Sensing method and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a sensing method and a related apparatus. In the sensing method provided in the present application, location information of a sensing device responsible for transmitting a sensing signal is encrypted by using a privacy computing algorithm, and a sensing device responsible for receiving an echo signal integrates the location information in a ciphertext form and the privacy computing algorithm to perform data processing on a measurement result of the echo signal, so as to obtain encrypted sensing information. Subsequent decryption processing is completed by other sensing nodes, such that the acquisition of location information of an opposite end by a sensing device acting as a receiving end is prevented, thereby effectively enhancing the security of the sensing task process.

Description

Sensing methods and related devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411454071.9, filed on October 16, 2024, entitled "Sensing Method and Related Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a sensing method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In harmonized communication and sensing (HCS) technology, network devices or terminal devices can act as both transmitters of sensing signals and receivers of echo signals reflected from sensing targets. Utilizing the various propagation characteristics of wireless signals, sensing functions such as target localization, detection, imaging, and identification can be achieved. In sensing tasks, the signal receiver can combine the location information of the transmitter to obtain the scattering point information of the sensing target.

[0004] However, the location information of the transmitter involves privacy, and it may pose security risks if the signal receiver obtains the plaintext location information of the transmitter. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a sensing method and related apparatus to improve the safety performance of sensing devices when performing sensing tasks.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a sensing method applied to a first electronic device, the method comprising:

[0007] Acquire encrypted location information and sensing information, wherein the encrypted location information is used to indicate the location information of a second electronic device after being encrypted according to a privacy calculation algorithm; send first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate information obtained by performing privacy calculation on the sensing information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information.

[0008] The encrypted location information obtained by the first electronic device is the location information of the second electronic device after encryption. The first electronic device performs privacy calculation processing on the perceived information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information to obtain the first information. During the data processing of the perceived information by the first electronic device, the first electronic device is prevented from obtaining the location information of the second electronic device in plaintext form, which helps to improve the security of the perception task process.

[0009] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0010] Send a second message, which indicates the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device; receive a third message, which indicates the privacy computing algorithm.

[0011] By instructing the first electronic device on its privacy computing capabilities using the second information, a privacy computing algorithm adapted to those capabilities can be determined.

[0012] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computation key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

[0013] Depending on the requirements of the privacy computing algorithm, a third-party information can be used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the algorithm, so that privacy computing processing can be performed using the algorithm.

[0014] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a network device, and the second electronic device is a terminal device. Sending the first information includes sending the second information to the first network element, which is used for service sensing and control. Receiving the third information includes receiving the third information from the first network element.

[0015] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0016] Send a first request message to the first network element. The first request message is used to request the acquisition of encrypted location information.

[0017] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a network device, and the second electronic device is a terminal device. Sending the first information includes sending the second information to the terminal device. Receiving the third information includes receiving the third information from the terminal device.

[0018] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0019] A second request message is sent to the terminal device. The second request message is used to request the acquisition of encrypted location information.

[0020] In some implementations, the first message is sent, including:

[0021] The first information is sent to the second network element, which is used to process the sensing data corresponding to the sensing service.

[0022] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a terminal device, and the second electronic device is a network device. Sending the first information includes sending the second information to the network device. Receiving the third information includes receiving the third information from the network device.

[0023] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a terminal device, and the second electronic device is a network device. Sending the first information includes sending the second information to the first network element, which is used for service sensing and control. Receiving the third information includes receiving the third information from the first network element.

[0024] In some implementations, the first message is sent, including:

[0025] The first information is sent to the second network element, which is used to process the sensing data corresponding to the sensing service.

[0026] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a first terminal device, and the second electronic device is a second terminal device. Sending the first information includes sending the second information to the second terminal device. Receiving the third information includes receiving the third information from the second terminal device.

[0027] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0028] Receive a third request from the second terminal device, the third request being used to request the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device.

[0029] Secondly, this application provides a sensing method applied to a second electronic device, the method comprising:

[0030] Receive second information, which indicates the privacy computing capability of the first electronic device; determine a privacy computing algorithm based on the privacy computing capabilities of the first and second electronic devices; send encrypted location information and third information, where the encrypted location information indicates the location information of the second electronic device after encryption processing according to the privacy computing algorithm, and the third information indicates the privacy computing algorithm.

[0031] The second electronic device encrypts its location information using a privacy computing algorithm adapted to the two privacy computing capabilities described above. Obtaining encrypted location information can prevent the first electronic device from obtaining the location information of the second electronic device in plaintext, which helps to improve the security of the perception task process.

[0032] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computation key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

[0033] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a network device, and the second electronic device is a terminal device. Receiving the second information includes receiving second information from the network device. Sending encrypted location information and the third information includes sending encrypted location information and the third information to the network device.

[0034] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0035] The fourth information is sent to the second network element. The fourth information is used to indicate the decryption key corresponding to the privacy calculation algorithm. The second network element is used to process the sensing data corresponding to the sensing service.

[0036] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a terminal device, and the second electronic device is a network device. Receiving the second information includes receiving the second information from the terminal device. Sending encrypted location information and the third information includes sending the encrypted location information and the third information to the terminal device.

[0037] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0038] Receive first information from the terminal device, the first information being used to indicate information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the perceived information based on the privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information; decrypt the first information according to the decryption key corresponding to the privacy calculation algorithm.

[0039] In some implementations, the first electronic device is a first terminal device, and the second electronic device is a second terminal device. Receiving the second information includes receiving second information from the first terminal device. Sending encrypted location information and the third information includes sending encrypted location information and the third information to the first terminal device.

[0040] In some implementation methods, the approach also includes:

[0041] A third request message is sent to the second terminal device. The third request message is used to request the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device.

[0042] In some implementations, the method also includes:

[0043] Receive first information from a first terminal device, the first information being used to indicate information obtained by performing privacy calculations on perceived information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information; decrypt the first information according to the decryption key corresponding to the privacy calculation algorithm.

[0044] Thirdly, this application provides a sensing device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or including modules for implementing the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. Each module or unit can implement its corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0045] For example, the sensing device in the third aspect is a first electronic device or a component configured in the first electronic device, such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.; or, the sensing device in the third aspect is a second electronic device or a component configured in the second electronic device, such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.

[0046] Fourthly, this application provides a sensing device, including a processor, which is configured to execute the sensing method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to execute the sensing method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0047] Optionally, the apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to a processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0048] Optionally, the device may also include a communication interface for the device to sense with other sensing devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface.

[0049] For example, the sensing device provided in the fourth aspect is a chip or chip system, or it may correspond to a first electronic device or a second electronic device.

[0050] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the methods of the first or second aspect and any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0051] Sixthly, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods of the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] The third to sixth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of this application. The beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be described again. Attached Figure Description

[0053] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of privacy computing;

[0055] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an HCS network architecture applied in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another HCS network architecture applied in the embodiments of this application;

[0057] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sensing device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sensing device provided in another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0066] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0067] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but does not exclude the possibility of indicating an "and" relationship; the specific meaning can be understood in context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0068] In this application, the use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" is merely for the purpose of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same category, and does not constrain the order, size, or quantity of things. For example, "first parameter" and "second parameter" are simply different parameters, and there is no temporal or quantitative relationship between them.

[0069] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0070] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0071] "Instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information to indicate A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0072] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system applied in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network device in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0073] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0074] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0075] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0076] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control planes (CU-CPs), CU-user planes (CU-UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0077] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an open-CU (open-CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open-DU (open-DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open-CU-CP (open-CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open-CU-UP (open-CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open-RU (open-RU, O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0078] Terminal equipment can also be called terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal equipment can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light UE, reduced-capability UE (REDCAP UE), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0079] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0080] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0081] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0082] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0083] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms related to this application are explained below.

[0084] Privacy-preserving computation is a technique that enables data analysis and computation while ensuring that data is not disclosed to external parties. It allows multiple participants to collaboratively complete a computational task while protecting their individual data privacy, thus achieving the goal of "data usable but not visible." It involves multiple disciplines such as cryptography, security hardware, information theory, and distributed computing, and includes various privacy protection and enhancement techniques.

[0085] Figure 2 illustrates an application scenario of privacy computing. As shown in Figure 2, to ensure data privacy, data holders and data users can protect the privacy of data they need to exchange. For example, a data holder (such as a smart car or network device) uses an encryption key to encrypt sensitive data it generates, obtaining ciphertext 1, and sends ciphertext 1 to a privacy computing party (such as a network device). The privacy computing party uses a privacy computing key to perform privacy computation on ciphertext 1, obtaining ciphertext 2, and sends ciphertext 2 to the data user (such as a smart car or network device). The data user uses a decryption key to decrypt ciphertext 2 to obtain the sensitive data generated by the data holder. Through these steps, the privacy of data exchanged between the data holder and the data user can be effectively protected.

[0086] Sensing signal: A signal used to sense (or detect) a target (or object). Sensing signals are also called detection signals, linear frequency modulated signals, radar signals, radar sensing signals, radar detection signals, environmental sensing signals, etc. Sensing signals can be pulse signals or any signal that may be present in a wireless communication system, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

[0087] Echo signal: The echo signal is the signal reflected back to the receiver after the sensing signal is emitted from the transmitter to the target object. By performing autocorrelation processing on the echo signal and the sensing signal, and then transforming them, the time delay of the echo signal relative to the sensing signal in the time domain can be analyzed. This allows us to determine the distance of the sensing target from the transmitting source. By comparing the echo signals reflected back from the same target by different transmitted signals, we can convert the signal to the Doppler domain. Combining the Doppler and range domain analyses, we can determine the distance and velocity of the sensing target. Furthermore, the direction of the sensing target relative to the transmitting source can be determined by the beam direction of the antenna emitting the sensing signal. The echo signal can be understood as the reflected sensing signal; therefore, the echo signal can also be called the sensing signal.

[0088] For ease of description, in the embodiments of this application, the detection signal emitted by the transmitter toward the target object is uniformly referred to as the sensing signal, and the signal reflected back to the receiver is referred to as the echo signal.

[0089] Harmonized communication and sensing (HCS), also known as integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), is a key technology in next-generation wireless communication systems. HCS aims to integrate wireless communication and sensing functions into the same system, utilizing the various propagation characteristics of wireless signals to achieve sensing functions such as target localization, detection, imaging, and identification, thereby acquiring information about the surrounding physical environment, improving communication performance, and enhancing user experience.

[0090] In HCS technology, network devices or terminal devices perform sensing by sending sensing signals and receiving echo signals to obtain information such as the position and speed of targets in the environment. The echo signal is the signal generated by the sensing signal being reflected by targets in the environment. The time delay of the echo signal relative to the sent sensing signal reflects the distance of the target, and the Doppler frequency shift of the echo signal relative to the sent sensing signal reflects the speed of the target.

[0091] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an HCS network architecture applied in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the core network architecture includes network exposure function (NEF) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, charging function (CHF) network elements, service communication proxy (SCP) network elements, sensing service control function (SSCF) network elements, sensing data process function (SDPF) network elements, sensing service subscriber management (SSSM) network elements, and data storage function network elements, etc.

[0092] The functions of the network elements involved in Figure 3 above are as follows:

[0093] NEF network elements: primarily used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0094] AF (Automatic Feedback) network elements are primarily responsible for providing services to the 3GPP network, such as influencing data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing third-party services to the network side.

[0095] AMF network elements are primarily responsible for mobility management in mobile networks, such as user location updates, user network registration, and user handover.

[0096] PCF network element: It mainly supports providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, provides policy rules to the control layer network functions, and is also responsible for obtaining user subscription information related to policy decisions.

[0097] CHF network element: mainly responsible for billing-related functions.

[0098] SCP network element: mainly responsible for providing services such as communication proxy, indirect communication, proxy service discovery, and message routing.

[0099] SSCF (Secure Sensing Component Flow) element: Primarily used to implement control plane functions for sensing services, such as receiving capability registrations of sensing entities and orchestrating sensing services based on the sensing capability information of sensing entities. As shown in Figure 3, SSCF communicates with other network function (NF) elements through a service-based interface.

[0100] SDPF network element: Primarily used for processing sensing service data, including calculating sensing measurement data from raw sensing data and calculating sensing results from sensing measurement data. SDPF can be connected to the SBI bus or a separate interface can be defined.

[0101] SSSM network elements are mainly used to sense user registration, sense service subscription and unsubscription, as well as authentication and authorization services.

[0102] DSF network elements: mainly used for long-term data storage.

[0103] The data communication proxy (DCP) in Figure 3 is an efficient data transmission mechanism. In the core network, sensing data can be transmitted through the DCP.

[0104] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another HCS network architecture applied in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the core network architecture includes NEF network elements, AMF network elements, PCF network elements, CHF network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, unified data management (UDM) network elements, network data analytics function (NWDAF) network elements, network repository function (NRF) network elements, analytical data repository function (ADRF) network elements, SSCF network elements, SDPF network elements, and SSSM network elements, etc.

[0105] The functions of the network elements, which differ from those in the architecture shown in Figure 3, are as follows:

[0106] SMF network element: mainly responsible for session management functions.

[0107] UPF network elements are primarily responsible for processing user packets, such as forwarding and billing.

[0108] UDM network elements are used for generating authentication credentials, processing user identifiers (such as storing and managing permanent user identities), controlling access authorization, and managing subscription data.

[0109] NWDAF network element: Provides network analysis services based on network service request data.

[0110] NRF network elements are primarily responsible for registering network function services, monitoring their status, and enabling automated management, selection, and expansion of network function services. They also allow each NF to discover services provided by other NFs.

[0111] ADRF network element: mainly responsible for storing, retrieving and analyzing collected data.

[0112] The serial numbers Ns, Ns-C, Ns-D, and N2, N3, etc., in Figures 3 and 4, as well as the serial numbers named in the form of "N + number", are all interface serial numbers used to indicate the radio interface indicated by the corresponding next generation application protocol (NGAP). The meaning of these interface serial numbers can be found in the definitions in the 3GPP standard protocol, and is not limited here.

[0113] Figures 3 and 4 are exemplary HCS network architectures. The specific HCS network architecture used in this application embodiment is not limited.

[0114] According to discussions in the 3GPP Service and System Aspects Working Group (SA) 1, the sensing modes currently involved in HCS technology can be divided into the following six modes:

[0115] 1. Network device self-transmission and self-reception: The network device sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by a target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by the network device.

[0116] 2. Network device A sends, network device B receives: Network device A sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by a target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by network device B.

[0117] 3. Network device transmits, terminal device receives: The network device sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by the target in the environment and then received by the terminal device.

[0118] 4. Terminal device sends signals, network device receives signals: The terminal device sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by a target in the environment, and then the network device receives the echo signal.

[0119] 5. Terminal device self-transmission and self-reception: The terminal device sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by a target in the environment, and then the terminal device receives the echo signal.

[0120] 6. Terminal device A transmits and terminal device B receives: Terminal device A sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by a target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by terminal device B.

[0121] Based on the six sensing modes described above, both network devices and terminal devices can participate in sensing tasks; that is, both network devices and terminal devices can be considered sensing devices. Under different sensing scenarios and business requirements, after receiving the echo signal, the sensing device may need to undergo processing by one or more sensing nodes. The data involved in this processing is called sensing-related data. In this application embodiment, sensing-related data is uniformly described as sensing information.

[0122] Of the six sensing modes mentioned above, the sensing modes involving self-transmission and self-reception by network devices and self-transmission and self-reception by terminal devices involve only a single sensing device in the sensing task, which can be understood as a "mono-static" mode. The sensing device can reuse data signals from the communication interaction process when transmitting sensing signals. For the other four sensing modes, the sensing task involves at least two sensing devices, which can be understood as a "bi-static" mode. The sensing devices can reuse reference signals from the communication interaction process when transmitting sensing signals.

[0123] In "bi-static" mode, when the receiving sensing device processes the received echo signal, it needs to obtain the location of the transmitting sensing device when transmitting the sensing signal in order to perform signal processing and obtain the scattering point information of the sensing target. However, the location information of the other end is sensitive information. If the receiving sensing device obtains the location information of the other end sensing device in plaintext, it may cause security risks.

[0124] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a sensing method and related apparatus to improve the safety performance of sensing devices when performing sensing tasks.

[0125] The technical concept of this application is as follows: the location information of the sensing device responsible for transmitting sensing signals is encrypted using a privacy computing algorithm. The sensing device responsible for receiving echo signals combines the encrypted location information and the privacy computing algorithm to process the measurement results of the echo signals and obtain encrypted sensing information. Other sensing nodes then complete the subsequent decryption process, thereby preventing the receiving sensing device from obtaining the location information of the other end and improving the security of the sensing task process.

[0126] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method is applied to a first electronic device, which can be understood as a sensing device responsible for receiving echo signals in a sensing task. As shown in Figure 5, it includes the following steps:

[0127] S501, the first electronic device acquires encrypted location information and sensing information, the encrypted location information being used to indicate the location information of the second electronic device after being encrypted according to a privacy calculation algorithm.

[0128] In this context, the second electronic device is the peer device of the first electronic device; that is, the second electronic device can be understood as the sensing device responsible for transmitting sensing signals in the sensing task. For the first electronic device, the location information of the second electronic device is sensitive information. In this step, referring to the privacy computing application scenario shown in Figure 2, the data holder of the location information of the second electronic device can generate an encryption key according to the privacy computing algorithm, and use the encryption key to encrypt the location information of the second electronic device to obtain encrypted location information.

[0129] The sensing signal emitted by the second electronic device is reflected by the sensing target in the environment and then received as an echo signal by the first electronic device. The first electronic device processes the echo signal to obtain measurement data, such as the time delay, Doppler, angle, and intensity of the sampling point, and their multidimensional combinations, or the position, velocity, and intensity of the sampling point, and their multidimensional combinations. All of the above measurement data are collectively described as sensing information, that is, the first electronic device can obtain sensing information by processing the echo signal.

[0130] S502, the first electronic device sends first information to the data user, the first information indicating information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the perceived information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information. Accordingly, the data user receives the first information from the first electronic device.

[0131] It is understandable that the first electronic device is equivalent to the privacy computing party in the privacy computing application scenario shown in Figure 2. After obtaining the encrypted location information and sensing information in step S501, the first electronic device can perform privacy computing processing on the sensing information according to the privacy computing algorithm and the encrypted location information to obtain information in ciphertext form. For example, after performing privacy computing processing on the sensing information, the first electronic device can obtain point cloud data in ciphertext form.

[0132] In this step, the first electronic device sends first information to the data user, which indicates the encrypted information obtained through the privacy computation process described above. In the subsequent execution of the sensing task, the data user can use a decryption key to decrypt the first information to obtain the plaintext information for subsequent data processing in the sensing task. This will be further explained in the following embodiments and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0133] In this embodiment, the encrypted location information obtained by the first electronic device is the location information of the second electronic device after encryption. The first information is obtained by performing privacy calculation processing on the sensing information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information, so that subsequent sensing nodes can continue to use the first information to process sensing data. This avoids the first electronic device obtaining the location information of the second electronic device in plaintext form, which helps to improve the security of the sensing task process.

[0134] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the privacy computing algorithm used can be specified through a protocol. That is, the first electronic device can perform privacy computing processing on the perceived information according to the default privacy computing algorithm and encrypted location information.

[0135] As one possible implementation, the first electronic device can send second information to the data holder, indicating the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device. The first electronic device can also receive third information from the data holder, indicating the privacy computing algorithm.

[0136] In this implementation, the data holder selects a privacy computing algorithm from a variety of privacy computing algorithms that is compatible with the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device, and instructs the first electronic device on the privacy computing algorithm through third information.

[0137] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm. For some privacy computing algorithms, when the first electronic device performs privacy computing processing on the sensed information based on the privacy computing algorithm and encrypted location information, it also needs a privacy computing key. Therefore, in this implementation, the third information can also indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm to the first electronic device.

[0138] It should be noted that the first electronic device can also calculate and determine the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm based on the relevant parameters of the privacy computing algorithm.

[0139] The embodiment shown in Figure 5 uses the signal receiver in the sensing task as an example to introduce the communication method provided by the embodiment of this application. The following uses the signal transmitter in the sensing task as an example to introduce the communication method provided by the embodiment of this application from another perspective.

[0140] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method is applied to a second electronic device, which can be understood as a sensing device responsible for transmitting sensing signals in a sensing task. As shown in Figure 6, it includes the following steps:

[0141] S601, the second electronic device receives second information, which is used to indicate the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device.

[0142] Based on the six perception modes above, for the "bi-static" mode, excluding the case where both the first and second electronic devices are network devices, at least one of the first and second electronic devices must be a terminal device. When the terminal device acts as the privacy computing party, different terminal devices may possess different privacy computing capabilities, and protocols typically cannot stipulate that all terminal devices possess the same privacy computing capability. Therefore, in this step, the first electronic device sends second information to the second electronic device, indicating the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device to the second electronic device.

[0143] S602, the second electronic device determines the privacy computing algorithm based on the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device and its own privacy computing capabilities.

[0144] Understandably, in subsequent steps, the second electronic device needs to encrypt its own location information according to the privacy computing algorithm in order to obtain the encrypted location information, and the first electronic device also needs to perform privacy computing processing on the perceived information according to the privacy computing algorithm and the encrypted location information. The privacy computing algorithms used by the above electronic devices should be compatible with their own privacy computing capabilities.

[0145] The second electronic device can acquire its own privacy computing capabilities. In this step, the second electronic device can select a privacy computing algorithm that is compatible with the two privacy computing capabilities from a variety of alternative privacy computing algorithms based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device, thereby determining the privacy computing algorithm to be used subsequently.

[0146] S603, the second electronic device sends encrypted location information and third information to the first electronic device. The encrypted location information indicates the location information of the second electronic device after encryption according to a privacy calculation algorithm, and the third information indicates the privacy calculation algorithm. Accordingly, the first electronic device receives the encrypted location information and third information from the second electronic device.

[0147] Referring to the privacy computing application scenario shown in Figure 2, the second electronic device can be understood as the data holder. After determining the privacy computing algorithm, the second electronic device generates an encryption key based on the privacy computing algorithm and uses the encryption key to encrypt the location information of the second electronic device to obtain encrypted location information.

[0148] In this step, the second electronic device indicates the location information of the second electronic device after being encrypted by the privacy computing algorithm to the first electronic device through encrypted location information, and indicates the selected privacy computing algorithm to the first electronic device through third information.

[0149] In some implementations, the third piece of information is also used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm. It should be noted that the first electronic device can also calculate and determine the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm itself based on the relevant parameters of the privacy computing algorithm.

[0150] Based on the six sensing modes described above, the first electronic device and the second electronic device in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6 can specifically be terminal devices or network devices. In the embodiments below, the sensing method provided by this application is further illustrated using the interaction between a terminal device and a network device as an example. It should be understood that the aforementioned terminal device can be replaced by components configured in the terminal device (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or by logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device; similarly, the aforementioned network device can also be replaced by components configured in the network device (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or by logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0151] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method can be applied to the HCS network architecture shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes steps S701 to S714.

[0152] S701, the first network element sends a sensing request to both the network device and the second network element. The sensing request is used to trigger a sensing task. Correspondingly, the network device and the second network element receive the sensing request from the first network element.

[0153] In this architecture, the first network element is used for sensing service control, and the second network element is used for processing the sensing data corresponding to the sensing services. Referring to the HCS network architecture shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, the first network element corresponds to the SSCF network element, and the second network element corresponds to the SDPF network element.

[0154] As an example, the SSCF network element, acting as the control network element for sensing services, can receive sensing task requests from a third party (such as the sensing service requester), and then send sensing requests to both network devices and SDPF network elements. These sensing requests trigger sensing tasks. Understandably, the sensing request may also carry information such as the sensing service type, the time and region corresponding to the sensing task, and the quality of service (QoS).

[0155] S702, the network device determines the sensing mode and selects the terminal device as the transmitter of the sensing signal.

[0156] In this step, the network device can determine the sensing mode required by the sensing task according to the sensing request, which corresponds to the "bi-static" mode. The network device acts as the signal receiver and the terminal device acts as the signal transmitter. That is, the network device is equivalent to the first electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, and the terminal device is equivalent to the second electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

[0157] In this process, the network device triggers a sensing task based on the sensing request. There may be a batch of candidate terminal devices that can serve as signal transmitters. The network device selects a terminal device from the candidate terminal devices as the transmitter of the sensing signal in the sensing task according to the requirements of the sensing task.

[0158] S703, the first network element sends a location request to the location management function (LMF) network element. The location request is used to request the location information of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location request from the first network element.

[0159] The LMF (Location Detection and Management) network element is part of the HCS (Hybrid System Controller) network architecture. It is primarily responsible for calculating and feeding back location information within the HCS network, providing functions such as location process management, terminal capability acquisition, auxiliary data provision, and terminal location estimation. In this step, the first network element requests the location information of the terminal device from the LMF network element via a location request.

[0160] In some implementations, as shown in step S703-0 of Figure 7, the network device sends a first request message to the first network element. This first request message requests the encrypted location information of the terminal device. It can be understood that the first request message carries the identification information of the terminal device, indicating the corresponding terminal device. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first request message from the network device.

[0161] In this implementation, step S703-0 above can be used to trigger step S703.

[0162] The S704 and LMF network elements are used for terminal device positioning.

[0163] In this step, after receiving the request information from the first network element, the LMF network element performs terminal device positioning to obtain the location information of the terminal device.

[0164] S705, the LMF network element sends a response to the first network element regarding the location request, the response including the location information of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the response from the LMF network element regarding the location request.

[0165] It is understandable that the first network element obtains the location information of the terminal device through the response to the location request. The first network element is equivalent to the data holder in the privacy computing scenario shown in Figure 2.

[0166] S706: The first network element encrypts the location information of the terminal device according to the privacy computing algorithm to obtain encrypted location information.

[0167] It should be noted that the first network element in Figure 7 is co-located with the privacy computation management (PCM) unit. The PCM unit manages the privacy computation enable (PCE) unit. The PCE unit is a modular unit encapsulated with privacy computation, encryption, and decryption algorithms, as well as hardware and software resource information, including data processing and model computation. The PCE unit has the function of independently performing privacy computation. When the first network element and the PCM unit are co-located, it can be understood that the first network element can realize the functions of the PCM unit, that is, the first network element has the function of performing privacy computation management.

[0168] As an example, the protocol can specify the privacy computing capabilities of network devices and second network elements, meaning that network devices and second network elements possess default privacy computing capabilities. Correspondingly, the protocol can also specify the privacy computing algorithms corresponding to the privacy computing capabilities of network devices and second network elements. The first network element, as the data holder, can generate an encryption key based on the default privacy computing algorithm to encrypt the location information of the terminal device, thereby obtaining the encrypted location information.

[0169] In some implementations, as shown in steps S700a and S700b of Figure 7, in step S700a, the network device sends second information to the first network element, the second information indicating the privacy computing capabilities of the network device. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the second information from the network device. Similarly, in step S700b, the second network element sends information to the first network element indicating its own privacy computing capabilities. Correspondingly, the first network element receives information from the second network element indicating its own privacy computing capabilities.

[0170] It should be noted that in this implementation, in step S706, the first network element can select a privacy computing algorithm that is compatible with the privacy computing capabilities of the network device and the second network element. The first network element generates an encryption key according to the selected privacy computing algorithm to encrypt the location information of the terminal device, thereby obtaining the encrypted location information.

[0171] S707, the first network element sends encrypted location information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the encrypted location information from the first network element.

[0172] This step corresponds to step S501 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, where the network device obtains encrypted location information by receiving encrypted location information from the first network element.

[0173] In some implementations, the first network element can also send third information to the network device, which indicates the privacy computation algorithm. Correspondingly, the network device receives the third information from the first network element. It is understood that when the first network element selects a privacy computation algorithm based on the privacy computation capabilities of the network device and the second network element, it also needs to indicate the selected privacy computation algorithm to the network device via the third information, so that the network device can perform privacy computation processing on the sensed information based on the privacy computation algorithm and encrypted location information in subsequent steps.

[0174] In some implementations, the third piece of information is also used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm. When the network device subsequently performs privacy computing processing on the sensed information based on the privacy computing algorithm and encrypted location information, the privacy computing algorithm also requires the privacy computing key; therefore, the third piece of information is also used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm.

[0175] It should be noted that, even if the third information does not indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm, the network device can also calculate and obtain the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm itself based on the parameters related to the privacy computing algorithm.

[0176] S708, the first network element sends the privacy computation algorithm and decryption key to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the privacy computation algorithm and decryption key from the first network element.

[0177] The second network element is used to process the perceived data corresponding to the perceived services, which is equivalent to the data user in the privacy computing scenario shown in Figure 2. In subsequent steps, the second network element needs to use a decryption key to decrypt the ciphertext information. Therefore, in this step, the first network element sends the privacy computing algorithm and the decryption key to the second network element.

[0178] It should be noted that if the protocol specifies the privacy computing algorithm corresponding to the privacy computing capabilities of the network device and the second network element, then in this step, the first network element only needs to send the decryption key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm to the second network element.

[0179] S709, the network device sends a sensing signal request to the terminal device, which requests the terminal device to transmit a sensing signal. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the sensing signal request from the network device.

[0180] In S710, the terminal device transmits a sensing signal. Correspondingly, the network device receives the echo signal from the sensing signal.

[0181] In this step, the terminal device transmits a sensing signal into the environment, which is then reflected by the sensing target in the environment, and the network device receives the echo signal of the sensing signal.

[0182] S711, network devices process echo signals to acquire sensing information.

[0183] As a sensing node in a sensing task, network devices can process echo signals to obtain measurement data, such as the time delay, Doppler, angle, and intensity of the sampling point, and their multi-dimensional combinations, as well as the position, velocity, and intensity of the sampling point, and their multi-dimensional combinations. All of the above measurement data are collectively described as sensing information.

[0184] S712: Network devices process perceived information based on encrypted location information and privacy computing algorithms to obtain information in ciphertext form.

[0185] As described above, the network device is equivalent to the first electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5. Referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 5, as a privacy computing entity, the network device can perform privacy computing processing on the perceived information according to the privacy computing algorithm and encrypted location information to obtain information in ciphertext form. For example, after performing privacy computing processing on the perceived information, the network device can obtain point cloud data in ciphertext form.

[0186] S713, the network device sends first information to the second network element. The first information indicates information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the sensed information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the first information from the network device.

[0187] In this step, the network device sends a first message to the data user (i.e., the second network element), which instructs the second electronic device in step S712 to process the encrypted information obtained through privacy computing.

[0188] S714, the second network element decrypts the first information according to the decryption key to obtain the information in plaintext form.

[0189] In this step, the second network element decrypts the first information using the received privacy computation algorithm and the corresponding decryption key, thereby obtaining the information in plaintext form. For example, if a network device sends encrypted point cloud data to the second network element, the second network element can decrypt it using the decryption key to obtain the plaintext point cloud data.

[0190] In this embodiment, the encrypted location information obtained by the network device is the location information of the terminal device after encryption processing. The network device performs privacy calculation processing on the sensing information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information to obtain the first information, so that the second network element can continue to use the first information to process sensing data. This avoids the network device obtaining the location information of the terminal device in plaintext form, which is beneficial to improving the security of the sensing task process.

[0191] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method can be applied to the HCS network architecture shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4. As shown in Figure 8, the method includes steps S801 to S813.

[0192] S801, the first network element sends a sensing request to the network device and the second network element respectively. The sensing request is used to trigger a sensing task. Correspondingly, the network device and the second network element receive the sensing request from the first network element respectively.

[0193] S802, the network device determines the sensing mode and selects the terminal device as the transmitter of the sensing signal.

[0194] The steps S801 and S802 above are the same as steps S701 and S702 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and will not be repeated here. The network device is equivalent to the first electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and the terminal device is equivalent to the second electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0195] In step S803, the network device sends a second request message to the terminal device, which requests encrypted location information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second request message from the network device.

[0196] The location information of the terminal device is sensitive information for the network device. In this step, the network device requests the encrypted location information of the terminal device from the terminal device through the second request information.

[0197] In some implementations, the second request information may further include second information, which indicates the privacy computing capabilities of the network device. In this implementation, the network device may carry the second information when sending the second request information. The second request information is used to request encrypted location information and also to indicate the privacy computing capabilities of the network device.

[0198] It is understandable that the network device may include the second information when sending the second request information, or it may send the second information to the terminal device separately. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the second information from the network device.

[0199] S804: The terminal device determines the privacy computing algorithm based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the network device.

[0200] This step corresponds to step S602 in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. The terminal device can obtain its own privacy computing capabilities. Through the second information in step S803, the terminal device can obtain the privacy computing capabilities of the network device.

[0201] In this step, the terminal device, based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the network device, can select a privacy computing algorithm from a variety of alternative privacy computing algorithms that is compatible with the two privacy computing capabilities mentioned above, thereby determining the privacy computing algorithm to be used subsequently.

[0202] S805, the terminal device encrypts the location information of the terminal device according to the privacy calculation algorithm to obtain the encrypted location information.

[0203] This step is similar to step S706 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. It can be understood that the terminal device can obtain its own location information. After determining the privacy calculation algorithm in step S804, the terminal device, as the data holder, can generate an encryption key according to the selected privacy calculation algorithm to encrypt its own location information, thereby obtaining the encrypted location information.

[0204] In step S806, the terminal device sends encrypted location information and third-party information to the network device. The third-party information is used to indicate the privacy computation algorithm. Accordingly, the network device receives the encrypted location information and third-party information from the terminal device.

[0205] This step is similar to step S707 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. When the terminal device acts as the privacy computing party, the terminal device not only sends encrypted location information to the network device, but can also indicate the selected privacy computing algorithm to the network device through third information.

[0206] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computation key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

[0207] It should be noted that, even if the third information does not indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm, the network device can also calculate and obtain the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm itself based on the parameters related to the privacy computing algorithm.

[0208] S807, the terminal device sends fourth information to the second network element, the fourth information indicating the decryption key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the fourth information from the terminal device.

[0209] This step is similar to step S707 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. The difference is that in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the privacy calculation algorithm is determined by the terminal device, which is the data holder of the encrypted location information. In this step, the terminal device indicates the privacy calculation algorithm and decryption key to the second network element through the fourth information.

[0210] In step S808, the network device sends a sensing signal request to the terminal device, which requests the terminal device to transmit a sensing signal. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the sensing signal request from the network device.

[0211] S809: The terminal device transmits a sensing signal. Correspondingly, the network device receives the echo signal of the sensing signal.

[0212] S810, the network device processes the echo signal to obtain sensing information.

[0213] S811: Network devices process perceived information based on encrypted location information and privacy computing algorithms to obtain information in ciphertext form.

[0214] S812, the network device sends first information to the second network element. The first information indicates information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the sensed information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the first information from the network device.

[0215] S813, the second network element decrypts the first information according to the decryption key to obtain the information in plaintext form.

[0216] The steps S808 to S813 above are the same as steps S709 to S714 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and will not be repeated here.

[0217] It is understandable that in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the first network element acts as the data holder of the encrypted location information. Therefore, the network device, as the signal receiver, interacts with the first network element to obtain the encrypted location information. The main difference between the embodiment shown in Figure 8 and the embodiment shown in Figure 7 is that the data holder of the encrypted location information changes from the first network element to the terminal device. Therefore, the network device interacts with the terminal device to obtain the encrypted location information.

[0218] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method can be applied to the HCS network architecture shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, where the terminal device acts as a signal receiver and the network device acts as a signal transmitter. That is, the network device is equivalent to the second electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and the terminal device is equivalent to the first electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes steps S901 to S911.

[0219] S901, the terminal device sends second information to the network device, the second information indicating the terminal device's privacy computing capabilities. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device.

[0220] In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the network device can be understood as the data holder of encrypted location information. In subsequent steps, the network device needs to determine the privacy computing algorithm based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the terminal device. Therefore, in this step, the terminal device indicates its privacy computing capabilities to the network device through the second information.

[0221] It should be noted that the terminal device can send the second information to the network device before or after triggering the sensing task. The only requirement is that the network device can obtain the privacy computing capability of the terminal device when determining the privacy computing algorithm. The embodiments of this application do not limit the order of steps for the terminal device to send the second information.

[0222] S902, the first network element sends a sensing request to the network device, which triggers a sensing task. Correspondingly, the network device receives the sensing request from the first network element.

[0223] This step is similar to step S701 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. However, since the encrypted information is decrypted by the network device in the subsequent steps in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, unlike step S701, this step does not require sending a sensing request to the second network element.

[0224] S903, the network device determines the sensing mode and selects the terminal device as the receiver of the echo signal.

[0225] This step is similar to step S702 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. The difference is that in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the network device acts as the signal transmitter and the terminal device acts as the signal receiver. Therefore, in this step, the network device selects the terminal device from the candidate terminal devices as the receiver of the echo signal in the sensing task.

[0226] S904: Network devices determine privacy computing algorithms based on their own privacy computing capabilities and those of terminal devices.

[0227] This step is similar to step S804 in the embodiment shown in Figure 8. The network device can obtain its own privacy computing capabilities. Through the second information in step S901, the network device can obtain the privacy computing capabilities of the terminal device.

[0228] In this step, the network device, based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the terminal device, can select a privacy computing algorithm from a variety of alternative privacy computing algorithms that is compatible with the two privacy computing capabilities mentioned above, thereby determining the privacy computing algorithm to be used subsequently.

[0229] S905: Network devices encrypt their location information using a privacy-preserving computation algorithm to obtain encrypted location information.

[0230] This step is similar to step S706 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. It can be understood that the network device can obtain its own location information. After determining the privacy calculation algorithm in step S904, the network device, as the data holder, can generate an encryption key according to the selected privacy calculation algorithm to encrypt its own location information, thereby obtaining the encrypted location information.

[0231] S906, the network device sends encrypted location information and third-party information to the terminal device, the third-party information being used to indicate the privacy computation algorithm. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the encrypted location information and third-party information from the network device.

[0232] This step is similar to step S707 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. When the network device is the data holder, the network device not only sends encrypted location information to the terminal device, but can also indicate the selected privacy computing algorithm to the terminal device through third information.

[0233] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computation key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

[0234] It should be noted that even if the third information does not indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm, the terminal device can also calculate and obtain the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm itself based on the parameters related to the privacy computing algorithm.

[0235] S907: Network devices transmit sensing signals. Correspondingly, terminal devices receive the echo signals of the sensing signals.

[0236] S908: The terminal device processes the echo signal to obtain sensing information.

[0237] It is understood that in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the terminal device acts as a signal receiver and the network device acts as a signal transmitter. Therefore, in step S907, the network device transmits a sensing signal into the environment. After being reflected by the sensing target in the environment, the terminal device receives the echo signal of the sensing signal. Accordingly, in step S908, the terminal device processes the received echo signal to obtain sensing information.

[0238] S909: The terminal device processes the perceived information based on encrypted location information and privacy calculation algorithms to obtain information in encrypted form.

[0239] This step is similar to step S712 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. The difference is that in this step, the terminal device acts as the privacy computing party. The terminal device performs privacy computing processing on the perceived information according to the privacy computing algorithm and the encrypted location information to obtain the information in ciphertext form.

[0240] S910, the terminal device sends first information to the network device. This first information indicates information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the sensed information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal device.

[0241] It is understandable that the network device is not only the holder of the encrypted location information, but also the user of the data. Therefore, in this step, the terminal device sends the first information to the network device.

[0242] S911: The network device decrypts the first information using the decryption key to obtain the information in plaintext form.

[0243] As both a data user and holder of encrypted location information, the network device in step S905 generates an encryption key based on the selected privacy computation algorithm to encrypt its own location information, and simultaneously obtains the corresponding decryption key. In this step, the network device can decrypt the first information using the decryption key corresponding to the selected privacy computation algorithm, thereby obtaining the information in plaintext form.

[0244] In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the terminal device acts as the privacy computation party, while the network device is both the data holder and the data user. Referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 7, when the terminal device acts as the privacy computation party, the first network element can act as the data holder, and the second network element can act as the data user.

[0245] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in another embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method can be applied to the HCS network architecture shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, where the terminal device acts as a signal receiver and the network device acts as a signal transmitter; that is, the terminal device is equivalent to the first electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 10, the method includes steps S1001 to S1014.

[0246] S1001, the terminal device sends second information to the first network element, the second information indicating the terminal device's privacy computing capabilities. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the second information from the terminal device.

[0247] In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, the first network element can be understood as the data holder of the encrypted location information. In subsequent steps, the first network element needs to determine the privacy computing algorithm based on the privacy computing capabilities of the second network element and the terminal device. Therefore, in this step, the terminal device indicates its privacy computing capabilities to the first network element through the second information.

[0248] It should be noted that the terminal device can send the second information to the first network element before triggering the sensing task, or it can send the second information to the first network element after triggering the sensing task. As long as the first network element can obtain the privacy computing capability of the terminal device when determining the privacy computing algorithm, the embodiments of this application do not limit the order of steps for the terminal device to send the second information.

[0249] S1002, the second network element sends information to the first network element indicating its privacy computing capabilities. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the information from the second network element indicating its privacy computing capabilities.

[0250] Similarly, the second network element can send information indicating its privacy computing capabilities to the first network element before triggering the perception task, or it can send the information to the first network element after triggering the perception task. As long as the first network element obtains the privacy computing capabilities of the second network element when determining the privacy computing algorithm, the order of steps for the second network element to send information indicating its privacy computing capabilities is not limited in this application embodiment.

[0251] S1003, the first network element sends a sensing request to the network device and the second network element respectively. Correspondingly, the network device and the second network element receive the sensing request from the first network element respectively.

[0252] This step is the same as step S701 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and will not be repeated here.

[0253] S1004, the network device determines the sensing mode and selects the terminal device as the receiver of the echo signal.

[0254] This step is the same as step S903 in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, and will not be repeated here.

[0255] S1005, the network device sends its own location information to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the location information from the network device.

[0256] In this process, the network device is the counterpart of the terminal device, and the first network element, as the data holder, needs to hold the location information of the network device. Therefore, in this step, the network device sends its location information to the first network element.

[0257] It is understandable that the location information of network devices can also carry the identification information of terminal devices, so that the first network element can subsequently send encrypted location information to the terminal device indicated by the identification information.

[0258] S1006, the first network element determines the privacy computing algorithm based on the privacy computing capabilities of the second network element and the terminal device.

[0259] After acquiring the privacy computing capabilities of the second network element and the terminal device, the first network element can select a privacy computing algorithm that is compatible with the two privacy computing capabilities.

[0260] S1007, the first network element encrypts the location information of the network device according to the privacy computing algorithm to obtain the encrypted location information.

[0261] This step is similar to step S706 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, except that in this step, the first network element acts as the data holder, generates an encryption key according to the selected privacy computing algorithm, and encrypts the location information of the network device to obtain the encrypted location information.

[0262] S1008, the first network element sends encrypted location information and third information to the terminal device, the third information being used to indicate the privacy computation algorithm. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the encrypted location information and third information from the first network element.

[0263] This step is similar to step S707 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. When the first network element is the data holder, the first network element not only sends encrypted location information to the terminal device, which is the privacy computing party, but can also indicate the selected privacy computing algorithm to the terminal device through third information.

[0264] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computation key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

[0265] It should be noted that even if the third information does not indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm, the terminal device can also calculate and obtain the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm itself based on the parameters related to the privacy computing algorithm.

[0266] S1009, the first network element sends the privacy computation algorithm and decryption key to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the privacy computation algorithm and decryption key from the first network element.

[0267] This step is the same as step S708 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and will not be repeated here.

[0268] S1010, the network device transmits a sensing signal. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the echo signal of the sensing signal.

[0269] S1011, the terminal device processes the echo signal to obtain sensing information.

[0270] S1012, the terminal device processes the perceived information based on encrypted location information and privacy calculation algorithms to obtain information in encrypted form.

[0271] The steps S1010 to S1012 above are the same as steps S907 to S909 in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, and will not be repeated here.

[0272] S1013, the terminal device sends first information to the second network element. The first information indicates information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the sensed information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the first information from the terminal device.

[0273] It is understandable that, in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the second network element acts as the data user, therefore the terminal device sends the first information to the second network element. When the terminal device sends the first information to the second network element, the network device performs a transparent transmission function.

[0274] S1014, the second network element decrypts the first information according to the decryption key to obtain the information in plaintext form.

[0275] This step is the same as step S714 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and will not be repeated here.

[0276] In the above embodiments, the first electronic device and the second electronic device include network devices and terminal devices. The following describes the case where both the first electronic device and the second electronic device are terminal devices.

[0277] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method according to another embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, this sensing method can be applied to the HCS network architecture shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4. It should be noted that the step of triggering the sensing task is omitted in Figure 11; instead, the first terminal device is directly identified as the signal receiver, and the second terminal device as the signal transmitter. That is, the first terminal device is equivalent to the first electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and the second terminal device is equivalent to the second electronic device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 11, the method includes steps S1101 to S1109.

[0278] S1101, the first terminal device sends second information to the second terminal device, the second information being used to indicate the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the second information from the first terminal device.

[0279] In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, the first terminal device is equivalent to the privacy computing party, and the second terminal device is equivalent to the data holder and the data user. In subsequent steps, the second terminal device needs to determine the privacy computing algorithm based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device. Therefore, in this step, the first terminal device indicates its privacy computing capabilities to the second terminal device through the second information.

[0280] In some implementations, as shown in step S1100 of Figure 11, the second terminal device sends a third request message to the first terminal device. This third request message requests access to the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives a second request message from the second terminal device.

[0281] It is understandable that in this implementation, step S1100 above is equivalent to triggering step S1101.

[0282] S1102, the second terminal device determines the privacy computing algorithm based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the terminal device.

[0283] The second terminal device can obtain its own privacy computing capabilities. Through the second information in step S1101, the second terminal device can obtain the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device. In this step, based on its own privacy computing capabilities and the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device, the second terminal device can select a privacy computing algorithm that is compatible with the above two privacy computing capabilities from a variety of alternative privacy computing algorithms, thereby determining the privacy computing algorithm to be used subsequently.

[0284] S1103, the second terminal device encrypts its own location information according to a privacy calculation algorithm to obtain encrypted location information.

[0285] This step is similar to step S1007 in the embodiment shown in Figure 10. The difference is that in this step, the second terminal device, as the data holder, generates an encryption key according to the selected privacy computing algorithm to encrypt the location information of the second terminal device, thereby obtaining the encrypted location information.

[0286] S1104, the second terminal device sends encrypted location information and third information to the first terminal device, the third information being used to indicate the privacy computation algorithm. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the encrypted location information and third information from the second terminal device.

[0287] This step is similar to step S1008 in the embodiment shown in Figure 10. When the second terminal device is the data holder, the second terminal device sends encrypted location information to the first terminal device, which is the privacy computing party. It can also indicate the selected privacy computing algorithm to the first terminal device through third information.

[0288] In some implementations, the third information is also used to indicate the privacy computation key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

[0289] It should be noted that, even if the third information does not indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm, the first terminal device can also calculate and obtain the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm itself based on the parameters related to the privacy computing algorithm.

[0290] S1105, the second terminal device transmits a sensing signal. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the echo signal of the sensing signal.

[0291] S1106, the first terminal device processes the echo signal to obtain sensing information.

[0292] In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, the first terminal device acts as a signal receiver and the second terminal device acts as a signal transmitter. Therefore, in step S1105, the second terminal device transmits a sensing signal into the environment. After being reflected by the sensing target in the environment, the first terminal device receives the echo signal of the sensing signal. Accordingly, in step S1106, the first terminal device processes the received echo signal to obtain sensing information.

[0293] S1107, the first terminal device processes the perceived information based on the encrypted location information and privacy calculation algorithm to obtain information in encrypted form.

[0294] In this step, the first terminal device acts as the privacy computing party, processing the perceived information based on the encrypted location information and privacy computing algorithm obtained in step S1104, thereby obtaining information in encrypted form.

[0295] S1108, the first terminal device sends first information to the second terminal device. The first information indicates information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the perceived information based on a privacy calculation algorithm and encrypted location information. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the first information from the first terminal device.

[0296] It is understandable that the second terminal device is not only the data holder of the encrypted location information, but also the data user. Therefore, in this step, the first terminal device sends the first information to the second terminal device.

[0297] S1109, the second terminal device decrypts the first information according to the decryption key to obtain the information in plaintext form.

[0298] The second terminal device, acting as both a data user and the holder of encrypted location information, can simultaneously encrypt its own location information using an encryption key generated according to the selected privacy computation algorithm in step S1103, and also obtain the corresponding decryption key. In this step, the second terminal device can decrypt the first information using the decryption key corresponding to the selected privacy computation algorithm, thereby obtaining the information in plaintext form.

[0299] It should be noted that in the embodiment shown in Figure 11, both the first electronic device and the second electronic device are terminal devices. When both the first electronic device and the second electronic device are network devices, if the two network devices are controlled by the same network operator, the location information of the peer network device is not sensitive information and the above-mentioned security issues do not exist.

[0300] If the two network devices are controlled by different network operators, the location information of the first network device is sensitive information for the second network device. In the case where the first electronic device and the second electronic device are respectively the first network device and the second network device, referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 11, the first terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 11 can be replaced with the first network device, and the second terminal device can be replaced with the second network device. The other interaction processes are the same as in Figure 11, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0301] Figures 12 and 13 are schematic diagrams of possible sensing devices provided in embodiments of this application. These sensing devices can be used to implement the functions of the first electronic device or the second electronic device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the sensing device can be the first electronic device or the second electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11, or it can be a component (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.) configured in the first electronic device or the second electronic device, or it can be a logic module or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions of the first electronic device or the second electronic device.

[0302] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sensing device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the sensing device 1200 includes a processing module 1210 and a transceiver module 1220.

[0303] The transceiver module 1220 can implement corresponding communication functions and can also be referred to as an input / output interface or a communication unit. The processing module 1210 can be used to perform processing operations. It should be understood that if the device 1200 is a component configured in a first electronic device or a second electronic device, such as a chip, the transceiver module 1220 can be an input / output interface.

[0304] Optionally, the transceiver module 1220 may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module is used to perform the transmitting operation of the first electronic device or the second electronic device in Figures 5 to 11, and the receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation of the first electronic device or the second electronic device in Figures 5 to 11.

[0305] It should be understood that when the device 1200 is a component configured in a first electronic device or a second electronic device, such as a chip, the transmitting module can be an output interface, and the transmitting operation involved in the embodiments of this application can be performed by the output interface; the receiving module can be an input interface, and the receiving operation involved in the embodiments of this application can be performed by the input interface.

[0306] Optionally, the device 1200 may further include a storage module for storing instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1210 may read the instructions and / or data from the storage module to enable the device to implement the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11.

[0307] In one possible design, the device 1200 can be used to implement the function of the second electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11. Alternatively, the device 1200 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the second electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11. This unit can be implemented wholly or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0308] When device 1200 is used to implement the function of the second electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11, transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a receiving module) can be used to execute step S601 in Figure 6 to receive second information, which is used to indicate the privacy computing capability of the first electronic device; processing module 1210 can be used to execute step S602 in Figure 6 to determine the privacy computing algorithm based on the privacy computing capability of the first electronic device and the privacy computing capability of the second electronic device; transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a sending module) can also be used to execute step S603 in Figure 6 to send encrypted location information and third information to the first electronic device, whereby the encrypted location information is used to indicate the location information of the second electronic device after encryption processing according to the privacy computing algorithm, and the third information is used to indicate the privacy computing algorithm.

[0309] In another possible design, the device 1200 can be used to implement the function of the first electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11. Alternatively, the device 1200 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the first electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11. This unit can be implemented wholly or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0310] When device 1200 is used to implement the function of the first electronic device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11, transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a sending module) can be used to execute step S502 in Figure 5 to send first information to the data user. The first information is used to indicate the information obtained by performing privacy calculation on the perceived information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information. Transceiver module 1220 (specifically, a receiving module) can be used to execute step S501 in Figure 5 to obtain encrypted location information.

[0311] A more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing module 1210 and transceiver module 1220 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 11, and will not be repeated here.

[0312] It should be noted that the transceiver module can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver machine, or transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be called a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device, etc. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform the sending and receiving operations on the terminal device or network device side in the above method. The device in the communication module used to implement the receiving function can be considered as the receiving module, and the device in the communication module used to implement the sending function can be considered as the sending module; that is, the transceiver module includes both a receiving module and a sending module.

[0313] In another possible design, the aforementioned transceiver module and / or processing module can be implemented using virtual modules. For example, the processing module can be implemented using software functional modules or virtual devices, and the transceiver module can also be implemented using software functional modules or virtual devices. In another possible design, the processing module or transceiver module can also be implemented using physical devices. For example, if the device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0314] It should be understood that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0315] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a sensing device provided in another embodiment of this application. The device 1300 shown in Figure 13 can be used to perform any of the methods described above that are executed by the sensing device.

[0316] As shown in Figure 13, the sensing device 1300 includes a processor 1310 and an interface circuit 1320. The processor 1310 and the interface circuit 1320 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1320 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the sensing device 1300 may also include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1310, or storing input data required by the processor 1310 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1310 executes instructions.

[0317] In one implementation, the memory 1330 may be integrated into the processor 1310 or independent of the processor 1310. The memory 1330 may include, but is not limited to, a cache, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code having an instruction or data structure form and accessible by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory in the embodiments of this application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions for storing computer programs or instructions, and / or data.

[0318] When the sensing device 1300 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 6, the processor 1310 is used to implement the functions of the processing module 1010, and the interface circuit 1320 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver module 1020. The processor 1330 can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microprocessors (MPUs), microcontroller units (MCUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), artificial intelligence processors (AI processors), neural network processors (NPUs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0319] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the methods described above.

[0320] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the various steps in the methods described above.

[0321] It should be noted that the modules or components shown in the above embodiments can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more microprocessors, or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Furthermore, when a module is implemented by a processing element calling program code, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor capable of calling program code, such as a controller. Additionally, these modules can be integrated together and implemented as a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

[0322] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, software modules, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0323] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0324] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sensing method, characterized in that, Applied to a first electronic device, the method includes: Acquire encrypted location information and sensing information, wherein the encrypted location information is used to indicate the location information of a second electronic device after being encrypted according to a privacy computing algorithm; Send a first message, which is used to indicate the information obtained by performing privacy calculation on the perceived information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, the second message being used to indicate the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device; Receive third information, which is used to instruct the privacy computation algorithm.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The third piece of information is also used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a network device, and the second electronic device is a terminal device; The sending of the first information includes: The second information is sent to the first network element, which is used for sensing service control. The receipt of the third information includes: Receive third information from the first network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first request message to the first network element, the first request message being used to request the acquisition of the encrypted location information.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a network device, and the second electronic device is a terminal device; The sending of the first information includes: Send the second information to the terminal device; The receipt of the third information includes: Receive third information from the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second request message is sent to the terminal device, the second request message being used to request the acquisition of the encrypted location information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that, The sending of the first information includes: The first information is sent to the second network element, which is used to process the sensing data corresponding to the sensing service.

9. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a terminal device, and the second electronic device is a network device; The sending of the first information includes: Send the second information to the network device; The receipt of the third information includes: Receive third information from the network device.

10. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a terminal device, and the second electronic device is a network device; The sending of the first information includes: The second information is sent to the first network element, which is used for sensing service control. The receipt of the third information includes: Receive third information from the first network element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The sending of the first information includes: The first information is sent to the second network element, which is used to process the sensing data corresponding to the sensing service.

12. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a first terminal device, and the second electronic device is a second terminal device; The sending of the first information includes: Send the second information to the second terminal device; The receipt of the third information includes: Receive third information from the second terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives a third request from the second terminal device, the third request being used to request the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device.

14. A sensing method, characterized in that, Applied to a second electronic device, the method includes: Receive second information, the second information being used to indicate the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device; Based on the privacy computing capabilities of the first electronic device and the second electronic device, a privacy computing algorithm is determined; Send encrypted location information and third information, wherein the encrypted location information is used to indicate the location information of the second electronic device after being encrypted according to the privacy calculation algorithm, and the third information is used to indicate the privacy calculation algorithm.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The third piece of information is also used to indicate the privacy computing key corresponding to the privacy computing algorithm.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a network device, and the second electronic device is a terminal device; The receiving of the second information includes: Receive the second information from the network device; The transmission of encrypted location information and third information includes: The encrypted location information and the third information are sent to the network device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: A fourth message is sent to the second network element, the fourth message being used to indicate the decryption key corresponding to the privacy calculation algorithm, and the second network element being used to process the sensing data corresponding to the sensing service.

18. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a terminal device, and the second electronic device is a network device; The receiving of the second information includes: Receive the second information from the terminal device; The transmission of encrypted location information and third information includes: The encrypted location information and the third information are sent to the terminal device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information from the terminal device, the first information being used to indicate information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the perceived information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information; The first information is decrypted using the decryption key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

20. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first electronic device is a first terminal device, and the second electronic device is a second terminal device; The receiving of the second information includes: Receive the second information from the first terminal device; The transmission of encrypted location information and third information includes: The encrypted location information and the third information are sent to the first terminal device.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third request message is sent to the second terminal device, the third request message being used to request the privacy computing capabilities of the first terminal device.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information from the first terminal device, the first information being used to indicate information obtained by performing privacy calculations on the perceived information according to the privacy calculation algorithm and the encrypted location information; The first information is decrypted using the decryption key corresponding to the privacy computation algorithm.

23. A sensing device, characterized in that, The sensing device includes a module for implementing the sensing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or includes a module for implementing the sensing method as described in any one of claims 14 to 22.

24. A sensing device, characterized in that, include: processor, The processor is configured to execute computer execution instructions, causing the sensing device to perform the sensing method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, or any one of claims 14 to 22.

25. The sensing device according to claim 24, characterized in that, It also includes a memory that stores the computer's execution instructions.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are implemented as any one of claims 1 to 13, or as any one of claims 14 to 22, the sensing method is implemented.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, is implemented as any one of claims 1 to 13, or as any one of claims 14 to 22.

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