Location information determination method and apparatus, and network side device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a location information determination method and apparatus, and a network side device. The method in embodiments of the present application comprises: a first network device sends first location information of a terminal to a second network device; and the first network device receives second location information from the second network device, wherein the second location information is determined on the basis of the first location information, and the second location information is used for indicating information of a serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

Description

Methods, devices, and network-side equipment for determining location information

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411611540.3, filed on November 12, 2024, entitled "Method, Apparatus and Network-Side Device for Determining Location Information", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application belongs to the field of communication technology, and specifically relates to a method, apparatus and network-side equipment for determining location information. Background Technology

[0004] Taking satellite communication as an example, when a terminal accesses the network via a satellite, the coverage of a beam or a satellite cell is very wide due to the high position of the satellite. For example, its coverage can reach about 50 kilometers.

[0005] In this situation, for some communication services based on terminal location (such as emergency calls and terminal paging), the wide coverage of satellite communication results in low accuracy of the terminal location that can be obtained in the communication service. For example, the location error may reach about 50 kilometers, which affects the quality of communication services. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a method, apparatus, and network-side device for determining location information, which can obtain more accurate terminal location information, thereby improving the service quality of communication services based on terminal location.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for determining location information is provided, comprising: a first network device sending first location information of a terminal to a second network device; the first network device receiving second location information from the second network device; wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

[0008] In a second aspect, a method for determining location information is provided, comprising: a second network device receiving first location information from a first network device; the second network device sending second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and the second location information is used to indicate the serving cell of a terminal.

[0009] Thirdly, a location information determination device is provided, comprising: a sending module for sending first location information of a terminal to a second network device; and a receiving module for receiving second location information from the second network device; wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

[0010] Fourthly, a location information determination device is provided, comprising: a receiving module for receiving first location information from a first network device; and a sending module for sending second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate information of the serving cell of a terminal.

[0011] Fifthly, a location information determining device is provided, the device being configured to perform the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or to implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0012] In a sixth aspect, a network-side device is provided, the network-side device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0013] In a seventh aspect, a network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to send first location information of a terminal to a second network device, and to receive second location information from the second network device; wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

[0014] Eighthly, a network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive first location information from a first network device; and to send second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate the serving cell of a terminal.

[0015] A ninth aspect provides a readable storage medium on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0016] In a tenth aspect, a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal and a network-side device, wherein the terminal is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the first aspect, and the network-side device is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0017] Eleventhly, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to run a program or instructions to implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or to implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0018] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, which is stored in a storage medium and is executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, or to implement the steps of the method as described in the second aspect.

[0019] In this embodiment of the application, by utilizing the characteristic that the error range of the terminal location corresponding to the serving cell is small, the first network device sends the first location information to the second network device to obtain the second location information with higher accuracy, that is, the serving cell of the terminal. This solves the problem of low terminal location accuracy in related technologies and improves the service quality of communication services based on terminal location. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 2 is one of the flowcharts illustrating a method for determining location information provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 3a is one of the interactive flowcharts of a method for determining location information provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 3b is a second schematic diagram of the interactive flow of the method for determining location information provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 4 is a second flowchart illustrating a method for determining location information provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 5 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a location information determination device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 6 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a location information determination device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 8 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a network-side device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 9 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a network-side device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same class, not limited in number; for example, the first object can be one or more. Furthermore, "or" in this application indicates at least one of the connected objects. For example, the scope of protection for "A or B" covers at least three scenarios: Scenario 1: including A but not B; Scenario 2: including B but not A; Scenario 3: including both A and B. In addition, the terms "A and / or B," "at least one of A and B," and "at least one of A or B" also cover at least the above three scenarios. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0032] The term "instruction" in this application can be either a direct instruction (or explicit instruction) or an indirect instruction (or implicit instruction). A direct instruction can be understood as one in which the sender explicitly informs the receiver of specific information, the operation to be performed, or the requested result, etc., in the instruction sent. An indirect instruction can be understood as one in which the receiver determines the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or makes a judgment and determines the operation to be performed or the requested result, etc., based on the judgment result.

[0033] It is worth noting that the technologies described in this application are not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), or other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in this application are often used interchangeably, and the described technologies can be used in the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as in other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes New Radio (NR) systems for illustrative purposes, and the term NR is used in most of the following description; however, these technologies can also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6th Generation (6G) communication systems.

[0034] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal 11 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, flight vehicle, vehicle user equipment (VUE), shipboard equipment, pedestrian user equipment (PUE), smart home (home devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM, or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smartwatches, smart bracelets, smart earphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart chains, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among these, in-vehicle devices can also be referred to as in-vehicle terminals, in-vehicle controllers, in-vehicle modules, in-vehicle components, in-vehicle chips, or in-vehicle units, etc. Furthermore, in addition to the terminals described above, terminal 11 can also be a chip within a terminal, such as a modem chip, a system-on-chip (SoC), etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0035] Network-side equipment 12 may include access network equipment or core network equipment. Access network equipment may also be referred to as Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, radio access network function, or radio access network unit. Access network equipment may include base stations, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access points (AS), or Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) nodes, etc. The term "base station" can be referred to as Node B (NB), Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation Node B (gNB), New Radio Node B (NR Node B), Access Point, Relay Base Station (RBS), Serving Base Station (SBS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Radio Base Station, Radio Transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Home Node B (HNB), Home Evolved Node B, Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), or any other suitable term in the relevant field, as long as the same technical effect is achieved. The term "base station" is not limited to any specific technical terminology. It should be noted that this application embodiment only uses a base station in an NR system as an example for description and does not limit the specific type of base station.

[0036] Core network equipment, also known as core network nodes, core network functions, or core network elements, includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Centralized network configuration (CNC), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Local NEF (or L-NEF), and Binding Support. The core network equipment includes functions such as BSF, Application Function (AF), Location Management Function (LMF), Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), and Policy and Charging Rules Function (P-CSCF). It should be noted that this application embodiment only uses core network equipment in the NR system as an example and does not limit the specific type of core network equipment. If the name of the core network equipment mentioned in this application embodiment changes in subsequent protocol versions (e.g., 6G), it will still be within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] Optionally, the core network equipment can be implemented by one or more functional modules in a single device, or by multiple devices working together; this application does not specifically limit this. It is understood that the aforementioned functional modules can be network elements in hardware devices, software functional modules running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functional modules instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0038] The technical solutions provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0039] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of a location information determination method 200 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method 200 can be executed by, but is not limited to, a first network device, specifically by hardware and / or software installed in the first network device. In this embodiment, the method 200 may include at least the following steps.

[0040] S210, the first network device sends the terminal's first location information to the second network device.

[0041] The first network device may include, but is not limited to, the types of network-side devices 12 listed above. For example, the first network-side device may include, but is not limited to, MME, etc., without specific limitation here.

[0042] The second network device may include, but is not limited to, the types of network-side devices 12 listed above. For example, the second network-side device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of access network devices or Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC), etc., without specific limitations here.

[0043] S220, the first network device receives second location information from the second network device.

[0044] The aforementioned first location information can be understood as the terminal's coarse location information. For example, if the error between the terminal's location determined based on the first location information and the terminal's actual location is greater than a predetermined value, the predetermined value may be, but is not limited to, 2 kilometers, 3 kilometers, 5 kilometers, 20 kilometers, 50 kilometers, etc.

[0045] Optionally, the first location information may be, but is not limited to, latitude and longitude information of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) with low precision or few decimal places.

[0046] The second location information is determined or mapped based on the first location information, and the second location information is used to indicate the information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal. In this embodiment, the serving cell corresponding to the terminal can be understood as the serving cell of the operator providing services to the terminal. For communication networks such as 4G and 5G, the coverage area of ​​a serving cell is approximately 2 kilometers. Therefore, the error between the terminal location determined based on the serving cell corresponding to the terminal and the actual location of the terminal is approximately 2 kilometers, or less than 2 kilometers.

[0047] In other words, in this embodiment, by utilizing the characteristic that the error range of the terminal location corresponding to the serving cell is small, the first network device sends the first location information to the second network device, such as an access network device or an E-SMLC, to obtain more accurate terminal location information, that is, the serving cell corresponding to the terminal indicated by the second location information. This solves the problem of low terminal location accuracy in related technologies and improves the service quality of communication services based on terminal location.

[0048] Optionally, the second location information may be, but is not limited to, the identification information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal, such as the E-UTRAN Cell Global Identifier (ECGI). The identification information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal can also be understood as the mapped cell ID.

[0049] For example, assuming a satellite communication scenario, the coverage range of a beam or satellite cell is approximately 50 kilometers, the error range of the first location information of the terminal obtained based on the satellite cell can reach a maximum of approximately 50 kilometers. In this case, the first network device can send the first location information to a second network device, enabling the second network device to feed back more accurate second location information based on the first location information. This results in obtaining more accurate terminal location information in the satellite communication scenario, improving the service quality of communication services based on terminal location.

[0050] In some embodiments, the aforementioned communication services based on terminal location can be of various types. For example, in this embodiment, the communication service can be an emergency call service, terminal paging, etc.

[0051] Based on this, in some embodiments, the second location information can be used to determine at least one of a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) and paging the terminal. The PSAP is used to provide emergency services to the terminal.

[0052] Specifically, when the second location information is used to determine the PSAP, the second network device can send the second location information to the E-CSCF through a third network device, and then the E-CSCF can select the PSAP closest to the terminal based on the second location information to provide emergency services to the terminal and ensure the quality of emergency services.

[0053] Furthermore, compared to the PSAP determined based on the first location information in related technologies, this embodiment first obtains the second location information with higher accuracy through the first location information, and then determines the PSAP based on the second location information. As a result, a more accurate PSAP can be selected for the terminal, thereby improving the quality of emergency services.

[0054] Optionally, the third network device may include one or more of the following: Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), PCRF, and P-CSCF.

[0055] Optionally, the PSAP can be, but is not limited to, police stations, hospitals, fire stations, etc.

[0056] In the case where the second location information is used to page the terminal, compared to the scenario where the terminal is paged based on the first location information, this embodiment uses the more accurate second location information to page the terminal, which can narrow the paging range, improve the paging success rate, and save network resources.

[0057] In some embodiments, the process of the first network device sending the first location information of the terminal to the second network device in S210 may include, but is not limited to: when a first condition is met, the first network device sends the first location information of the terminal to the second network device, thereby ensuring the necessity of the execution of the process of obtaining the second location information.

[0058] The first condition may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following conditions 11-13.

[0059] Condition 11: The first network device receives a first request message from the second network device.

[0060] The first request message is used to request the first location information of the terminal.

[0061] Condition 11 can be understood as the second network device initiating the process of determining the second location information. For example, when the third condition is met, the second network device sends a first request message to the first network device, and after determining the second location information based on the requested first location information, sends the second location information to the first network device. This ensures that the first network device can quickly and promptly provide the second location information when it determines that it needs to use it, thereby ensuring the efficiency of communication services (such as emergency calls, terminal paging, etc.) based on the terminal location.

[0062] The third condition may include, but is not limited to, the second network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call. That is, upon determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call, the second network device requests first location information from the first network device and sends second location information determined based on the first location information to the first network device, thereby providing the first network device with more accurate terminal location information.

[0063] In some embodiments, the method by which the second network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call may include, but is not limited to: the second network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following 11)-12).

[0064] 11) The second network device receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request, wherein the RRC connection request includes an emergency indication.

[0065] In this embodiment, the emergency indication can be carried through, but is not limited to, the establishment cause field in the RRC connection establishment request. For example, the establishment cause value can be "emergency".

[0066] 12) The second network device receives a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter from the first network device, wherein the QoS parameter includes emergency call related parameters.

[0067] Optionally, the quality of service parameters can be transmitted via a bearer setup request. Accordingly, the quality of service parameters can be, but are not limited to, EPS bearer QoS parameters or QoS flow QoS parameters. The emergency call-related parameters included in the QoS parameters of the EPS bearer or QoS flow can be, but are not limited to, Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) parameters corresponding to emergency calls.

[0068] In some embodiments, the third condition may further include the terminal accessing the network via an Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN). That is, when the second network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call and that the terminal is accessing the network via an IoT NTN, it requests first location information from the first network device and sends second location information determined based on the first location information to the first network device. This provides the first network device with more accurate terminal location information, which in turn enables the provision of more precise emergency services to the terminal.

[0069] In some embodiments, in the case of the second location information determination process initiated by the second network device, after receiving the second location information, the first network device may actively send the second location information to the PCRF through the SGW / PGW for subsequent terminal location-based communication services, such as terminal emergency calls, terminal paging, etc.

[0070] Alternatively, after receiving the second location information, the first network device may wait for the PCRF to request the second location information of the terminal through the SGW / PGW before sending the second location information to the PCRF for subsequent terminal location-based communication services, such as terminal emergency calls and terminal paging.

[0071] It is worth noting that, for the case of determining the second location information initiated by the second network device as provided in condition 11, only the second network device (such as a base station or E-SMLC) needs to be modified, without modifying the first network device (such as an MME). Therefore, the network changes are minor, especially when the second network device is a base station, only the base station side needs to be modified, without modifying the core network side.

[0072] Condition 12: The first network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0073] Condition 2 can be understood as follows: the first network device initiates the process of determining the second location information in order to provide more accurate terminal location information for the terminal's emergency call, and then, based on the more accurate terminal location information, determines a more accurate PSAP that can provide emergency services.

[0074] In some embodiments, the first network device may determine that the terminal has initiated an emergency call in a manner that includes, but is not limited to: the first network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following 21)-23).

[0075] 21) The first network device receives a first instruction message, which is used to instruct the terminal to initiate an emergency call.

[0076] For example, the first network device receives a Bearer Update Request message sent by the SGW or PGW, wherein the Bearer Update Request message carries the first indication information to indicate that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0077] 23) The first network device receives an emergency registration message from the terminal.

[0078] For example, the emergency registration message can be, but is not limited to, an emergency attach message. The emergency attach message can be understood as the terminal setting the attach type field in the attach message to emergency when sending the attach message.

[0079] 23) The first network device receives a network connection establishment request from the terminal, the network connection establishment request including an emergency indication.

[0080] The network connection establishment request can be a PDN connection establishment request or a PDU session establishment request. Taking the PDN connection establishment request as an example, the emergency indication carries or sets the request type field in the PDN connection establishment request, that is, when the terminal sends the PDN connection establishment request, it sets the request type field in the PDN connection establishment request to emergency.

[0081] Condition 13: The first network device determines the paging area of ​​the terminal.

[0082] Condition 13 can be understood as follows: the first network device initiates the process of determining the second location information to provide more accurate terminal location information for determining the paging area of ​​the terminal, and then, based on the more accurate terminal location information, determines a more precise paging range, such as narrowing the paging area, improving the paging success rate, and saving network resources.

[0083] In some embodiments, where the first condition includes the first network device determining that the terminal initiated an emergency call as described in condition 2 or the first network device determining the paging area of ​​the terminal as described in condition 3, the first condition may further include: the terminal accesses the network via IoT NTN. Therefore, by determining that the terminal accesses the network via IoT NTN, it can be ensured that the location information determination process provided in this application embodiment is performed in an IoT NTN scenario with a large coverage area, ensuring the necessity of executing the second location information acquisition process.

[0084] In some embodiments, there can be multiple methods for obtaining the first location information sent by the first network device to the second network device as described in S210. For example, in this embodiment, the first network device can obtain the first location information from the terminal.

[0085] In some embodiments, the process by which the first network device obtains the first location information from the terminal may include, but is not limited to: the first network device obtaining the first location information from the terminal when it determines that a second condition is met. The second condition may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following conditions 1-3.

[0086] Condition 21: The first network device does not store the first location information.

[0087] Condition 22: The storage time of the first location information in the first network device exceeds a predetermined value or the first location information in the first network device becomes invalid.

[0088] The predetermined value can be implemented through methods such as protocol agreement or high-level configuration. For example, the predetermined value can be half a minute, one minute, etc.

[0089] In this embodiment, by setting the condition 22, the validity of the first location information can be ensured, thereby ensuring the validity of the second location information subsequently obtained.

[0090] Condition 23: The terminal accesses the network via IOT NTN.

[0091] In this embodiment, the second condition includes which of the aforementioned conditions 21-23, and can be implemented by means of protocol agreement, high-level configuration, etc., and is not limited here.

[0092] In some embodiments, when the first network device obtains the first location information from the terminal, it can send a Security Mode Command message to the terminal, the Security Mode Command message including a first location information request indication; correspondingly, after receiving the Security Mode Command message, the terminal can send a Security Mode complete message to the first network device, wherein the Security Mode complete message includes the first location information.

[0093] In some embodiments, the location information determination scheme provided in this application can be applied to, but is not limited to, 4G networks, 5G networks, 6G networks, etc.

[0094] Based on the location information determination scheme provided in the aforementioned method embodiment 200, the implementation process is further illustrated below with reference to Examples 1-3, as follows.

[0095] Example 1:

[0096] Assuming that in a 4G network, the process of determining the second location information is initiated by a first network device, where the first network device is an MME and the second network device is a base station, then the location information determination process provided in Example 1 is as follows.

[0097] S301, the terminal initiates an emergency call to the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) via an Invite message.

[0098] The Invite message includes a first indication message, which indicates that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0099] S302, the P-CSCF sends a second request message to the PCRF that provides services to the terminal to request the terminal's access network information.

[0100] For 4G networks, this second request message can be an Authorization (AA) request message. This Authorization request message includes network access report (access_network_info_report) indication information.

[0101] For 5G networks, the second request message can be Npcf_PolicyAuthorization, with PCRF replaced by PCF.

[0102] Optionally, the first request message may further include first indication information, which indicates that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0103] S303, the PCRF sends a third request message to the PGW that provides services to the terminal to request the terminal's location information.

[0104] The third request message may be, but is not limited to, a policy and charging control (PCC) decision provision message, which may carry a user location information indication to request the terminal location information.

[0105] Optionally, if the PCRF stores terminal location information, such as ECGI, the PCRF can directly send the terminal location information (user location information) to the P-CSCF through step S312, skipping steps S304-S311.

[0106] Optionally, the third request message may also include first indication information, which indicates that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0107] S304, the PGW sends a fourth request message to the MME providing services to the terminal via the SGW to request the terminal's location information.

[0108] The fourth request message may be an update bearer request message, which may include a location retrieval instruction.

[0109] Optionally, the fourth request message may also include first indication information, which indicates that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0110] S305, the MME confirms that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0111] Optionally, the MME can determine that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on the first indication information carried in the aforementioned S304, or it can determine that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on receiving an emergency registration message from the terminal, or a network connection establishment request (such as a PDN connection establishment request) from the terminal, wherein the network connection establishment request includes an emergency indication.

[0112] S306, the MME sends a location request message to the terminal, wherein the location request message is used to request the first location information.

[0113] The location request message may be, but is not limited to, a safe mode command message.

[0114] S307, the terminal sends first location information to the MME.

[0115] The first location information can be used to transmit messages, etc., through, but is not limited to, a secure mode.

[0116] S308, the MME sends the first location information to the base station.

[0117] Optionally, before executing S306, if the MME determines that the second condition is met, the MME executes the aforementioned S306-S307 to request the first location information from the terminal; if the MME determines that the second condition is not met or the MME determines that the first location information is stored, then S306-S307 is skipped and S308 is executed.

[0118] Optionally, the second condition includes at least one of the following conditions 21-23.

[0119] Condition 21: The first network device does not store the first location information.

[0120] Condition 22: The storage time of the first location information in the first network device exceeds a predetermined value or the first location information in the first network device becomes invalid.

[0121] Condition 23: The terminal accesses the network via IOT NTN.

[0122] Optionally, the first location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, Location Reporting Control messages.

[0123] S309, the base station sends the second location information to the MME.

[0124] The second location information is determined by the base station based on the first location information, such as through mapping.

[0125] Optionally, the second location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, a location reporting message.

[0126] In this Example 1, compared to the first location information, the second location information is used to indicate the information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal, and has a more accurate location range, such as an error range of approximately 2 kilometers.

[0127] Optionally, the second location information may be, but is not limited to, cell identifier information, such as ECGI.

[0128] S310, the MME sends the terminal's second location information, such as ECGI, to the PGW via the SGW.

[0129] The second location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, an Update Bearer Response message.

[0130] S311, PGW provides the second location information, such as ECGI, to PCRF.

[0131] The second location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, decision provision.

[0132] S312, PCRF provides the second location information, such as ECGI, to P-CSCF.

[0133] For 4G networks, the second location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, AA response messages.

[0134] S313, P-CSCF adds the second location information provided by PCRF to the invite message and indicates that the second location information is a network-verified message.

[0135] S314, the E-CSCF determines the PSAP that provides emergency services to the terminal based on the second location information.

[0136] The E-CSCF needs to select the nearest PSAP to the user based on the second location information, such as a police station, hospital, or fire station, in order to provide assistance to the user more quickly.

[0137] S315, E-CSCF initiates this emergency call request to PSAP.

[0138] S316, PSAP replies with a 200 OK response message to the terminal, completing the call process.

[0139] In Example 1, when the MME determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call, it obtains the second location information, namely the terminal's serving cell, from the E-SMLC. This enables the E-CSCF to determine a more accurate terminal location based on the second location information, thereby determining a more accurate PSAP for the user and ensuring more timely or efficient emergency services.

[0140] It is understood that the relevant descriptions of this Example 1 can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing Example 1 and the foregoing method embodiment 200, and this Example 1 may include more or fewer steps than those foregoing, which will not be repeated here.

[0141] Example 2

[0142] The difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that, in Example 1, the MME requests the second location information from the base station, while in Example 2, the MME requests the second location information from the E-SMLC. For example, the MME sends the first location information to the E-SMLC, and then the E-SMLC returns the second location information to the MME.

[0143] In Example 2, when the MME determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call, it obtains the second location information, namely the terminal's serving cell, from the E-SMLC. This enables the E-CSCF to more accurately determine the terminal's location based on the second location information, thereby determining the accurate PSAP for the user and ensuring more timely or efficient emergency services.

[0144] It is understood that the relevant descriptions of this Example 2 can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned Example 1 and the aforementioned method embodiment 200, and will not be repeated here.

[0145] Example 3

[0146] Assuming that in a 4G network, the process of determining the second location information is initiated by a second network device, where the first network device is an MME and the second network device is a base station, then the location information determination process provided in Example 1 is as follows.

[0147] S321, the terminal sends an RRC connection establishment request to the base station.

[0148] The RRC connection establishment request includes the reason for connection establishment: urgent.

[0149] S322, the MME sends a Bearer Setup Request to the base station.

[0150] The bearer establishment request includes QoS parameters, which include emergency call-related parameters, such as emergency ARP parameters.

[0151] Optionally, the QoS parameters can be EPS bearer QoS parameters or QoS stream QoS parameters, etc.

[0152] Optionally, the

[0153] S323, the base station determined that the terminal initiated an emergency call.

[0154] Optionally, the base station may determine that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on the RRC connection establishment request in S321, and / or based on the QoS parameters in S322, without limitation.

[0155] S324, the base station sends a first request message to the MME to request the first location information of the terminal.

[0156] Optionally, the first request message may be, but is not limited to, a terminal initial message (INITIAL UE MESSAGE).

[0157] S325, the MME sends a location request message to the terminal, wherein the location request message is used to request the first location information.

[0158] The location request message may be, but is not limited to, a safe mode command message.

[0159] S326, the terminal sends first location information to the MME.

[0160] The first location information can be used to transmit messages, etc., through, but is not limited to, a secure mode.

[0161] S327, the MME sends the first location information to the base station.

[0162] Optionally, before executing S327, if the MME determines that the second condition is met, the MME executes the aforementioned S325-S326 to request the first location information from the terminal; if the MME determines that the second condition is not met or the MME determines that the first location information is stored, then S325-S326 is skipped and S327 is executed.

[0163] Optionally, the second condition includes at least one of the following conditions 21-23.

[0164] Condition 21: The first network device does not store the first location information.

[0165] Condition 22: The storage time of the first location information in the first network device exceeds a predetermined value or the first location information in the first network device becomes invalid.

[0166] Condition 23: The terminal accesses the network via IOT NTN.

[0167] Optionally, the first location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, downlink non-access stratum (NSA).

[0168] S328, the base station sends the second location information to the MME.

[0169] The second location information is determined by the base station based on the first location information. Optionally, the second location information may be, but is not limited to, a cell identifier, such as ECGI.

[0170] Optionally, the second location information can be transmitted via, but is not limited to, uplink NSA.

[0171] In this example 3, compared with the first location information, the second location information is used to indicate the information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal, and has a more accurate location range, such as an error range of approximately 2 kilometers.

[0172] It is understood that after receiving the second location information, the MME can send the second location information to the PCRF through the SGW and PGW, as shown in S310-S312 of Example 1, for subsequent location services, such as terminal emergency calls and terminal paging.

[0173] Alternatively, after receiving the second location information, the MME can wait for the PCRF to obtain the second location information of the terminal through the PGW (as shown in S303-S304 in Example 1) for location services, such as terminal emergency calls, terminal paging, etc.

[0174] In Example 3, when the base station determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call, it proactively provides the MME with second location information, such as the terminal's serving cell, to more accurately determine the terminal's location and thus determine the accurate PSAP for the user, ensuring more timely or efficient emergency services.

[0175] In addition, compared to Example 1, Example 3 requires modification to the base station side but not the core network, resulting in less network modification.

[0176] It is understood that the relevant descriptions of this Example 3 can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing Examples 1, 2 and the foregoing method embodiment 200, and this Example 3 may include more or fewer steps than those described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0177] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a location information determination method 400 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method 400 can be executed by, but is not limited to, a second network device, specifically by hardware and / or software installed in the second network device. In this embodiment, the method 400 can include at least the following steps. The second network device can be, but is not limited to, the types of network-side devices 12 listed above. For example, the first network-side device can be, but is not limited to, one or more of access network devices and E-SMLCs, etc., without specific limitations here.

[0178] S410, the second network device receives the first location information from the first network device.

[0179] S420, the second network device sends second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate the serving cell of the terminal.

[0180] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the second network device sending a first request message to the first network device when it determines that a third condition is met, the first request message being used to request the first location information; wherein the third condition includes: the second network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0181] In some embodiments, the second network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call, including: the second network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: the second network device receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request, wherein the RRC connection request includes an emergency indication; the second network device receives quality of service (QoS) parameters from the first network device, wherein the QoS parameters include emergency call-related parameters.

[0182] In some embodiments, the third condition further includes: the terminal accesses the network via an Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0183] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an MME; and / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an E-SMLC.

[0184] It is understood that each implementation in this method embodiment 400 has the same or corresponding technical features as the aforementioned method embodiment 200. Therefore, the implementation of each implementation in this method embodiment 400 can be referred to the relevant description in the aforementioned method embodiment 200 to achieve the same or corresponding technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0185] The location information method provided in this application can be executed by a location information device. This application uses an example of a location information device executing the location information method to illustrate the location information device provided in this application.

[0186] This application provides a location information device. As an example, the location information device may be a communication device or a component within a communication device, such as a chip. The communication device may be a network-side device or a server, etc. Exemplarily, the network-side device may include, but is not limited to, the types of network-side devices 12 listed above, and this application does not specifically limit it.

[0187] The location information device includes a receiving module, a transmitting module, and a processing module. These modules can be implemented in software or hardware. When implemented in hardware, the processing module can be implemented by a processor. For example, the processor can include general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), microprocessor, Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Network Processor (NP), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, gate circuits, transistors, discrete hardware components, etc. The receiving and transmitting modules can be implemented by a communication interface, which can include one or more of the following: transceiver, pins, circuits, bus, radio frequency unit, etc.

[0188] Specifically, referring to Figure 5, when the location information device is a first network device or a component of the first network device, the location information device 500 includes a sending module 510 for sending the first location information of the terminal to a second network device; and a receiving module 520 for receiving the second location information from the second network device; wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate the information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

[0189] In some embodiments, the second location information is used for at least one of the following: determining a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for providing emergency services to the terminal; and paging the terminal.

[0190] In some embodiments, sending the first location information of the terminal to the second network device includes: sending the first location information of the terminal to the second network device when a first condition is met; wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the first network device receives a first request message from the second network device, the first request message being used to request the first location information of the terminal; the first network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call; the first network device determines the paging area of ​​the terminal.

[0191] In some embodiments, if the first condition includes the first network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call or the first network device determining the paging area of ​​the terminal, the first condition further includes: the terminal accessing the network via an Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0192] In some embodiments, the first network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call by: determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: the first network device receives first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal to initiate an emergency call; the first network device receives an emergency registration message from the terminal; the first network device receives a network connection establishment request from the terminal, the network connection establishment request including an emergency indication.

[0193] In some embodiments, the receiving module 520 is further configured to: obtain the first location information from the terminal.

[0194] In some embodiments, obtaining the first location information from the terminal includes: obtaining the first location information from the terminal when a second condition is determined to be met; wherein the second condition includes at least one of the following: the first location information is not stored in the first network device; the storage time of the first location information in the first network device exceeds a predetermined value or the first location information in the first network device becomes invalid; the terminal accesses the network via IoT NTN.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first network device includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME); and / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC).

[0196] Referring to Figure 6, when the location information determining device is a second network device or a component of the second network device, the location information determining device 600 includes a receiving module 610 for receiving first location information from the first network device; and a sending module 620 for sending second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and the second location information is used to indicate the serving cell of the terminal.

[0197] In some embodiments, the sending module 620 is further configured to: send a first request message to the first network device when a third condition is determined to be met, the first request message being used to request the first location information; wherein the third condition includes: the second network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

[0198] In some embodiments, the second network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call by: determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: the second network device receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request, wherein the RRC connection request includes an emergency indication; the second network device receives quality of service (QoS) parameters from the first network device, wherein the QoS parameters include emergency call-related parameters.

[0199] In some embodiments, the third condition further includes: the terminal accesses the network via an Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0200] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an MME; and / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an E-SMLC.

[0201] The location information determination device 600 provided in this application embodiment can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment of FIG4 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0202] As shown in Figure 7, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 700, including a processor 701 and a memory 702. The memory 702 stores a program or instructions that can run on the processor 701. For example, when the communication device 700 is a terminal, the program or instructions executed by the processor 701 implement the various steps of the above-described location information determination method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. When the communication device 700 is a network-side device, the program or instructions executed by the processor 701 implement the various steps of the above-described location information determination method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, this will not be described again here.

[0203] This application also provides a network-side device, including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the steps of the method embodiments shown in FIG2 or FIG4. This network-side device embodiment corresponds to the above-described network-side device method embodiment. All implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiments can be applied to this network-side device embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0204] Specifically, this application embodiment also provides a network-side device, which can be the location information determination device shown in FIG5. As shown in FIG8, the network-side device 800 includes: an antenna 801, a radio frequency device 802, a baseband device 803, a processor 804, and a memory 805. The antenna 801 is connected to the radio frequency device 802. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 802 receives information through the antenna 801 and sends the received information to the baseband device 803 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 803 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to the radio frequency device 802. The radio frequency device 802 processes the received information and transmits it through the antenna 801.

[0205] The method executed by the network-side device 800 in the above embodiments can be implemented in the baseband device 803, which includes a baseband processor.

[0206] The baseband device 803 may include at least one baseband board, on which multiple chips are disposed, as shown in FIG8. One of the chips is, for example, a baseband processor, which is connected to the memory 805 via a bus interface to call the program in the memory 805 and execute the network device operation shown in the above method embodiment.

[0207] The network-side device 800 may also include a network interface 806, such as a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0208] For example, when the network-side device 800 is the aforementioned second network device, the general public radio interface is used to receive first location information from the first network device; and to send second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and the second location information is used to indicate the serving cell of the terminal.

[0209] Specifically, the network-side device 800 in this application embodiment further includes: instructions or programs stored in memory 805 and executable on processor 804. Processor 804 calls the instructions or programs in memory 805 to execute the methods executed by the modules shown in FIG5 or FIG6 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0210] Specifically, this application also provides a network-side device. As shown in FIG9, the network-side device 900 includes a processor 901, a network interface 902, and a memory 903. The network-side device may be a location information determination device as shown in FIG5 or FIG6. The network interface 902 is, for example, a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0211] For example, when the network-side device 900 is the aforementioned first network device, the general public radio interface is used to send the terminal's first location information to the second network device; and to receive second location information from the second network device; wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate information about the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

[0212] For example, when the network-side device 900 is the aforementioned second network device, the general public radio interface is used to receive first location information from the first network device; and to send second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and the second location information is used to indicate the serving cell of the terminal.

[0213] Specifically, the network-side device 900 in this application embodiment further includes: instructions or programs stored in memory 903 and executable on processor 901. Processor 901 calls the instructions or programs in memory 903 to execute the methods executed by the modules shown in FIG2 or FIG4 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0214] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described method for determining location information and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0215] The processor mentioned above is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transient readable storage medium.

[0216] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-described location information determination method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0217] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0218] This application also provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-described location information determination method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0219] This application also provides a wireless communication system, including: a terminal, a first network device and a second network device. The terminal can be used to implement the various processes of the above-mentioned location information determination method embodiment 200. The network device can be used to implement the various processes of the above-mentioned location information determination method embodiment 400, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0220] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0221] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of computer software products plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, they can also be implemented by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.) and includes several instructions to cause the terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0222] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other implementations under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these implementations are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for determining location information, comprising: The first network device sends the terminal's first location information to the second network device; The first network device receives second location information from the second network device; The second location information is determined based on the first location information, and the second location information is used to indicate the information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second location information is used for at least one of the following: A Public Safety Response Point (PSAP) is identified, which is used to provide emergency services to the terminal; Page the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first network device sends the terminal's first location information to the second network device, including: If the first condition is met, the first network device sends the first location information of the terminal to the second network device; The first condition includes at least one of the following: The first network device receives a first request message from the second network device, the first request message being used to request the first location information of the terminal; The first network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call; The first network device determines the paging area of ​​the terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, If the first condition includes the first network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call or the first network device determining the paging area of ​​the terminal, the first condition further includes: the terminal accessing the network through an Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein, The first network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call, including: The first network device determines that the terminal initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: The first network device receives a first indication message, which instructs the terminal to initiate an emergency call; The first network device receives an emergency registration message from the terminal; The first network device receives a network connection establishment request from the terminal, the network connection establishment request including an emergency indication.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein, The method further includes: The first network device obtains the first location information from the terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first network device obtains the first location information from the terminal, including: When the first network device determines that the second condition is met, it obtains the first location information from the terminal. The second condition includes at least one of the following: The first network device does not store the first location information; The first location information in the first network device is stored for a longer period than a predetermined value or the first location information in the first network device becomes invalid. The terminal accesses the network via IoT NTN.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The first network device includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME); And / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an enhanced service mobile location center (E-SMLC).

9. A method for determining location information, comprising: The second network device receives first location information from the first network device; The second network device sends second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate the serving cell of the terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further includes: When the second network device determines that the third condition is met, it sends a first request message to the first network device, the first request message being used to request the first location information; The third condition includes: the second network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second network device determines that the terminal initiated an emergency call, including: The second network device determines that the terminal initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: The second network device receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request, wherein the RRC connection request includes an emergency indication; The second network device receives quality of service parameters from the first network device, wherein the quality of service parameters include emergency call-related parameters.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein, The third condition also includes: the terminal accesses the network through the Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

13. The method of any one of claims 9-12, wherein, The first network device includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME); And / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an enhanced service mobile location center (E-SMLC).

14. A device for determining location information, comprising: The sending module is used to send the terminal's first location information to the second network device; The receiving module is used to receive second location information from the second network device; The second location information is determined based on the first location information, and the second location information is used to indicate the information of the serving cell corresponding to the terminal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The second location information is used for at least one of the following: A Public Safety Response Point (PSAP) is identified, which is used to provide emergency services to the terminal; Page the terminal.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein, Sending the terminal's first location information to the second network device includes: If the first condition is met, the first location information of the terminal is sent to the second network device; The first condition includes at least one of the following: The first network device receives a first request message from the second network device, the first request message being used to request the first location information of the terminal; The first network device determines that the terminal has initiated an emergency call; The first network device determines the paging area of ​​the terminal.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, If the first condition includes the first network device determining that the terminal has initiated an emergency call or the first network device determining the paging area of ​​the terminal, the first condition further includes: the terminal accesses the network through an Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

18. The apparatus of claim 16 or 17, wherein, The determination that the terminal initiated an emergency call includes: The terminal is determined to have initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: The first network device receives a first indication message, which instructs the terminal to initiate an emergency call; The first network device receives an emergency registration message from the terminal; The first network device receives a network connection establishment request from the terminal, the network connection establishment request including an emergency indication.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 14-18, wherein, The receiving module is further configured to: obtain the first location information from the terminal.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein, The step of obtaining the first location information from the terminal includes: If the second condition is met, the first location information is obtained from the terminal; The second condition includes at least one of the following: The first network device does not store the first location information; The first location information in the first network device is stored for a longer period than a predetermined value or the first location information in the first network device becomes invalid. The terminal accesses the network via IoT NTN.

21. The apparatus of any of claims 14-20, wherein, The first network device includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME); And / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an enhanced service mobile location center (E-SMLC).

22. A device for determining location information, comprising: The receiving module is used to receive first location information from the first network device; The sending module is configured to send second location information to the first network device, wherein the second location information is determined based on the first location information and is used to indicate the serving cell of the terminal.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, The sending module is also used for: If the third condition is met, a first request message is sent to the first network device, the first request message being used to request the first location information; The third condition includes: the second network device determines that the terminal initiated an emergency call.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein, The determination that the terminal initiated an emergency call includes: The terminal is determined to have initiated an emergency call based on at least one of the following: The second network device receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request, wherein the RRC connection request includes an emergency indication; The second network device receives quality of service parameters from the first network device, wherein the quality of service parameters include emergency call-related parameters.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 or 24, wherein, The third condition also includes: the terminal accesses the network through the Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN).

26. The apparatus of any one of claims 22-25, wherein, The first network device includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME); And / or, the second network device includes at least one of an access network device and an enhanced service mobile location center (E-SMLC).

27. A network-side device, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

28. A readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, or implement the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 13.

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