message includes one or more of the following:

[0048] The fourth indication information is used to indicate the AIoT service. Alternatively, the fourth indication information can be replaced by other descriptions, for example, the fourth indication information is used to indicate the first AIoT service (or other AIoT service).

[0049] The fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first resource is invalid, the first resource is used for the communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or is used for the communication between the first terminal and the first access network device. Specifically, the first resource is allocated by the first access network device for the first terminal, and is used for the communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or is used for the communication between the first terminal and the first access network device. Since the first terminal receives the paging message of the second access network device, that is, the first terminal is paged by the second access network device, the first resource is invalid (unavailable).

[0050] The sixth indication information is used to request the second resource, the second resource is used for the communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or is used for the communication between the first terminal and the second access network device. Since the first resource is invalid (unavailable), the first terminal requests the second resource from the second access network device, so that the second access network device allocates the second resource for the first terminal.

[0051] Therefore, the second access network device can reconfigure the resource for the first terminal based on the fifth information.

[0052] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the fourth message further includes the first identifier, the first identifier is used to identify the first AIoT service, or it can also be understood that the first identifier is the identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service ID, a session ID, a task ID, or a transaction ID.

[0053] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the first terminal sends the sixth message to the second access network device, the sixth message includes one or more of the following:

[0054] The first identifier is used to identify the first AIoT service.

[0055] The seventh indication information is used to indicate whether the first AIoT service can be executed.

[0056] Optionally, the first terminal can determine whether it has the condition to execute the first AIoT service based on one or more factors. The one or more factors include:

[0057] Battery level. If the battery level is sufficient, the first terminal determines that it has the condition to execute the first AIoT service, and if the battery level is insufficient, the first terminal determines that it does not have the condition to execute the first AIoT service.

[0058] Network environment. If the network environment is good, the first terminal determines that it has the condition to execute the first AIoT service, and if the network environment is poor, the first terminal determines that it does not have the condition to execute the first AIoT service.

[0059] whether the radiation range of the first terminal covers the AIoT device of the first AIoT service. If the radiation range of the first terminal covers the AIoT device of the first AIoT service, the first terminal determines that the first terminal has the condition to perform the first AIoT service. If the radiation range of the first terminal does not cover the AIoT device of the first AIoT service, the first terminal determines that the first terminal does not have the condition to perform the first AIoT service.

[0060] It should be understood that the one or more factors described above are only exemplary descriptions, and in actual application, the first terminal can also use other factors to determine whether the first terminal has the condition to perform the first AIoT service, which is not limited in the present application.

[0061] In an optional implementation based on the second aspect, the second access network device sends a seventh message to the first terminal, and the seventh message includes one or more of the following:

[0062] first information, the first information being used to indicate a third resource, the third resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device;

[0063] second information, the second information being used to indicate the first condition or a first value, the first value being used to indicate the first condition, the first condition being a condition for the first terminal to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

[0064] third information, the third information being used to indicate whether a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) is configured to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service;

[0065] fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate whether a first data radio bearer (DRB) is configured to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

[0066] In an optional implementation based on the second aspect, the first condition can include at least one of the following:

[0067] when the terminal receives N AIoT device identifiers (Device IDs), the terminal transmits data or signaling related to the first AIoT service to the second access network device or the core network device, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1; or

[0068] when the terminal receives data or signaling of the AIoT service that reaches a certain size / size / length / threshold, the terminal transmits data or signaling related to the first AIoT service to the second access network device or the core network device. Wherein, N or the aforementioned certain size / size / length / threshold can be referred to as a first value.

[0069] Optionally, the first value can include at least one of the following:

[0070] a maximum number of AIoT device identifiers;

[0071] a size of the fifth information;

[0072] a size of the fifth information;

[0073] a length of the fifth information;

[0074] a threshold of the fifth information.

[0075] The fifth information is related to the first AIoT service. Optionally, the fifth information is related to the first AIoT service, or in other words, the fifth information is data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

[0076] According to the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the third resource indicated by the first information includes at least one of:

[0077] The fourth resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device in the first cell, the first cell is provided by the second access network device, and the first cell includes one or more;

[0078] The fifth resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device in the process of accessing the second cell from the first cell, or in the process of accessing the third access network device from the second access network device. The third access network device is another access network device different from the first access network device and the second access network device, and accessible by the first terminal.

[0079] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is applied to a first terminal. The first terminal can be a terminal, or a communication module / processing module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) in the terminal responsible for communication functions, or a circuit or chip (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU)) in the terminal responsible for processing functions. In the method, the core network device sends a first message to the second access network device, the first message being used to indicate a first AIoT service. After the first access network device receives the first message, the first access network device sends a second message to the second access network device for paging the first terminal in the case that the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second message from the first access network device. The second access network device sends the second message to the first terminal, and correspondingly, the first terminal receives the second message from the second access network device, the second message being used to page the first terminal. The first terminal sends a fifth message to the second access network device, the fifth message including one or more of the following:

[0080] Fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate an AIoT service. Alternatively, the fourth indication information can be replaced by other descriptions, for example, the fourth indication information is used to indicate a first AIoT service (or other AIoT service).

[0081] Fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that a first resource is invalid, the first resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or being used for communication between the first terminal and the first access network device. Specifically, the first resource is allocated by the first access network device for the first terminal, and is used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or is used for communication between the first terminal and the first access network device. Since the first terminal receives the paging message from the second access network device, that is, the first terminal is paged by the second access network device, the first resource is invalid (unavailable).

[0082] Sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used to request a second resource, the second resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device. Since the first resource is invalid (unavailable), the first terminal requests the second resource from the second access network device, so that the second access network device allocates the second resource for the first terminal.

[0083] Therefore, the second access network device can reconfigure the resource for the first terminal based on the fifth information.

[0084] In an optional implementation based on the third aspect, the first terminal sends a sixth message to the second access network device, and the sixth message comprises one or more of the following:

[0085] a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service;

[0086] seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used for indicating whether the first AIoT service can be executed.

[0087] Optionally, the first terminal can determine whether the condition for executing the first AIoT service is met based on one or more of the following factors. The one or more factors comprise:

[0088] a power level. If the power level is sufficient, the first terminal determines that the condition for executing the first AIoT service is met, and if the power level is insufficient, the first terminal determines that the condition for executing the first AIoT service is not met;

[0089] a network environment. If the network environment is good, the first terminal determines that the condition for executing the first AIoT service is met, and if the network environment is poor, the first terminal determines that the condition for executing the first AIoT service is not met;

[0090] whether the first terminal is still in the first area. If yes, the first terminal determines that the condition for executing the first AIoT service is met, and if not, the first terminal determines that the condition for executing the first AIoT service is not met.

[0091] It should be understood that the one or more factors described above are only exemplary descriptions, and in actual application, the first terminal can also use other factors to determine whether the condition for executing the first AIoT service is met, which is not limited in the present application.

[0092] In an optional implementation based on the third aspect, the second message comprises one or more of the following:

[0093] first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating the AIoT service, indicating that the second message is a message for the AIoT service;

[0094] a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service, or it can also be understood that the first identifier is an identifier of the first AIoT service. Exemplarily, the first identifier can be a service identifier (service ID), a session identifier (session ID), a task identifier (task ID) or a transaction identifier (transaction ID);

[0095] The second identifier is used to identify the AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group ID, thereby identifying one, a group, or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags).

[0096] The eighth indication information is used to indicate the first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the first AIoT service type is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type, or a command type. For the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used to identify a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, and the like.

[0097] The ninth indication information is used to indicate the first area, which indicates the area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be the area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing inventory first and then performing a command, the first area is an inventory area or an area where the first AIoT service is performed.

[0098] The tenth indication information is used to indicate the number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, the tenth indication information can be understood as being used to indicate the estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or being used to indicate whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0099] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which is a first access network device. The communication apparatus comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0100] The receiving unit is configured to receive a first message, wherein the first message is used to indicate a first environment Internet of Things (AIoT) service.

[0101] The sending unit is configured to send a second message based on the first message, wherein the second message is used to page a first terminal, and the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state.

[0102] In an optional implementation based on the fourth aspect, the sending unit is specifically configured to:

[0103] The sending unit is configured to send a second message to a second access network device based on the first message, wherein the second message is used to request the second access network device to page the first terminal.

[0104] In an optional implementation based on the fourth aspect, the sending unit is specifically configured to:

[0105] send the second message to the first terminal based on the first message.

[0106] In an optional implementation based on the fourth aspect, the second message comprises one or more of the following:

[0107] the first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating the AIoT service;

[0108] the first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service;

[0109] the second identifier, the second identifier being used for identifying the AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group ID, thereby identifying one, a group or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags);

[0110] the eighth indication information, the eighth indication information being used for indicating the first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the first AIoT service type is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type or a command type; or for the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used for identifying a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, etc.

[0111] the ninth indication information, the ninth indication information being used for indicating the first area, the first area indicating an area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be an area corresponding to the first AIoT service, such as an inventory area or an area where the first AIoT service is performed, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing inventory first and then performing command.

[0112] the tenth indication information, the tenth indication information being used for indicating the number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, it can be understood that the tenth indication information is used for indicating an estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or for indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0113] In an optional implementation based on the fourth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0114] sending a third message, the third message being used for indicating the first AIoT service failure, or the third message being used for indicating the first AIoT service rejection.

[0115] In an optional implementation based on the fourth aspect, the third message comprises one or more of the following:

[0116] a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service;

[0117] second indication information, the second indication information being used for indicating that the first terminal moves out of a first area, the first area being associated with the first AIoT service.

[0118] In an optional implementation based on the fourth aspect, the second access network device comprises at least one access network device belonging to the same RNA as the first access network device.

[0119] In the fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which is a second access network device, the communication apparatus comprising a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0120] the receiving unit is configured to receive a second message, the second message being used for paging the first terminal;

[0121] the receiving unit is further configured to receive a fourth message, the fourth message comprising third indication information, the third indication information being used for indicating that the first terminal is authorized to perform the first AIoT service.

[0122] In an optional implementation based on the fifth aspect, the sending unit is configured to send the fourth message.

[0123] In an optional implementation based on the fifth aspect, the second message comprises one or more of the following:

[0124] first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating the AIoT service;

[0125] a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service;

[0126] a second identifier, the second identifier being used for identifying the AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group ID, thereby identifying one, a group or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags);

[0127] The eighth indication information is used for indicating a first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the first AIoT service type is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type, or a command type; or for the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used for identifying a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, and the like.

[0128] The ninth indication information is used for indicating a first area, and the first area indicates an area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be an area corresponding to the first AIoT service, such as an inventory area or an area where the first AIoT service is performed, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing a command after inventory.

[0129] The tenth indication information is used for indicating a number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, it can be understood that the tenth indication information is used for indicating an estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0130] Based on the fifth aspect, in an optional implementation, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a fifth message, and the fifth message includes one or more of the following:

[0131] The fourth indication information is used for indicating an AIoT service.

[0132] The fifth indication information is used for indicating a first resource invalidation, and the first resource is used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or is used for communication between the first terminal and the first access network device.

[0133] The sixth indication information is used for requesting a second resource, and the second resource is used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or is used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device.

[0134] Based on the fifth aspect, in an optional implementation, the fourth message further includes a first identifier, and the first identifier is used for identifying the first AIoT service.

[0135] Based on the fifth aspect, in an optional implementation, the sending unit is further configured to send a sixth message, and the sixth message includes one or more of the following:

[0136] The first identifier is used for identifying the first AIoT service.

[0137] a seventh indication information, the seventh indication information is used to indicate whether the first AIoT service can be performed.

[0138] In an optional implementation based on the fifth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to send a seventh message, the seventh message comprising one or more of:

[0139] first information, the first information being used to indicate a third resource, the third resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device;

[0140] second information, the second information being used to indicate a first condition or a first value, the first value being used to indicate the first condition, the first condition being a condition for the first terminal to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

[0141] third information, the third information being used to indicate whether a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) is configured to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service;

[0142] fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate whether a first data radio bearer (DRB) is configured to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

[0143] In an optional implementation based on the fifth aspect, the first value comprises at least one of:

[0144] a maximum number of AIoT device identities, a size of the fifth information, a size of the fifth information, a length of the fifth information, a threshold of the fifth information, and the fifth information being related to the first AIoT service.

[0145] In an optional implementation based on the fifth aspect, the third resource comprises at least one of:

[0146] a fourth resource, the fourth resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device in a first cell, the first cell being provided by the second access network device, and the first cell comprising one or more of:

[0147] a fifth resource, the fifth resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device in a process of accessing a second cell from the first cell, or in a process of accessing a third access network device from the second access network device.

[0148] In an optional implementation based on the fifth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to send a second message.

[0149] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus being a first terminal, the communication apparatus comprising a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0150] receive a second message, the second message being used for paging the first terminal;

[0151] send a fifth message, the fifth message comprising one or more of:

[0152] fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used for indicating the AIoT service;

[0153] fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used for indicating invalidation of the first resource, the first resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device.

[0154] sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used for requesting the second resource, the second resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device.

[0155] In an optional implementation based on the sixth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to send a sixth message, the sixth message comprising one or more of:

[0156] a first identity, the first identity being used for identifying the first AIoT service;

[0157] seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used for indicating whether the first AIoT service can be executed.

[0158] In an optional implementation based on the sixth aspect, the second message comprises one or more of:

[0159] first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating the AIoT service;

[0160] a first identity, the first identity being used for identifying the first AIoT service;

[0161] a second identity, the second identity being used for identifying the AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identity can be a mask or a group ID, thereby identifying one, a group or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags);

[0162] eighth indication information, the eighth indication information being used for indicating a first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the first AIoT service type is a type of inventory, a type of positioning, a type of sensing or a type of command; or, for the type of command, the eighth indication information can be used for identifying a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, etc.

[0163] The ninth indication information is used to indicate a first area, and the first area indicates an area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be an area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing a command after inventory, the first area is an inventory area or an area where the first AIoT service is performed.

[0164] The tenth indication information is used to indicate the number of AIoT devices. Alternatively, the tenth indication information can be understood as being used to indicate an estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or being used to indicate whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0165] The seventh aspect of the present application provides a communication device, including at least one processor; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or the instruction, so that the communication device implements the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect. Optionally, the communication device can include the memory, and the at least one processor is coupled with the memory; the memory is used to store the program or the instruction.

[0166] The eighth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, including at least one logic circuit and an input and output interface; the logic circuit is used to execute the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0167] The ninth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, including the first terminal, the first access network device, the second access network device and / or the core network device.

[0168] The tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, the storage medium is used to store one or more computer execution instructions, when the computer execution instructions are executed by the processor, the processor executes the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0169] The eleventh aspect of the present application provides a computer program product (or computer program), when the computer program in the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0170] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of AIoT technology;

[0171] FIG. 2 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 1 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0172] FIG. 3 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0173] FIG. 4 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 3 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0174] FIG. 5 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 4 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0175] FIG. 6 shows a diagram of architecture 1;

[0176] FIG. 7 shows a diagram of architecture 2;

[0177] FIG. 8 shows a diagram of architecture 3;

[0178] FIG. 9 shows a protocol stack corresponding to a terminal RRC-based solution under topology 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0179] FIG. 10 shows a protocol stack corresponding to a terminal NAS-based solution under topology 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0180] FIG. 11 shows a protocol stack corresponding to a terminal PDU session-based solution under topology 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0181] FIG. 12 is a diagram of an O-RAN system;

[0182] FIG. 13 is a diagram of an application framework involving a RIC module under an O-RAN architecture;

[0183] FIG. 14 is a diagram of an implementation of a communication method according to the present application;

[0184] FIG. 15 is a diagram of a structure of a communication device according to the present application;

[0185] FIG. 16 is a diagram of a structure of a communication device according to the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0186] The present application is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the present application. The terms used in the embodiment part of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that, as technology develops and new scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0187] First, some terms or terms used in the present application are explained and described, which are also part of the invention.

[0188] (1) The terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. mentioned in this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, time sequence, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" 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 does not have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0189] (2) In this application, "sending information" can be understood as a device sending information to another device, or also can be understood as a logical module in a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "terminal device sending information" can be understood as the terminal device sending information to another device (such as a network device), or can be understood as a logical module 1 in the terminal device sending information to a logical module 2 in the network device.

[0190] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as a device receiving information from another device, or also can be understood as a logical module in a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "terminal device receiving information" can be understood as the terminal device receiving information from another device (such as a network device), or can be understood as a logical module 1 in the terminal device receiving information from a logical module 2 in the network device.

[0191] In this application, "sending information to" or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as the destination of the information is the network device. It can include sending information to the network device directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from" or "receiving information from" or "receiving information sent by" or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as the source of the information is the network device, which can include receiving information from the network device directly or indirectly. The information between the source and the destination of the information sending may be processed as necessary, such as format change, coding, modulation, etc., but the destination can understand the effective information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0192] (3) Configuration and pre-configuration: In this application, configuration and pre-configuration will be used at the same time. Among them, the configuration refers to the network device or server sending some parameter configuration information or parameter values to the terminal device through messages or signaling, so that the terminal device determines the communication parameters or resource at the time of transmission according to the values or information. The pre-configuration is similar to the configuration, which can be the parameter information or parameter value agreed by the network device / server and the terminal device in advance, or the parameter information or parameter value adopted by the base station / network device or the terminal device according to the standard protocol, or the parameter information or parameter value stored in the base station / server or the terminal device in advance. This application does not limit it.

[0193] It should be understood that these values and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0194] (4) In this application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. When describing that the indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood as the indication information carrying A, directly indicating A or indirectly indicating A.

[0195] 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 the index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship; only a part of the to-be-indicated information can be indicated, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance, for example, the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, protocol predefined) can be used to indicate a specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The specific manner of indication is not limited in the present application. It can be understood that the indication information can be used to indicate the to-be-indicated information for the sender of the indication information, and the indication information can be used to determine the to-be-indicated information for the receiver of the indication information.

[0196] It should be understood that, in the present application, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be mutually referenced, unless otherwise specified. In various embodiments in the present application, and various methods / designs / implementation manners in each embodiment, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments, and between various methods / designs / implementation manners in each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced, unless otherwise specified and logically conflicted. The technical features in different embodiments, and in various methods / designs / implementation manners in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementation manners according to their inherent logical relationship. The implementation manners of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0197] Next, possible, non-limiting scenarios related to the present application are introduced.

[0198] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) defines ambient internet of things (AIoT) technology. The AIoT in the AIoT technology includes network devices and first-type terminals, or in other words, the communication system based on AIoT includes network devices and first-type terminals. The first-type terminal can be a device with the function of an AIoT device.

[0199] Exemplarily, the AIoT service can include at least one of the following: inventory, positioning, sensing, command, etc., wherein the command can be a read service, a write, a disable, a kill service, a lock service, etc.

[0200] In the inventory business, the AIoT device in the coverage range is accessed by the reader, and the unique identification (such as Device ID) of the device needs to be sent to the reader after successful access. In other words, the inventory business is used to obtain the identification information of the AIoT device.

[0201] Positioning is to use some positioning signals to position the tag.

[0202] Sensing is to report the sensing data such as temperature data of the tag to the base station.

[0203] The command can be an operation instruction. Understandably, the command business can include at least one of the read business, the write business, the disable business, or the lock business:

[0204] The read business can read the electronic product code (EPC), the tag identifier (TID), the content stored in the reserved area of the AIoT device, or the content stored in the user storage area.

[0205] The write business can perform a write operation on the storage area of the tag, that is, the reader sends a downlink instruction and data to instruct the AIoT device to write the data into its own memory.

[0206] The disable business can temporarily disable or permanently disable the AIoT device.

[0207] The inactivation business can make the AIoT device never work.

[0208] The lock business can lock the information of the AIoT device, which can prevent the read business or the write business on the AIoT device. Alternatively, the lock business can also lock the storage area, which can prevent or allow the read business or the write business on the storage area.

[0209] The above is only an example, and other businesses or operations can be performed between the terminal and the AIoT device, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0210] For example, similar to radio frequency identification (RFID), an RFID system generally includes an interrogator and a tag. The tag is a terminal that can be deployed in a specific application scenario to assist in implementing certain application functions. The interrogator can interact with the tag to manage the tag. For example, in a logistics and warehousing application scenario, the deployment of tags can realize functions such as inventory and tracking of goods, monitoring of the environment and the state of goods during transportation, and the like. Alternatively, in an industrial manufacturing application scenario, the deployment of tags can realize functions such as monitoring of the environment and the state of equipment.

[0211] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of AIoT technology. As shown in FIG. 1, an RFID terminal (tag) uses a low-precision low-power mid-low frequency ring oscillator or a completely non-oscillator to receive a downlink signal. When the RFID terminal (tag) is working, the energy and carrier of the communication are supplied by the interrogator, and the communication is based on a reflected carrier. As shown in FIG. 1, the arrow pointing to the RFID tag is the carrier transmitted by the interrogator, and the arrow pointing to the interrogator indicates that the RFID tag modulates and reflects the transmission based on the carrier transmitted by the interrogator.

[0212] In AIoT technology, both the interrogator and the AIoT device can be implemented based on the infrastructure in a cellular network. In other words, both the interrogator and the AIoT device can be devices in a cellular network. For example, the functions of the interrogator can be implemented by a network device, such as a base station. The AIoT device can be implemented by a terminal in a cellular network, such as an extremely low-power, extremely low-complexity Internet of Things terminal, i.e., a first type of terminal. Non-contact data communication can be performed between the network device and the first type of terminal, so as to read information from the first type of terminal and / or write information to be stored into the first type of terminal.

[0213] In AIoT technology, the AIoT device can be located within the coverage provided by the interrogator, and the interrogator can be a base station or a terminal. When the interrogator is a terminal, the communication between the AIoT device and the interrogator can be regarded as transmission between terminals; when the interrogator is a base station, the communication between the AIoT device and the interrogator is a uu interface, i.e., air interface communication.

[0214] Based on different implementations of the interrogator, the AIoT network architecture can include topologies 1 to 4.

[0215] FIG. 2 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, in topology 1, AIoT devices directly communicate with network devices (or referred to as access network devices, such as base stations) in both directions. The communication between the network devices and the AIoT devices includes data and / or signaling of AIoT services. Topology 1 includes network devices that send to AIoT devices, and network devices that receive from AIoT devices, i.e., there is uplink and downlink data / signaling between the network devices and the AIoT devices.

[0216] FIG. 3 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, in topology 2, AIoT devices communicate with intermediate nodes in both directions. The intermediate nodes can be relays, IAB nodes, UEs, etc., which can implement AIoT. The intermediate nodes transmit AIoT services and / or signaling between network devices and AIoT devices.

[0217] FIG. 4 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 3 according to an embodiment of the present application. In topology 3, as shown in (a) of FIG. 4, AIoT devices send data / signaling to network devices and receive data / signaling from helper nodes; or as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, AIoT devices receive data / signaling from network devices and send data / signaling to helper nodes. In topology 3, the helper nodes can be relays, IABs, UEs, etc., which can implement AIoT.

[0218] FIG. 5 shows a composition diagram of AIoT network architecture topology 4 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, in topology 4, AIoT devices communicate with terminals in both directions. The communication between the terminals and the AIoT devices includes AIoT services and / or signaling.

[0219] How AIoT services are performed by terminals in an inactive state of radio resource control (RRC) when the terminals are acting as readers / writers is a problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0220] To address the above issues, a communication method and related apparatus are provided to improve the execution efficiency of AIoT services. The communication method and related apparatus provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) mobile communication system, new radio (new radio, NR) system, long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (frequency division duplex, FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (time division duplex, TDD), future communication system, vehicle to everything (vehicle to everything, V2X) communication system, device to device (device to device, D2D) communication system, Internet of Things communication system, industrial Internet communication system, or satellite communication system, etc. The wireless communication system involved in this application also includes but is not limited to: narrow band Internet of Things system (narrow band-internet of things, NB-IoT).

[0221] Optionally, the network architecture of topology 2 corresponding to FIG. 3 and / or topology 4 corresponding to FIG. 5 can be used between the terminal and the AIoT device in the communication system.

[0222] Exemplarily, according to the progress of Service and System Aspects Working Group 2 (SA2), for topology (Topology) 2, the CN includes the following three architectures, which are referred to as architecture 1, architecture 2 and architecture 3 here.

[0223] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of architecture 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the access network device (gNB) can be directly connected to the AIoTF (AIoT CN), which is also a CN network element / function / node / device, which can support the AIoT Device (there is an upper layer between the AIoTF and the Device, which is used to transmit AIoT data / signaling, and the gNB is transparent). The interface between the gNB and the AIoT CN is the first interface, and the corresponding XXAP is the application protocol on the first interface (or referred to as XX interface), which is used to provide signaling services between the gNB and the AIoT CN, and the AIoT data / signaling exchanged between the two is included in the XXAP msg.

[0224] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of architecture 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the gNB and the AIoTF (AIoT CN) are not directly connected, so there is no XX interface between the gNB and the AIoTF in FIG. 15, and the information exchange between the gNB and the AIoTF needs to be forwarded through the AMF.

[0225] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of Architecture 3. As shown in Figure 8, the gNB is connected to an enhanced AMF, which can serve both UE and AIoT Device. There is an upper layer between the AMF and AIoT Device for transmitting AIoT data / signaling, which is transparent to the gNB. The AIoT CN can be the AMF.

[0226] In the above-mentioned architectures shown in Figure 6 or Figure 7, the inventory request / command / other AIoT service request is triggered by the AoT CN. In the architecture shown in Figure 8, the inventory request / command / other AIoT service request is triggered by the AMF, i.e., the AIoT service procedure is triggered.

[0227] Further, according to the progress of Radio Access Network Working Group (RAN3) and SA2, in Topology 2 corresponding to Figure 3, there can be three data transmission solutions (Solutions) for transmitting AIoT service related data / signaling, which are “Solution 1: RRC based solution”, “Solution 2: NAS based solution”, and “Solution 3: UP (user plane) based solution”.

[0228] Please refer to Figure 9, which shows the protocol stack corresponding to RRC based solution under Topology 2. In “Solution 1: RRC based solution”, after the base station receives the AIoT service related request sent by the AIoT CN through XXAP, the base station further sends the related information to the A-IoT-enabled UE through the RRC message of the A-IoT-enabled UE. When the base station receives the AIoT service related data / signaling sent by the A-IoT-enabled UE through RRC, the base station further transmits the related information to the AIoT CN through XXAP.

[0229] Please refer to Figure 10, which shows the protocol stack corresponding to NAS based solution under Topology 2. In “Solution 2: NAS based solution”, the base station can not see the AIoT related procedure, which is implemented in the NAS layer of the A-IoT-enabled UE.

[0230] Please refer to FIG. 11, which shows the protocol stack corresponding to the user plane (UP) based solution under Topology 2. In the “Solution 3: UP (user plane) based solution”, the base station can not see the AIoT related procedures, and the AIoT traffic related data / signaling between the AIoT CN and the A-IoT-enabled UE is carried over the PDU Session of the A-IoT-enabled UE (transmission of A-IoT-enabled gNB transparently), and the gNB handles the user plane data of the A-IoT-enabled UE through the NG-U GTP-U channel.

[0231] It should be understood that the above protocol stack is only one possible protocol stack for the Topology 2 RRC / NAS / UP three transmission modes. The UE Reader shown in the figure can also be referred to as an AIoT-enabled UE, and the gNB can also be referred to as an AIoT-enabled gNB.

[0232] Exemplarily, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity for a user. For example, handheld devices having wireless connection capabilities, devices mounted on vehicles, etc. At present, some examples of terminals are: mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, palm computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, wireless terminals in smart home, etc.

[0233] An access network device refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, which can also be referred to as a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes are: a continued evolution of a node B (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved node B, or home node B (HNB)), a baseband unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), and the like. In addition, in a network structure, an access network device can include a centralized unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node. The RAN device including the CU node and the DU node splits the protocol layers of the eNB in the long term evolution (LTE) system, and the functions of part of the protocol layers are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. The access network device can also be a reader device, and the present application mainly aims at the scenario in which the terminal is a reader.

[0234] An AIoT device can be a passive IoT terminal or a passive tag, or referred to as a passive device, or a terminal for passive communication. For example, the AIoT device can include, but is not limited to, a radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, Zigbee, and the like, a terminal tag without power supply, and the like. Such a passive tag can collect energy through a backscattering technology to receive and transmit messages.

[0235] The AIoT device can also be a semi-passive device, or an active device, or a terminal for active communication or non-passive communication. Among them, the semi-passive device refers to a device with a battery or a power supply device, which can be activated by the battery or the power supply, but the device itself does not send signals, and they will only activate and reply data when receiving the signal of the reader. The active device can be a device with wireless transceiver function, such as mobile phone, pad, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self driving, wireless terminal in remote medical, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, terminal in 5G mobile communication system or terminal in future evolution network, etc.

[0236] The specific product form of the AIoT device is not limited in the present application.

[0237] Optionally, AIoT devices can be classified into three categories: Device A, Device B, and Device C. Device A (similar to passive tag) has no energy storage and cannot independently generate signals, and uses backscatter to transmit signals. Device B (similar to semi-passive tag) has energy storage, but cannot independently generate signals, and uses backscatter to transmit signals, and the stored energy can amplify the reflected signals. Device C (similar to active tag) has energy storage, can independently generate signals, and has active radio frequency elements for transmission. For device A (passive tag / device) and B (semi-passive tag / device), the tag needs to obtain a carrier signal from the outside for backscatter communication; for device C (active tag / device), the carrier can be generated actively, so it does not need to rely on external devices / nodes for active communication.

[0238] In addition, RAN1#116 further defines the following three categories of AIoT devices: Device 1, Device 2a, and Device 2b. Device 1: ~1 μW peak power consumption, with energy storage function, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, and cannot amplify DL and UL signals. It needs to obtain a carrier signal from the outside for backscatter communication to perform uplink transmission. Device 2a: peak power consumption less than or equal to a few hundred μW, with energy storage function, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, and can amplify DL and / or UL signals. It needs to obtain a carrier signal from the outside for backscatter communication to perform uplink transmission. Device 2b: peak power consumption less than or equal to a few hundred μW, with energy storage function, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, and can amplify DL and / or UL signals. The device can perform uplink transmission without relying on an externally provided carrier. For device 1 and device 2a, the tag needs to obtain a carrier signal from the outside for backscatter communication; for device 2b, the carrier can be generated actively, so it does not need to rely on external devices / nodes for active communication.

[0239] Optionally, in embodiments of the present application, the access network device can also be implemented based on an Open RAN (O-RAN) architecture. For example, in embodiments of the present application, the support for the terminal entering the RRC inactive state to perform the AIoT service can be implemented based on the CU-DU separation architecture in the O-RAN. The difference from the traditional access network architecture is that the information sent by the CN to the access network device and the information sent by the terminal to the access network device are exchanged on the F1AP between the CU and the DU.

[0240] The O-RAN architecture will be briefly introduced below.

[0241] For example, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system. As shown in FIG. 12, the access network device (RAN, which can be an eNB or a gNB or a next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) through a backhaul link and communicates with the user equipment (UE) through an air interface. The access network device can include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU).

[0242] In some examples, the CU is a logical node that carries the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU is connected to network nodes such as the core network through some interfaces, which can be E2 interfaces or the like. Optionally, the CU can have part of the functions of the core network. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) is connected to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through some interfaces, which can be F1 interfaces or the like. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). The F1AP is an application protocol for the F1 interface, which defines the signaling procedures of the F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0243] In some examples, the CU can be split into a CU-CP (Control Unit-Control Plane) and a CU-UP (Control Unit-User Plane), where the CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the PDCP-C (Control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the control plane function of the CU. The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network used to implement the control plane function. The network element in the core network used to implement the control plane function can be an access and mobility function network element, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is used to be responsible for mobility management in a mobile network, such as location updating of a terminal, registration network of a terminal, handover of a terminal, etc. The CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP-U (User plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the user plane function of the CU. The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network used to implement the user plane function. The network element in the core network used to implement the user plane function, for example, a User Plane Function (UPF) in a 5G system, is used to be responsible for forwarding and receiving data in a terminal. The above configuration of the CU and the DU is only an example, and the CU and the DU can have other functions according to needs. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of the protocol layer. For example, partial functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, according to the delay, and functions that need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the DU, and functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the CU.

[0244] In some examples, the DU is a logical node carrying a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, a Higher Physical Layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, the DU can control at least one RU. The DU is connected to the RU through some interfaces, which can be a front-haul interface. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes part of the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.

[0245] In some examples, an RU is a logical node that hosts lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, an RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP) or a remote radio head (RRH) or other similar functional entity. In some examples, a Low-PHY includes portions of PHY processing such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT), digital beamforming and filtering, and other processing functions. An RU communicates with one or more UEs over a wireless link.

[0246] A DU and an RU can or can not be co-located. A DU and an RU exchange control plane information and user plane information over a lower-layer split-control, user and synchronization (Lower-Layer Split CUS-Plane, LLS-CUS) interface via a fronthaul link. The LLS-CUS can include a LLS-C interface and a LLS-U interface that provide a control plane (C-Plane) and a user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, a control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between a DU and an RU. A DU and an RU have a LLS-M interface of the fronthaul link to exchange management information, and a management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and the RU.

[0247] A DU and an RU can cooperate to collectively implement the functionality of a PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functionality that a DU and an RU have can be configured in a number of ways depending on the design. For example, a DU is configured to implement baseband functionality and an RU is configured to implement mid- RF functionality. As another example, a DU is configured to implement high-layer functionality in a PHY layer and an RU is configured to implement low-layer functionality in the PHY layer or to implement the low-layer functionality and RF functionality. High-layer functionality in a PHY layer can include a portion of functionality of the PHY layer that is closer to a MAC layer, and low-layer functionality in the PHY layer can include another portion of functionality of the PHY layer that is closer to a mid-RF side.

[0248] In addition, a CU can be divided into an access network device in an access network or a core network (CN) device in a core network, which is not limited in the present application.

[0249] Optionally, the O-RAN system can include other components than those shown in FIG. 12.

[0250] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an application framework involving RIC modules under the O-RAN architecture. As shown in FIG. 13, the communication system includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). The RIC includes a near-real time RIC (near-RT RIC) and a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC). The near-RT RIC is configured to perform model training and inference. For example, the near-RT RIC is configured to train an AI model and perform inference using the AI model. The near-RT RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from a RAN node (e.g., a CU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, a DU, and / or a RU) and / or a terminal. The information can be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, the near-RT RIC can deliver inference results to the RAN node and / or the terminal. Optionally, the inference results can be exchanged between the CU and the DU, and / or between the DU and the RU. For example, the near-RT RIC delivers the inference results to the DU, and the DU delivers the inference results to the RU. The Non-RT RIC is configured to perform model training and inference. For example, the Non-RT RIC is configured to train an AI model and perform inference using the AI model. The Non-RT RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from a RAN node (e.g., a CU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, a DU, and / or a RU) and / or a terminal. The information can be used as training data or inference data. The inference results can be delivered to the RAN node and / or the terminal. Optionally, the inference results can be exchanged between the CU and the DU, and / or between the DU and the RU. For example, the Non-RT RIC delivers the inference results to the DU, and the DU delivers the inference results to the RU.

[0251] The near-RT RIC and the Non-RT RIC can also be separately configured as a network element. Optionally, the near-RT RIC and the Non-RT RIC can also be configured as a part of other devices. For example, the near-RT RIC can be configured in a RAN node (e.g., a CU, a DU), and the Non-RT RIC can be configured in an OAM, a cloud server, a core network device, or other network devices.

[0252] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the core network can include an AIoT CN, which can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element or a tag management function (TMF) network element. The TMF can also be replaced by an Ambient IoT Function (AIoTF) network element, an Ambient IoT Management Function (AIoTMF) network element, or other core network network elements / nodes / devices supporting / enabling AIoT, and the specific name is not limited.

[0253] Optionally, when the AIoT CN is an AMF, the information exchanged between the AMF and the access network device is included in an NGAP msg or an XXAP message. When the AIoT CN is a TMF / AIOTF / AIOTMF or other core network network elements / nodes / devices supporting / enabling AIoT, the interface between the access network device and the AIOT CN is a first interface (such as an XX interface); the first interface can be an NG interface, and the information exchanged on the first interface is included in an NGAP msg or an XXAP message; the first interface can also be an interface defined between the access network device and the AIOT CN, and the information exchanged on the first interface is included in an XXAP msg, which can be an NGAP, a simplified version of the NGAP, or an application protocol defined for the first interface, used to provide signaling services between the access network device and the AIOT CN.

[0254] The communication method and related devices in the present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0255] Please refer to FIG. 14, which is a schematic diagram of a possible implementation of the communication method in the present application. It should be understood that the present application takes a terminal (e.g., the first terminal) and an access network device (including the first access network device, the second access network device, and the third access network device) as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method performed by the terminal in FIG. 14 can also be implemented by a chip, a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system on chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system in package (SIP) chip, a communication module, a chip system, a processor, a logic module, or software in the terminal. In the present application, when referring to a device, it can refer to the terminal itself, or a chip, a communication module, an integrated circuit, a processor, a logic module, or software used to implement the communication method provided by the present application in the terminal, and the specific implementation is not limited in the present application. Similarly, the method performed by the access network device (including the first access network device, the second access network device, and the third access network device) in FIG. 14 can also be implemented by a chip, a baseband chip, a modem chip, a SoC chip containing a modem core, a SIP chip, a communication module, a chip system, a processor, a logic module, or software in the access network device. In the present application, when referring to an access network device, it can refer to the access network device itself, or a chip, a communication module, an integrated circuit, a processor, a logic module, or software used to implement the communication method provided by the present application in the access network device, and the specific implementation is not limited in the present application.

[0256] As shown in FIG. 14, the communication method of the present application includes but is not limited to steps 101 to 106.

[0257] 101. The first access network device receives a first message from the core network device, and correspondingly, the core network device sends the first message to the first access network device.

[0258] The core network device sends the first message to the first access network device, and the first message is used to indicate the first AIoT service. Illustratively, the first AIoT service can be an inventory service, and the first message can be an Inventory Request.

[0259] Optionally, as to “the first message is used to indicate the first AIoT service”, it can be replaced by other descriptions, for example, “the first message is used to request / indicate the first AIoT service”, or “the first message is used to request / indicate to perform the first AIoT service”, or “the first message is used to request / indicate the first terminal to perform / execute the first AIoT service”.

[0260] In a possible implementation, the first message includes one or more of the following:

[0261] a first indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating an AIoT service, and indicates that the first message is a message for the AIoT service;

[0262] a first identifier, the first identifier is used for identifying a first AIoT service, or can also be understood as an identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service identifier (service ID), a session identifier (session ID), a task identifier (task ID) or a transaction identifier (transaction ID);

[0263] a second identifier, the second identifier is used for identifying an AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group identifier (group ID), so as to identify one, a group or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags);

[0264] an eighth indication information, the eighth indication information is used for indicating a first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the type of the first AIoT service is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type or a command type; or for the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used for identifying a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock and the like;

[0265] a ninth indication information, the ninth indication information is used for indicating a first area, and the first area indicates an area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be an area corresponding to the first AIoT service, such as an inventory area (Inventory area) or an area for performing the first AIoT service, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing inventory first and then performing command;

[0266] a tenth indication information, the tenth indication information is used for indicating a number of AIoT devices. Or, it can be understood that the tenth indication information is used for indicating an estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or for indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0267] Optionally, the core network device can adopt architecture 1 shown in FIG. 6, or can also adopt architecture 2 shown in FIG. 7, or can also adopt architecture 3 shown in FIG. 8. For the introduction of architecture 1, architecture 2 and architecture 3, please refer to the corresponding description of the foregoing FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, and details will not be described here.

[0268] 102. The first access network device sends the second message based on the first message.

[0269] In the present application, the first AIoT service is executed by the first terminal, or in other words, the first terminal acts as a reader / writer of the first AIoT service, and the first terminal is connected to the AIoT device (tag) for communication in order to execute the first AIoT service. Optionally, the foregoing "first terminal" can be replaced by other descriptions, such as a reader / writer (Reader), or a User Equipment (UE) Reader, or a UE supporting a common reader function (Common reader function), also known as an AIoT-enabled UE, which can enable / support communication with AIoT devices.

[0270] However, the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state, wherein the RRC non-connected state includes an inactive state and / or an RRC idle state. Wherein, when the first terminal is in an RRC connected state, it means that the first terminal and the access network device have established an RRC connection; when the first terminal is in an RRC idle state, it means that the first terminal and the access network device have not established an RRC connection; when the first terminal is in an RRC Inactive state, the first terminal suspends data processing, but the access network device still maintains the context information of the first terminal. Therefore, the first access network device cannot forward the first message to the first terminal in the RRC non-connected state, so the first terminal in the RRC non-connected state cannot execute the first AIoT service.

[0271] Next, the first access network device sends a second message based on the first message. Wherein, the second message is used to page the first terminal.

[0272] In the present application, after the first access network device receives the first message, in the case that the first terminal is in an RRC non-connected state, the first access network device sends a second message for paging the first terminal. If the first terminal is successfully paged, the first terminal recovers from the RRC non-connected state to a connected state and executes the first AIoT service. Thus, the execution efficiency and success rate of the AIoT service are improved.

[0273] In one possible implementation, the second message includes one or more of the following:

[0274] The first indication information is used for indicating the AIoT service, and indicates that the second message is a message for the AIoT service.

[0275] The first identifier is used for identifying the first AIoT service, or can also be understood as the identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service identifier (service ID), a session identifier (session ID), a task identifier (task ID), or a transaction identifier (transaction ID).

[0276] The second identifier is used for identifying the AIoT device (AIoT tag). For example, the second identifier can be a mask or a group identifier (group ID), thereby identifying one, a group, or all AIoT devices (AIoT tags).

[0277] The eighth indication information is used for indicating the first AIoT service type. For example, the eighth indication information can indicate that the type of the first AIoT service is an inventory type, a positioning type, a sensing type, or a command type; or for the command type, the eighth indication information can also be used for identifying a read, a write, a disable, a kill, a lock, and the like.

[0278] The ninth indication information is used for indicating the first area, and the first area indicates the area corresponding to the first AIoT service. For example, the first area can be the area corresponding to the first AIoT service, such as an inventory area (Inventory area) or an area where the first AIoT service is performed, if the first AIoT service is an inventory service or a service of performing inventory first and then performing command.

[0279] The tenth indication information is used for indicating the number of AIoT devices. Or, it can be understood that the tenth indication information is used for indicating the estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or for indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

[0280] As to the step 102 shown in FIG. 14: “the first access network device sends the second message based on the first message”, it can be implemented in various ways, which are introduced as follows.

[0281] In a possible implementation, the first access network device sends, based on the first message, a second message to the second access network device, where the second message is used to request the second access network device to page the first terminal. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second message. In this scenario, the first terminal can not be in a cell managed by the first access network device, and thus the first access network device cannot page the first terminal. Then, the first access network device sends the second message to the second access network device. Exemplarily, the second message can be a paging message sent through an Xn interface. After receiving the second message, the second access network device sends, to a cell managed by the second access network device, a message (for example, a paging message sent through a uu interface) forwarding the second message.

[0282] Optionally, the first access network device or the second access network device can determine whether the second message needs to be sent before sending the second message. For example, the first access network device exchanges information about the first terminal with the second access network device. If the first terminal is no longer in the RNA, the first access network device or the second access network device does not need to send the second message, thereby saving network resources. If the first terminal is still in the RNA, the first access network device or the second access network device sends the second message to the second access network device. It should be understood that the conditions for determining whether the second message needs to be sent are only exemplary descriptions, and in actual applications, the determination can also be made in other manners, which are not limited in the present application.

[0283] In a possible implementation, the first access network device sends, based on the first message, a second message to the first terminal. That is, the first access network device sends the second message to a cell managed by the first access network device. Optionally, the second message can be a broadcast paging message, for example, a paging message sent through a uu interface.

[0284] In the present application, the second access network device includes at least one access network device belonging to the same RNA as the first access network device, and an Xn interface exists between the second access network device and the first access network device.

[0285] 103. The first terminal sends a fifth message to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the fifth message from the first terminal.

[0286] As can be seen from the above, after receiving the second message from the first access network device, the second access network device forwards the second message to the first terminal, where the second message is used to page the first terminal. Next, after receiving the second message from the second access network device, the first terminal sends a fifth message to the second access network device, where the fifth message includes one or more of the following:

[0287] The fourth indication information is used for indicating the AIoT service. Alternatively, the fourth indication information can be replaced by other descriptions, for example, the fourth indication information is used for indicating the first AIoT service (or other AIoT service).

[0288] The fifth indication information is used for indicating that the first resource is invalid, the first resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device, and / or is used for the first terminal to communicate with the first access network device. Specifically, the first resource is allocated by the first access network device for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device, and / or for the first terminal to communicate with the first access network device. Since the first terminal receives the paging message of the second access network device, that is, the first terminal is paged by the second access network device, the first resource is invalid (unavailable).

[0289] The sixth indication information is used for requesting the second resource, the second resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device, and / or is used for the first terminal to communicate with the second access network device. Since the first resource is invalid (unavailable), the first terminal requests the second resource from the second access network device, so that the second access network device allocates the second resource for the first terminal.

[0290] Therefore, the second access network device can reconfigure the resource for the first terminal based on the fifth information.

[0291] In a possible implementation, in the case that the second access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal (equivalent to step 103 is not implemented), the first access network device sends a third message to the core network device, the third message is used for indicating that the first AIoT service fails, or it can be understood that the third message is used for indicating that the first terminal fails to perform the first AIoT service, or it can be understood that the third message is used for indicating that the first AIoT service is rejected. In this scenario, the third message is sent by the second access network device to the first access network device in the case that the second access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal. After receiving the third message, the first access network device forwards the third message to the core network device.

[0292] In a possible implementation, in the case that the first access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal, the first access network device sends a third message to the core network device, the third message is used for indicating that the first AIoT service fails, or the third message is used for indicating that the first AIoT service is rejected.

[0293] For example, if the first message is Inventory Request, the third message is Inventory Failure.

[0294] As to “the second access network device fails to successfully page the first terminal”, it can be replaced by other descriptions, such as “the second access network device fails to establish a connection with the first terminal”, or “the first terminal fails to enter a connected state”, or “the second access network device fails to receive a response from the first terminal to the second message”, or “the first terminal fails to receive the third message from the second access network device”.

[0295] Optionally, the third message comprises one or more of the following:

[0296] The first identifier is used to identify the first AIoT service, or it can also be understood as the identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service ID, a session ID, a task ID or a transaction ID.

[0297] The second indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal moves out of the first area, and the first area is associated with the first AIoT service. As to the first terminal moving out of the first area, it can be understood as that the first terminal leaves the radiation area of the AIoT device (for example, the inventory area in the inventory scenario), or the first terminal leaves the RNA area allocated or managed by the first access network device.

[0298] After the second access network device receives the fifth message, it sends a UE context retrieval request (refer to RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT REQUEST shown in FIG. 14) to the first access network device, which is used to retrieve the context information of the first terminal. The first access network device locates the context information of the first terminal on the first access network device (refer to Decide to relocate the anchor shown in FIG. 8). The first access network device sends a context retrieval response (refer to RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE shown in FIG. 14) of the first terminal to the second access network device, which carries the context information of the first terminal on the first access network device. The second access network device sends an RRC resume (refer to RRC Resume shown in FIG. 14) message to the first terminal. After the first terminal receives the RRC resume message, it enters a connected state and sends an RRC resume complete message (refer to RRC Resume Complete shown in FIG. 14) to the second access network device.

[0299] 104. The core network device sends a fourth message to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the fourth message from the core network device.

[0300] Before step 104, the second access network device sends a path switch request (refer to the PATH SWITCH REQUEST shown in FIG. 8) to the core network device, where the path switch request is used to request the core network device to switch the data path of the user plane of the first terminal from the first access network device to the second access network device.

[0301] In step 104, the core network device sends a fourth message to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the fourth message from the core network device. The fourth message includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal is authorized to perform the first AIoT service.

[0302] Optionally, the fourth message can be a path switch request acknowledgment (PATH SWITCH RERQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message, and the path switch request acknowledgment message is used to confirm that the data path has been successfully switched. In this case, the third indication information in the fourth message is carried in the path switch request acknowledgment message.

[0303] Optionally, the fourth message can also be carried in other messages, such as a next generation application protocol (NGAP) message or an XXAP message.

[0304] Optionally, the third indication information can be replaced by other descriptions, for example, the third indication information is used to authorize the first terminal to communicate with the first AIoT device, or the third indication information is used to authorize the first terminal to act as a reader / writer.

[0305] Optionally, the fourth message further includes a first identifier, and the first identifier is used to identify the first AIoT service, or it can also be understood that the first identifier is the identifier of the first AIoT service. For example, the first identifier can be a service ID, a session ID, a task ID, or a transaction ID.

[0306] Optionally, the second access network device sends a seventh message to the first terminal, and the seventh message includes one or more of the following:

[0307] First information, the first information is used to indicate a third resource, and the third resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device;

[0308] Second information, the second information is used to indicate a first condition or a first value, and the first value is used to indicate the first condition. The first condition is a condition for the first terminal to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

[0309] The third information is used to indicate whether a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) is configured for transmitting the first AIoT service related data or signaling.

[0310] The fourth information is used to indicate whether a first data radio bearer (DRB) is configured for transmitting the first AIoT service related data or signaling.

[0311] As can be seen, the second information is used to indicate the first condition or the first value. Optionally, the first condition can include at least one of the following:

[0312] When the terminal receives N AIoT device identifiers (Device IDs), the terminal transmits the first AIoT service related data or signaling to the second access network device or the core network device, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; or,

[0313] When the terminal receives AIoT service data or signaling that reaches a certain size / size / length / threshold, the terminal transmits the first AIoT service related data or signaling to the second access network device or the core network device. Wherein N or the aforementioned certain size / size / length / threshold can be referred to as the first value.

[0314] Optionally, the first value can include at least one of the following:

[0315] The maximum number of AIoT device identifiers;

[0316] The size of the fifth information;

[0317] The size of the fifth information;

[0318] The length of the fifth information;

[0319] The threshold of the fifth information.

[0320] The fifth information is related to the first AIoT service. Optionally, the fifth information is related to the first AIoT service, or in other words, the fifth information is data or signaling related to the first AIOT service.

[0321] Optionally, the third resource indicated by the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0322] The fourth resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device in the first cell, the first cell is provided by the second access network device, and the first cell includes one or more;

[0323] The fifth resource is used for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device in the process of accessing the second cell by the first cell, or in the process of accessing the third access network device by the second access network device. The third access network device is another access network device different from the first access network device and the second access network device, and accessible by the first terminal.

[0324] Optionally, the second access network device sends the fourth message to the first terminal, and the fourth message indicates that the first terminal has been authorized to perform the first AIoT service.

[0325] 105. The core network device sends a service request to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the service request from the core network device.

[0326] Since the first terminal has established communication with the second access network device, the core network device can send a service request to the second access network device, and the service request is used to indicate the first AIoT service. Optionally, the description of “the service request is used to indicate the first AIoT service” can be replaced by other descriptions, such as “the service request is used to distribute the first AIoT service”, or “the service request is used to perform the first AIoT service”, or “the service request is used to instruct the first terminal to perform the first AIoT service”.

[0327] Exemplarily, the first AIoT service can be an inventory service, and the service request can be an Inventory Request.

[0328] After receiving the service request, the second access network device forwards the service request to the first terminal, so that the first terminal performs the first AIoT service indicated by the service request.

[0329] Optionally, the core network device can send the service request to the second access network device through NGAP or XXAP, and then the second access network device sends the service request to the first terminal through RRC signaling after receiving the service request; or the core network device can also send the service request to the second access network device through a non-access layer (Non-Access Stratum, NAS) session or a packet data unit (Packet Data Unit, PDU) session, and then the second access network device sends the NAS session or the PDU session carrying the service request to the first terminal after receiving the service request.

[0330] Optionally, step 105 can be performed after step 104 (e.g., the core network device first sends the path switching request acknowledgement message, and then sends the service request), or step 105 can be performed before step 104 (e.g., the core network device first sends the service request, and then sends the path switching request acknowledgement message), or step 105 can be performed simultaneously with step 104 (e.g., the service request and the path switching request acknowledgement message are carried in the same NGAP message or XXAP message).

[0331] 106. The first terminal sends a sixth message to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the sixth message from the first terminal.

[0332] The first terminal sends a sixth message to the second access network device, and the sixth message includes one or more of the following:

[0333] A first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the first AIoT service;

[0334] Seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to indicate whether the first AIoT service can be performed. Optionally, the first terminal can determine whether the condition for performing the first AIoT service is met based on one or more of the following factors. The one or more factors include:

[0335] Battery level. If the battery level is sufficient, the first terminal determines that the condition for performing the first AIoT service is met, and if the battery level is insufficient, the first terminal determines that the condition for performing the first AIoT service is not met;

[0336] Network environment. If the network environment is good, the first terminal determines that the condition for performing the first AIoT service is met, and if the network environment is poor, the first terminal determines that the condition for performing the first AIoT service is not met;

[0337] Whether the first terminal is still in the first area. If yes, the first terminal determines that the condition for performing the first AIoT service is met, and if no, the first terminal determines that the condition for performing the first AIoT service is not met.

[0338] It should be understood that the one or more factors described above are only exemplary descriptions, and in actual applications, the first terminal can also use other factors to determine whether the condition for performing the first AIoT service is met, which is not limited in the present application.

[0339] After receiving the sixth message, the second access network device forwards the sixth message to the core network device to indicate whether the first AIoT service can be performed.

[0340] Optionally, the first terminal can send the sixth message to the second access network device through RRC signaling, and then the second access network device sends the sixth message to the core network device through NGAP or XXAP after receiving the sixth message; or the first terminal can also send the sixth message to the second access network device through a non-access layer (Non-Access Stratum, NAS) session or a packet data unit (Packet Data Unit, PDU) session, and then the second access network device sends the NAS session or the PDU session carrying the sixth message to the core network device after receiving the sixth message.

[0341] The communication method of the present application is applicable to the O-RAN architecture shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 13. Specifically, when the access network device (including the first access network device and the second access network device) is a CU DU split base station, the CU forwards the XXAP message / NGAP message to the DU through the F1AP message after receiving the XXAP / NGAP message from the CN, or sends the AIoT information contained in the XXAP / NGAP message to the DU through the F1AP message. The DU forwards the RRC message to the CU through the F1AP message after receiving the RRC message from the UE, or sends the AIoT information contained in the RRC message to the CU through the F1AP message. For example, the CU and the DU interact with each other on the F1AP to exchange information such as inventory area, session ID, and whether to continue to execute the first AIoT service.

[0342] In the present application, the XXAP / NGAP message transmitted on the F1 interface F1AP and the XXAP / NGAP message transmitted on the XX / NG interface can be different, that is, the CU can perform relevant processing on the message, which can include deletion, filtering, mapping, modification, addition of auxiliary information, etc.

[0343] Correspondingly, the present application also provides related devices for implementing the above-mentioned solutions. Please refer to FIG. 15, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 200 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 200 can realize the functions of the first terminal, the first access network device or the second access network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also realize the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device 200 can be the first terminal, the first access network device or the second access network device, or can be an integrated circuit or an element inside the first terminal, the first access network device or the second access network device, such as a chip, a baseband chip, a modem chip, a SoC chip containing a modem core, a system in package (SIP) chip, a communication module, a chip system, a processor, etc.

[0344] As shown in FIG. 15, the communication apparatus 200 includes a receiving unit 201 and a sending unit 202.

[0345] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 200 is configured to execute the method performed by the first access network device in the embodiment of FIG. 14, the receiving unit 201 is configured to receive a first message, the first message being used to indicate a first AIoT service; and the sending unit 202 is configured to send a second message based on the first message, the second message being used to page a first terminal, the first terminal being in an RRC non-connected state.

[0346] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 200 is configured to execute the method performed by the second access network device in the embodiment of FIG. 14, the receiving unit 201 is configured to receive a second message, the second message being used to page a first terminal; and the receiving unit 201 is further configured to receive a fourth message, the fourth message including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that the first terminal is authorized to perform a first AIoT service.

[0347] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 200 is configured to execute the method performed by the first access network device in the embodiment of FIG. 14, the receiving unit 201 is configured to receive a second message, the second message being used to page a first terminal; and the sending unit 202 is configured to send a fifth message, the fifth message including one or more of the following:

[0348] Fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate an AIoT service;

[0349] Fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that a first resource is invalid, the first resource being used for communication between the first terminal and an AIoT device, and / or being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device.

[0350] Sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used to request a second resource, the second resource being used for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device.

[0351] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the modules / units in the communication apparatus 200 are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of FIG. 14, and the specific content can be referred to the description of the method embodiment in the foregoing description of the present application, which will not be repeated here.

[0352] Please refer to FIG. 16, which is a schematic diagram of a logical structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 30 in FIG. 16 can be deployed with the communication apparatus described in the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 15. The communication device 30 includes a memory 301, a processor 302, a communication interface 303, and a bus 304. The memory 301, the processor 302, and the communication interface 303 are communicatively connected with each other through the bus 304.

[0353] The memory 301 can be a read only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 301 can store a program, and when the program stored in the memory 301 is executed by the processor 302, the processor 302 and the communication interface 303 are configured to perform steps 101-106 of the communication method embodiments described above.

[0354] The processor 302 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processing (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, configured to execute related programs to implement one or more steps of steps 101-106 of the communication method embodiments. The method steps disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be executed by a compiler and an executor, which can be executed by a hardware decoding processor or a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage media is located in the memory 301, and the processor 302 reads information in the memory 301 and executes one or more steps of steps 101-106 of the communication method embodiments in the present application in combination with the hardware.

[0355] The communication interface 303 uses a transceiving apparatus such as, but not limited to, a transceiver, to implement communication between the communication device 30 and other devices or communication networks.

[0356] The bus 304 can implement a path for conveying information among the various components of the computer device 30 (e.g., the memory 301, the processor 302, and the communication interface 303). The bus 304 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 16, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0357] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the modules / units in the communication device are based on the same concept as the method embodiments corresponding to FIG. 14 in the present application, and the specific content can be referred to the description of the method embodiments in the foregoing description of the present application, which will not be repeated here.

[0358] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip device, comprising a processor, configured to invoke computer degrees or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method provided by the embodiments shown in FIG. 14.

[0359] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any one of the embodiments shown in FIG. 14, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any one of the embodiments shown in FIG. 14.

[0360] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0361] Optionally, the chip device further comprises a memory, and the memory stores computer degrees or computer instructions.

[0362] The processor mentioned in any of the above can be a general central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the programs of the method provided by any one of the embodiments shown in FIG. 14. The memory mentioned in any of the above can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0363] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present application can be readily used as a method, a system or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present application can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application can take the form of a computer program product on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage etc.) embodying computer readable program code.

[0364] The present application is described in reference to the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams of the methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to this application. It will be understood that each block of the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams block or blocks.

[0365] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams block or blocks.

[0366] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams block or blocks.

[0367] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. The division of the units is merely a logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0368] It should be understood that the above-described device embodiments are merely schematic. Among them, the units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment. In addition, the device embodiments provided in the present application, the connection relationship between the modules in the drawings indicates that there is a communication connection between them, which can be implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0369] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0370] The integrated unit, if realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that make contributions or all or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program codes that can be stored in the medium.

[0371] In each embodiment of the present application, the terms between different embodiments, and / or the descriptions are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0372] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still make modifications to the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacements to part of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a first access network device or a chip in the first access network device, and the method comprises: receiving a first message, the first message being used for indicating a first environment Internet of Things (AIoT) service; sending a second message, the second message being used for paging a first terminal, the first terminal being in an RRC non-connected state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second message is sent based on the first message, comprising: sending a second message to a second access network device, the second message being used for requesting the second access network device to page the first terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second message is sent based on the first message, comprising: sending a second message to a first terminal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second message comprises one or more of the following: first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating an AIoT service; a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service; a second identifier, the second identifier being used for identifying an AIoT device; eighth indication information, the eighth indication information being used for indicating a first AIoT service type; ninth indication information, the ninth indication information being used for indicating a first area, the first area indicating an area corresponding to the first AIoT service; tenth indication information, the tenth indication information being used for indicating a number of AIoT devices, which can be understood as an estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or being used for indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending a third message, the third message being used for indicating that the first AIoT service fails, or the third message being used for indicating that the first AIoT service is rejected.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The third message comprises one or more of the following: a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service; second indication information, the second indication information being used for indicating that the first terminal moves out of a first area, the first area indicating an area corresponding to the first AIoT service.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a second access network device or a chip in the second access network device, and the method comprises: receiving a second message, the second message being used for paging a first terminal; receiving a fourth message, the fourth message comprising third indication information, the third indication information being used for indicating that the first terminal is authorized to perform a first AIoT service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: sending the fourth message.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The second message comprises one or more of the following: first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating an AIoT service; a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying the first AIoT service; a second identifier, the second identifier being used for identifying an AIoT device; eighth indication information, the eighth indication information being used for indicating a first AIoT service type; ninth indication information, the ninth indication information being used for indicating a first area, the first area indicating an area corresponding to the first AIoT service; The tenth indication information is used to indicate the number of AIoT devices, which can be understood as the estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or is used to indicate whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving a fifth message, the fifth message including one or more of: fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the AIoT service; fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that the first resource is invalid, the first resource being used for the first terminal to communicate with an AIoT device, and / or being used for the first terminal to communicate with the first access network device; sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used to request a second resource, the second resource being used for the first terminal to communicate with an AIoT device, and / or being used for the first terminal to communicate with the second access network device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The fourth message further includes a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the first AIoT service.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending a sixth message, the sixth message including one or more of: a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the first AIoT service; seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to indicate whether the first AIoT service can be performed.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending a seventh message, the seventh message including one or more of: first information, the first information being used to indicate a third resource, the third resource being used for the first terminal to communicate with an AIoT device; second information, the second information being used to indicate a first condition or a first value, the first value being used to indicate the first condition, the first condition being a condition for the first terminal to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service; third information, the third information being used to indicate whether a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) is configured to be used to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service; fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate whether a first data radio bearer (DRB) is configured to be used to transmit data or signaling related to the first AIoT service.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first value includes at least one of: a maximum number of AIoT device identifiers, a size of fifth information, a size of the fifth information, a length of the fifth information, or a threshold of the fifth information, the fifth information being related to the first AIoT service.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, The third resource includes at least one of: a fourth resource, the fourth resource being used for the first terminal to communicate with an AIoT device in a first cell, the first cell being provided by the second access network device, the first cell including one or more; a fifth resource, the fifth resource being used for the first terminal to communicate with an AIoT device in a process of accessing a second cell from a first cell, or in a process of accessing a third access network device from the second access network device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending the second message.

17. A method of communication, comprising: The method is applied to a first terminal or a chip in a first terminal, and the method includes: receiving a second message, the second message being used for paging the first terminal; sending a fifth message, the fifth message comprising one or more of: fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used for indicating AIoT service; fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used for indicating invalidation of the first resource, the first resource being used for communication between the first terminal and AIoT device, and / or, being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device; sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used for requesting a second resource, the second resource being used for communication between the first terminal and AIoT device, and / or, being used for communication between the first terminal and the second access network device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a sixth message, the sixth message comprising one or more of: first identity, the first identity being used for identifying the first AIoT service; seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used for whether the first AIoT service can be performed.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, The second message comprises one or more of: first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating AIoT service; first identity, the first identity being used for identifying the first AIoT service; second identity, the second identity being used for identifying AIoT device; eighth indication information, the eighth indication information being used for indicating first AIoT service type; ninth indication information, the ninth indication information being used for indicating first area, the first area indicating area corresponding to the first AIoT service; tenth indication information, the tenth indication information being used for indicating number of AIoT devices, which can be understood as estimated number of AIoT devices performing the first AIoT service, or, being used for indicating whether one AIoT device or more than one AIoT device performs the first AIoT service.

20. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is a chip or a chip system.

21. The communication apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, The storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by the communication device, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

22. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The computer program product, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

23. A computer program product, characterised in that, The communication device comprises units or modules for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

24. A communications device, characterized by ​

Images