Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method and apparatus. The communication method comprises: a first network device sending to a first ambient Internet-of-Things apparatus first information to indicate a first area set, wherein the first area set comprises areas within which the first ambient Internet-of-Things apparatus is allowed to move under a first requirement, areas included in the first area set corresponding to a first movement order, or not corresponding to a movement order; the first network device receiving second information, which indicates that the movement of the first ambient Internet-of-Things apparatus does not satisfy the first area set; and the first network device sending first notification information to a first service request device, so as to indicate that the movement of the first ambient Internet-of-Things apparatus does not satisfy the first area set. By means of the embodiments of the present application, an alarm can be raised when the movement of a first ambient Internet-of-Things apparatus does not satisfy a predetermined area set, thereby implementing the monitoring of the first ambient Internet-of-Things apparatus.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202510066911.2, filed on January 15, 2025, and entitled “A Communication Method and Apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) defines ambient internet of things (A-IoT or AIoT) technology.

[0005] In some scenarios, the AIoT device can move, but the moving process is uncontrollable, which leads to the inability to monitor the AIoT device. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for monitoring the moving process of an AIoT device.

[0007] In a first aspect, a first communication method is provided. The method is applied to a network device side, i.e., the method can be executed by a network device, or by other devices including network device functions, or by a chip system (or, a chip) or other functional modules, which can realize the functions of the network device, such as being arranged in the network device. Hereinafter, the method is taken as an example of being executed by the network device. The network device is, for example, a first network device. The first network device includes, for example, a core network device, such as an AMF or an ambient IoT function (AIoTF), etc. The method includes: sending first information to a first ambient IoT device, the first information indicating a first area set, the first area set including areas in which the first ambient IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, the areas included in the first area set corresponding to a first moving order or not corresponding to a moving order; receiving second information, the second information indicating that the moving of the first ambient IoT device does not conform to the first area set; and sending first notification information to a first service request device, the first notification information indicating that the moving of the first ambient IoT device does not conform to the first area set.

[0008] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network device can indicate to the first environmental IoT device a set of areas in which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under the first requirement, so that the first environmental IoT device can move in the set of areas, or in other words, so that the first environmental IoT device can move as much as possible within the specified range. Moreover, the embodiments of the present application can realize an alarm when the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the set of areas, thereby realizing monitoring of the first environmental IoT device.

[0009] In an optional implementation, the first requirement comprises moving from a first location to a second location. For example, the first set of areas comprises areas in which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move in the process of moving from the first location to the second location.

[0010] In an optional implementation, sending the first information to the first environmental IoT device comprises sending the first information to the first environmental IoT device through a reader.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the first set of areas comprises M areas, and the M areas are arranged in the first movement sequence, M being an integer greater than or equal to 2. The M areas may, for example, be M cells, or M tracking areas, or M areas of other granularities, such as mobility management areas used in future networks, without limitation.

[0012] In an optional implementation, the first information further comprises N pieces of time information, the N pieces of time information corresponding to the M areas, wherein each piece of time information in the N pieces of time information corresponds to one area in the M areas, one area in the M areas corresponds to one or more pieces of time information in the N pieces of time information, and any piece of time information in the N pieces of time information indicates a time at which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to be located in the corresponding area, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2. The time information can specify a time at which the first environmental IoT device should be located in a certain area, and if the time at which the first environmental IoT device is located in a certain area does not conform to the time indicated by the time information corresponding to the area, the movement of the first environmental IoT device may also not conform to the first set of areas. As can be seen, the movement of the environmental IoT device can be better managed through the time information.

[0013] In an optional implementation, the second information further comprises information of a second area, the second area being an area in which the first environmental IoT device is currently located. The second information can indicate the second area, so that the first network device can determine whether the movement of the first environmental IoT device conforms to the first set of areas, or determine whether to alarm, etc., based on the second area, so that the determination result is more accurate.

[0014] In an optional implementation, the second information indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not comply with the first set of areas, including: the second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left a first RA, and the first RA is the first set of areas. In this implementation, the first RA can be the first set of areas, i.e., the embodiments of the present application provide a new RA, which includes areas with a first movement order. Thus, the embodiments of the present application can use the existing TAU process to realize the movement monitoring of the environmental IoT device, facilitating compatibility with existing technologies.

[0015] In an optional implementation, the second information is a movement registration update request. If the first RA is the first set of areas, the first network device can determine that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not comply with the first set of areas if the movement registration update request is received.

[0016] In an optional implementation, the second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left the first registration area. The second information is alarm information, for example, so that the first network device can determine that the first environmental IoT device has initiated an alarm.

[0017] In an optional implementation, the first information further indicates that the first RA is a registration area for alarm. For example, the first environmental IoT device is configured with the first RA and other RAs that do not have a movement order. The first RA is configured to monitor the movement of the first environmental IoT device, and an alarm can be triggered when the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not comply with the first RA; while the other RAs are configured to perform movement registration updates, i.e., the functions of different RAs can be different. Therefore, the first information can indicate that the first RA is an RA for alarm, or it can be understood that the first information indicates the purpose of the first RA, so that the first environmental IoT device can determine the purpose of each RA, reducing the probability of confusing different RAs.

[0018] In an optional implementation, after receiving the second information and before sending the first notification information, the method further includes: determining that the first environmental IoT device is located within the first set of regions and that the movement sequence of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first movement sequence. If the movement sequence of the first environmental IoT device within the first set of regions does not conform to the first movement sequence, it indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions, and thus the first network device can send the first notification information. Alternatively, it is understood that the first environmental IoT device can further determine whether the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions after receiving the second information, and thus send the notification information again, so that the sending of the notification information is more reasonable.

[0019] In an optional implementation, after receiving the second information and before sending the first notification information, the method further includes: determining that the first environmental IoT device is located outside the first set of regions and that the first environmental IoT device is not located in the first region included in the second set of regions. If the first environmental IoT device is located outside the first set of regions and is not located in the first region included in the second set of regions, it indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions, and thus the first network device can send the first notification information. Alternatively, it is understood that the first environmental IoT device can further determine whether the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions after receiving the second information, and thus send the notification information again, so that the sending of the notification information is more reasonable.

[0020] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the first environmental IoT device has arrived at the last region included in the first set of regions; and sending fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a second set of regions, the second set of regions being another set of regions allowed for the first environmental IoT device under the first requirement, and the second set of regions being a next set of regions after the first set of regions. For example, the movement path of the first environmental IoT device includes a plurality of regions, and the network side divides all the regions corresponding to the movement path into a plurality of sets of regions, and thus the network side can send each set of regions to the first environmental IoT device respectively. For example, when the first environmental IoT device is about to move completely within a set of regions (e.g., arrives at the last region within the set of regions), the first network device can indicate a next set of regions to the first environmental IoT device, so that the first environmental IoT device can move according to the next set of regions.

[0021] In an optional implementation, the sending the first information comprises: sending a first inventory request, the first inventory request comprising an identifier of the first environmental IoT device; receiving a first inventory response, the first inventory response indicating that the first environmental IoT device is inventoried; and based on receiving the first inventory response, sending the first information to the first environmental IoT device. The first network device can send the first information to the first environmental IoT device in the case that the first environmental IoT device is successfully inventoried, so as to improve the transmission success rate of the first information.

[0022] In an optional implementation, the sending the first information comprises: sending a paging message, the paging message comprising the first information. The first network device can send the first information through the paging message, so as to improve the transmission efficiency of the first information and reduce the time delay.

[0023] In an optional implementation, the method further comprises: receiving seventh information, the seventh information comprising information of L regions, L being an integer greater than or equal to 2; and determining, according to one or more of the first region set, the information of the L regions, or a location where the first environmental IoT device is located, whether the seventh information is a false alarm. The first environmental IoT device can receive the information of the corresponding region during movement. For example, the first environmental IoT device receives the information of L regions, the first environmental IoT device can send the information of the L regions to the first network device, and the first network device can determine, based on this, whether the movement of the first environmental IoT device conforms to the first region set, or whether to alarm, so as to reduce the probability of false alarm.

[0024] In an optional implementation, the first network device is an AIoTMF or an AMF.

[0025] In an optional implementation, the first service request device is an application server.

[0026] In a second aspect, a second communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal (which can be understood as a terminal device), i.e., the method can be executed by a terminal device, or by other equipment including the function of a terminal device, or by a chip system (or, a chip) or other functional module capable of realizing the function of a terminal device, which is, for example, arranged in a terminal device. Hereinafter, the method is taken as an example of being executed by a terminal. The terminal is, for example, an environmental IoT device, such as the first environmental IoT device. The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information indicating a first area set, the first area set comprising areas in which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, the areas included in the first area set corresponding to a first movement sequence or not corresponding to a movement sequence; and sending second information, the second information being used to indicate that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set.

[0027] In an optional implementation, the first requirement comprises: moving from a first location to a second location.

[0028] In an optional implementation, the first area set comprises M areas, and the M areas are arranged according to the first movement sequence, M being an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0029] In an optional implementation, the first information further comprises N time information, the N time information corresponding to the M areas, wherein each time information in the N time information corresponds to one area in the M areas, one area in the M areas corresponds to one or more time information in the N time information, and any time information in the N time information indicates the time when the first environmental IoT device is allowed to be located in the corresponding area, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0030] In an optional implementation, the second information further comprises information of a second area, the second area being an area currently located by the first environmental IoT device.

[0031] In an optional implementation, the second information indicating that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set comprises: the second information indicating that the first environmental IoT device has left a first registration area (RA), the first RA being the first area set.

[0032] In an optional implementation, the second information is a movement registration update request.

[0033] In an optional implementation, when the second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left the first registration area, the second information is alarm information.

[0034] In an optional implementation, the first information further indicates that the first registration area is a registration area for alerting.

[0035] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the first environmental IoT device has arrived at a last area included in the first area set; and receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a second area set, the second area set being another area set allowed by the first environmental IoT device under the first requirement, the second area set being a next area set after the first area set.

[0036] In an optional implementation, receiving the first information includes: receiving a first inventory request, the first inventory request including an identifier of the first environmental IoT device; sending a first inventory response, the first inventory response indicating that the first environmental IoT device is inventoried to; and based on sending the first inventory response, receiving the first information.

[0037] In an optional implementation, receiving the first information includes: receiving a paging message, the paging message including the first information.

[0038] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending seventh information or eighth information, the seventh information including information of L areas, L being an integer greater than or equal to 2, the eighth information indicating that movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set, the eighth information being determined according to the information of the L areas and / or a location where the first environmental IoT device is located.

[0039] In an optional implementation, the second information is included in first signaling, the first signaling being used for alerting.

[0040] In an optional implementation, the first network device is an AIoT F or an AMF.

[0041] In an optional implementation, the first service request device is an application server.

[0042] As to the technical effects brought by the second aspect or various optional implementations, reference can be made to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementations.

[0043] In a third aspect, a third communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device side, i.e., the method can be executed by a network device, or by other devices including network device functions, or by a chip system (or, a chip) or other functional modules capable of realizing the functions of the network device, such as being arranged in the network device. Hereinafter, the method is taken as an example of being executed by the network device. The network device is, for example, a second network device. The second network device includes, for example, a core network device, such as a NEF. The method includes: receiving, through a first API, ninth information indicating a first area set, the first area set including areas in which the first environmental Internet of Things device is allowed to move under a first requirement; and sending sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate the first area set, the areas included in the first area set corresponding to a first moving sequence or not corresponding to a moving sequence.

[0044] In an optional implementation, the ninth information indicates the first area set, and the method further includes: converting the ninth information into the sixth information, the sixth information including information of the first area set, wherein the first area set includes at least one area arranged in the first moving sequence.

[0045] As to the technical effects brought by the third aspect or various optional implementations, reference can be made to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementations.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can implement the functions of the first network device in the first aspect. The communication apparatus has the functions of the first network device. The communication apparatus is, for example, the first network device, or another device including the functions of the first network device, or a chip system (or, chip) or another functional module capable of implementing the functions of the first network device, e.g., arranged in the first network device. The first network device includes, for example, an access network device and / or a core network device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can implement the functions of the second network device in the third aspect. The communication apparatus has the functions of the second network device. The communication apparatus is, for example, the second network device, or another device including the functions of the second network device, or a chip system (or, chip) or another functional module capable of implementing the functions of the second network device, e.g., arranged in the second network device. The second network device includes, for example, an access network device and / or a core network device. In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement the functions of transmitting and receiving. When the transceiver unit implements the function of transmitting, it can be referred to as a transmitting unit (also referred to as a transmitting module). When the transceiver unit implements the function of receiving, it can be referred to as a receiving unit (also referred to as a receiving module). The transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is referred to as a transceiver unit and can implement the functions of transmitting and receiving. Alternatively, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit refers to these functional modules in general.

[0047] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the transmitting unit) is configured to send, to the first environmental IoT device, first information indicating a first set of regions, the first set of regions including regions in which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, the regions included in the first set of regions corresponding to a first moving order or not corresponding to a moving order. The transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to receive second information indicating that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions. The transceiver unit (or the transmitting unit) is configured to send, to a first service request device, first notification information indicating that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions, the first service request device being a device providing the first set of regions.

[0048] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to receive, through the first API, ninth information indicating a first region set, the first region set including regions in which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement; and the transceiver unit (or the sending unit) is configured to send sixth information indicating the first region set, the regions included in the first region set corresponding to a first movement sequence or not corresponding to a movement sequence.

[0049] In an optional implementation, the communication device further includes a storage unit (also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is coupled to the storage unit and executes programs or instructions in the storage unit, so that the communication device can perform the functions of the first network device in the first aspect or the functions of the second network device in the third aspect.

[0050] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device can implement the functions of the first environmental IoT device in the second aspect. The communication device has the functions of the first environmental IoT device. The communication device is, for example, a terminal device, or another device including the functions of a terminal device, or a chip system (or a chip) or another functional module that can implement the functions of the first environmental IoT device, which is, for example, arranged in a terminal device. In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (also referred to as a transceiver module). For the implementation of the transceiver unit, refer to the description of the fourth aspect.

[0051] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to receive first information indicating a first region set, the first region set including regions in which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, the regions included in the first region set corresponding to a first movement sequence or not corresponding to a movement sequence; and the transceiver unit (or the sending unit) is configured to send second information indicating that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first region set.

[0052] In an optional implementation, the communication device further includes a storage unit (also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is coupled to the storage unit and executes programs or instructions in the storage unit, so that the communication device can perform the functions of the terminal device in the second aspect.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a network device, or a chip or chip system used in a network device. The communication apparatus comprises a processor configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method performed by the first network device or the second network device in the above aspects. Optionally, the processor is coupled with a memory, and the memory is configured to store the computer program or the instructions, and the processor is configured to read the computer program or the instructions from the memory to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method performed by the network device in the above aspects. The memory can be included in the communication apparatus, or can be located outside the communication apparatus. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program or the instructions from the communication interface.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a terminal device, or a chip or chip system used in a terminal device. The communication apparatus comprises a processor configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method performed by the first environmental IoT device in the above aspects. Optionally, the processor is coupled with a memory, and the memory is configured to store the computer program or the instructions, and the processor is configured to read the computer program or the instructions from the memory to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method performed by the terminal device in the above aspects. The memory can be included in the communication apparatus, or can be located outside the communication apparatus. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program or the instructions from the communication interface.

[0055] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, which comprises a first network device. The first network device is configured to perform the method performed by the first network device in the first aspect. For example, the first network device can be implemented by the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0056] Optionally, the communication system further comprises a second network device. The second network device is configured to perform the method performed by the second network device in the third aspect. For example, the second network device can be implemented by the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0057] Optionally, the communication system further comprises a terminal device. The terminal device is configured to perform the method performed by the first environmental IoT device in the second aspect. For example, the terminal device can be implemented by the communication apparatus in the fifth aspect or the seventh aspect.

[0058] In a ninth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which is configured to store computer programs or instructions, and the computer programs or instructions are configured to cause the method performed by the first environmental IoT device and / or the first network device and / or the second network device in the above aspects to be implemented when the computer programs or instructions are run.

[0059] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product including instructions, which when executed by a computer or an instruction, causes the method of any of the aspects to be implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0060] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams of two structures of an access network device in embodiments of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a working mode of a reader-writer and an AIoT device;

[0062] FIG. 4-FIG. 5 are schematic diagrams of two communication systems applicable in embodiments of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 6-FIG. 9 are flowcharts of several communication methods provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a mobile scenario of a first AIoT device in embodiments of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a device provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of another device provided in embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of embodiments of the present application clearer, the following will further describe the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the drawings.

[0068] In embodiments of the present application, the number of a noun, unless otherwise specified, represents "a singular noun or a plural noun", i.e. "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. For example, A / B means A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0069] The ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", and the like used in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority, or importance of the plurality of objects. In addition, the numbering of steps in each embodiment introduced in the present application is only to distinguish different steps, and is not used to limit the order of the steps.

[0070] In the following, some terms or concepts in the embodiments of the present application are explained and described, so as to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0071] (1) In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (such as a mobile phone), a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device, or a wireless device (such as a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.) built in the above devices. The terminal device is used to connect people, things, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as but not limited to the following scenarios: sensing scenarios, cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, unmanned aerial vehicle, robot, indoor commercial scenarios (such as mobile phone screen projection, file sharing, mobile phone video transmission to VR glasses), etc. When the terminal device is applied to V2X, it can also be referred to as a V2X device, such as a smart car, a digital car, an unmanned car, a self-driving car, a pure EV, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a range extended EV (REEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), a new energy vehicle, a road site unit (RSU), etc. The terminal device can also be a device in D2D communication, such as a water meter, a power meter, etc.

[0072] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an internet of things (IoT) system. The IoT is an important part of future information technology development. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to a network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection.

[0073] As introduced above, various terminal devices can be considered as on-board terminal devices if they are located on a vehicle (e.g., placed in or installed in a vehicle), and the on-board terminal device is also referred to as an on-board unit (OBU). The terminal device of the present application can also be an on-board module, an on-board module group, an on-board component, an on-board chip or an on-board unit built in a vehicle as one or more components or units, and the vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board module, on-board module group, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit.

[0074] The terminal device can also be referred to as a UE, a terminal, an access station, a UE station, a remote station, a wireless communication device, or a user device, etc.

[0075] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, which can be a terminal device or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system, and the device can be installed in the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device is taken as an example of a terminal device to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0076] (2) The network device in the embodiments of the present application, for example, includes an access network device (or an access network network element) and / or a core network device (or a core network network element). The access network device is a device with wireless transceiving function, used for communicating with the terminal device. The access network device includes but is not limited to a base station (a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB) / eNB, or a next generation Node B (gNodeB) / gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station evolved in the future of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), an access node in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, and the like. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a micro base station, a relay station, and the like. A plurality of base stations can support a network of the same access technology or a network of different access technologies. A base station can include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited transmission reception points. The access network device can also be a wireless controller, a centralized unit (CU), and / or a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The access network device can also be a server and the like. For example, the network device in the V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). The access network device is described below by taking a base station as an example. The base station can communicate with the terminal device or communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. The terminal device can communicate with a plurality of base stations in different access technologies. The core network device is used to implement mobile management, data processing, session management, policy and charging, and the like. The names of devices implementing core network functions in systems of different access technologies can be different, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.Taking a 5th generation (5G) system as an example, the core network device includes, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a policy control function (PCF), a user plane function (UPF), and the like.

[0077] In the CU-DU architecture, or in an open RAN (ORAN) system, the access network device can include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), and the like. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). For a structure of the access network device, refer to FIG. 1. The core network device and the access network device can communicate through a backhaul link; the CU and the DU in the access network device can communicate through a middlehaul link, and the DU and the RU can communicate through a front-haul link.

[0078] Alternatively, another architecture for the access network device can be seen in Figure 2, which illustrates an access network device implemented using a chip, such as a RAN chip. The RAN chip may include a CU, DU, and RU. The CU can perform L2 and L3 functions, etc.; the DU can perform L1 functions and some L2 functions, etc.; and the RU can perform L1 computation and radio frequency (RF) digital functions, etc. The CU communicates with the core network device through a backhaul interface, which carries the traffic between the CU and the core network device. The CU may include a central processing unit (CPU) based on x86 or ARM architecture, and may include a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), graphics processing unit (GPU), or other accelerators. The CPU can communicate with the FPGA, GPU, or other accelerators via a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface.

[0079] The CU and DU communicate via a midhaul interface, which carries the traffic between the CU and DU. The DU may include an x86 or ARM architecture CPU, as well as FPGAs, GPUs, or other accelerators, which can communicate with the FPGA, GPU, or other accelerators via a PCIe interface.

[0080] The DU and RU communicate via a fronthaul interface, which carries the traffic between the DU and RU. If the access network equipment uses an integrated DU, the integrated DU can include the functions of both the DU and RU, and the RAN may no longer need to include a separate RU. The RU may include a RAN fronthaul processing unit, a digital processing unit, and an RF processing unit. The RAN fronthaul processing unit is implemented, for example, using an FPGA or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The digital processing unit is implemented, for example, using an FPGA or an ASIC.

[0081] The RU can be connected to an antenna to communicate with the UE via the antenna.

[0082] 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 (O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-CP), and RU can also be called an open RU (O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0083] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, or Physical (PHY) layer). As another example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the RLC, MAC, or PHY layers).

[0084] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0085] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0086] In this application embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a network device can be referred to as a network apparatus. This network apparatus can be a network element, a network device, or an apparatus capable of supporting the network device or network element in implementing the function, such as a chip system. This apparatus can be installed within the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a network device is described as a network apparatus (for example, an apparatus for implementing the functions of an access network apparatus is an access network apparatus, and an apparatus for implementing the functions of a core network apparatus is a core network apparatus).

[0087] (3) Devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) system.

[0088] Currently, IoT is receiving significant attention. For IoT scenarios, reducing device size and complexity is expected to increase the number of devices that can be accommodated in the IoT ecosystem. These IoT devices can include AIoT devices. For example, the peak power consumption of AIoT devices can range from 1μW to several hundred μW; the uplink signal of an AIoT device can be generated internally, or the AIoT device needs to perform backscattering based on an externally provided carrier wave to achieve uplink transmission. In some implementations, an AIoT device with a peak power consumption of approximately 1μW (referred to as device1) does not have uplink or downlink amplification capabilities; an AIoT device with a peak power consumption of several hundred μW (referred to as device2) has uplink and / or downlink amplification capabilities.

[0089] AIoT devices can perform business with corresponding devices. In this case, the AIoT device can be called an AIoT device. The corresponding device can be called a reader, such as a network device or a UE. Here, "device" can also be replaced with IoT devices such as UE, tag, or AIoT tag; and "reader" can also be replaced with network devices or UEs such as an interrogator.

[0090] A tag can also be called an electronic tag or a tag device. For example, a tag implemented through an AIoT device can also be called an AIoT tag. In this embodiment, the tag can communicate with network devices as a terminal device. Here, "tag" is just an optional name, and the name may change; for example, "AIoT tag" may be changed to other names. This embodiment does not limit the name. For ease of description, the term "tag" will continue to be used as an example below.

[0091] AIoT can be applied to a variety of scenarios. For example, in logistics and warehousing, tags (such as AIoT tags) can be used for inventory and tracking of goods, and to monitor the status of goods during transportation. In industrial manufacturing, tags can be used to monitor the status of the environment and equipment. Furthermore, AIoT can be considered for other consumer-facing businesses, such as managing user assets. By locating tags through inventory processes or other similar processes, users can determine whether their items are lost and in what area, thereby enabling AIoT-based item retrieval.

[0092] When the application server operates on the tag, it can send operation instructions through the core network. These instructions may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: operations for obtaining tag information, inventory operations (or storage operations), read operations, write operations, invalidation operations, or operations for interacting with the tag. These instructions may include area location information, tag identifiers, etc. The reader sends an access instruction to the tag. After the tag successfully connects randomly, the reader sends instructions to the tag (the reader can forward instructions from the core network to the tag). The tag obtains or sends corresponding information according to the instructions. For example, when the instruction is an inventory instruction or an inventory operation, the tag sends its identifier; when the instruction is a read instruction or a read operation, the tag sends the data stored in its storage area; when the instruction is a write instruction or a write operation, the tag stores the data to be written to the tag, as included in the instruction, in its storage area. The reader sends (or forwards) the tag's information to the core network; the core network then sends this information to the application server.

[0093] In this implementation, the application server can send operation commands through the control plane channel. For example, the application server can send operation commands to the AIoTF. In this case, the application server can be an application function (AF), an application server (AS), or an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) application function / passive internet of things (P-IoT) application function. In one possible implementation, the A-IoT AF can send operation commands to the ambient internet of things (AIoTMF) management function, which then sends the operation commands to the AMF. In another possible implementation, the A-IoT AF can send operation commands to the AIoTMF through a control plane device. This control plane device can be a network exposure function (NEF), a session management function (SMF), a policy control function (PCF), a unified data management function (UDM), or a network slice-specific and SNPN authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF). Alternatively, the application server can send operation commands through the user plane channel. In one possible implementation, the application server can send commands to the reader through the user plane function (UPF). In another possible implementation, the application server can send operation commands to the AIoTMF through user plane equipment (e.g., UPF) and SMF, and the AIoTMF can then send the operation commands to the tag through the access network equipment. In yet another possible implementation, the server sends operation commands to the reader through user plane equipment (e.g., UPF) and access network equipment (e.g., radio access network (RAN)), where the reader can be a UE.

[0094] AIoTMF, also known as the Ambient Internet of Things Function (AIoTF), can process business requests from business requesters (such as application servers) and execute corresponding business operations (such as instructing a reader to perform device inventory procedures) and transmit instructions (such as read operations, write operations, and deactivation operations). Furthermore, AIoTF can manage IoT devices and perform security authentication processes.

[0095] In AIoT, AIoT devices (such as tags) and readers can communicate, as shown in Figure 3. Through communication between the AIoT device and the reader, the AIoT device and the reader can perform at least one of the following operations: inventory operation, read operation, write operation, kill or disable operation, or lock operation.

[0096] Inventory operations, also known as inventory checks, are used to retrieve tag identifiers. For example, a reader can retrieve tag identifiers using commands such as query and acknowledge (ACK). Inventory operations can be used to confirm whether a tag is currently within the inventory area. For instance, to facilitate tag inventory, tags can include four session identifiers (S0-S3), each corresponding to two inventory states, A and B, indicated by a sessInventoried flag. When a reader selects a tag, the select command sent to that tag can carry a session identifier, which the tag can store. When the reader performs an inventory operation on that tag, the query command sent to the tag will include the session identifier, at which point the tag can flip the inventory state corresponding to that session identifier from A to B. If the reader sends another query command to perform an inventory operation, since the inventory state of the tag is B, the tag will not respond to the reader, thus preventing the same tag from being inventoried multiple times in one inventory cycle.

[0097] Read operations can read the electronic product code (EPC) or tag identifier (TID) in the tag's storage area, or read the content stored in the tag's reserved area or the content stored in the user's storage area, etc.

[0098] The write operation allows writing to the tag's storage area.

[0099] The inactivation operation can render the label permanently unusable.

[0100] Locking operations can lock the information of a tag to prevent read or write operations on that tag. Alternatively, locking operations can also lock the tag's storage area to prohibit read or write operations on that storage area.

[0101] The above are just examples. Other operations can be performed between tags and readers, which will not be illustrated here.

[0102] In some scenarios, AIoT devices can move, but this movement is uncontrollable, making it impossible to monitor AIoT devices.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first network device can indicate to the first environmental IoT device a set of areas that the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move within under a first requirement, so that the first environmental IoT device can move according to the set of areas, or in other words, so that the first environmental IoT device can move within a specified range as much as possible. Furthermore, this embodiment can issue an alarm when the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the predetermined set of areas, thereby achieving monitoring of the first environmental IoT device.

[0104] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) communication systems, as well as fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, such as 5G new radio (NR) communication systems, or various communication systems evolving after 5G, such as future communication systems. The method provided in this application can also be applied to Bluetooth systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, long-range radio (LoRa) systems, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems. The method provided in this application can also be applied to terrestrial networks (TN) and non-terrestrial networks (NTN), such as satellite communication systems. For example, it can be applied to transparent satellite architectures, backhaul satellite architectures, or regenerative satellite architectures, etc., without limitation.

[0105] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system includes an AIoT device, an access network device, an AIoTF, a NEF, and an AF. In Figure 4, the access network device is exemplified as a reader; alternatively, the reader can also be a UE (User Equipment). In this case, the access network device can communicate with the UE acting as a reader, and the reader can then communicate with the AIoT device.

[0106] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of another communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the communication system includes an AIoT device, an access network device, an AMF, an AIoTF, a NEF, and an AF. Figure 5 uses the access network device as an example where the access network device is a reader; alternatively, the reader could also be a UE (User Equipment). In this case, the access network device can communicate with the UE acting as the reader, and the reader can then communicate with the AIoT device.

[0107] The network architecture and communication process described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0108] The method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of this application, all steps indicated by dashed lines are optional steps. In the various embodiments of this application, the AIoT service includes, for example, one or more of the following: inventory operation (or inventory service), read operation (or read service), write operation (or write service), deactivation operation (or deactivation service), or lock operation (or lock service).

[0109] In various embodiments of this application, the environmental IoT device is, for example, an AIoT device, or may have other names. For example, "AIoT" can be replaced with other names without limitation; this document uses "AIoT device" as an example. In various embodiments of this application, the reader can be called a reader-writer or a reading device. In various embodiments of this application, the first service request device is, for example, an application server, such as an AF, A-IoT AF, or P-IoT AF, or may be other devices. Various embodiments of this application can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5. For example, the first AIoT device described in various embodiments of this application can be the AIoT device shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5; the first network device described in various embodiments of this application is, for example, the AIoTF shown in Figure 4, or the AMF shown in Figure 5; the second network device described in various embodiments of this application is, for example, the NEF shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5; the first service request device described in various embodiments of this application is, for example, the AF shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to various embodiments of this application, all steps indicated by dashed lines are optional steps.

[0110] This application provides a first communication method, as shown in Figure 6, which is a flowchart of the method. In this embodiment, an example is taken where the first network device is AIoTF, the second network device is NEF, and the first service request device is AF.

[0111] S601, AIoTF sends first information to the first AIoT device. Correspondingly, the first AIoT device receives the first information.

[0112] The first information can indicate a first set of regions, which may include areas where the first AIoT device is allowed to move under the first requirement; alternatively, the first set of regions can also be understood as the first AIoT device's movement within the first set of regions conforming to or requiring conformity to the first requirement, or the first AIoT device needing to notify the network when its movement does not conform to the first set of regions, or the first AIoT device being able to issue an alarm when its movement does not conform to the first set of regions, and so on. For example, the first set of regions may include M regions, where M is a positive integer, and these M regions may be areas where the first AIoT device is allowed to move under the first requirement. Optionally, any two of these M regions may be different. The first information indicates the first set of regions; for example, one indication method is that the first information includes the identifiers of the M regions, thereby indicating the M regions through the identifiers of the M regions.

[0113] Optionally, the first set of regions can be directional or ordered. For example, the M regions can correspond to a first movement order. Taking the first information including the identifiers of the M regions as an example, the identifiers of the M regions in the first information can be arranged according to the first movement order. The first movement order indicates that the first AIoT device should move within the first set of regions according to the first movement order.

[0114] Alternatively, the first set of regions can also be undirected or unordered. For example, the M regions do not correspond to any movement order. Taking the first information including the identifiers of the M regions as an example, in the first information, the identifiers of the M regions can be arranged in any order, such as random arrangement, and the arrangement does not represent the order.

[0115] Optionally, the first requirement may include, for example, moving from a first location to a second location. That is, the first area set can also be understood as the area that the first AIoT device is allowed to move within during the process of moving from the first location to the second location. Alternatively, the first requirement may include, for example, not leaving the first area set. That is, the first area set can also be understood as the first AIoT device being only allowed to move within the first area set.

[0116] Optionally, the first requirement may be specified by the first service requesting device. Optionally, the first service requesting device may be a device providing the first area set. Alternatively, the first service requesting device may be a device requesting to know whether the first AIoT device is moving according to the first requirement; or, the first service requesting device may be a device requesting to know whether the first AIoT device is moving according to the first area set. Wherein, the device requesting to know whether the first AIoT device is moving according to the first requirement (or the device requesting to know whether the first AIoT device is moving according to the first area set) and the device providing the first area set may be the same device or different devices. The first service requesting device may be, for example, an AF (Automatic Activated Device), or it may be other devices.

[0117] The first set of regions includes M regions, which may be, for example, M cells, M tracking areas (TAs), or M regions of other granularities, such as mobility management areas used by the future network, without any restrictions.

[0118] In this implementation, if the first set of regions corresponds to a first movement order, and the M regions are arranged according to the first movement order, then the M regions can also be considered to form a path, for example, called the first path. Therefore, in this implementation, the first set of regions can also be replaced or understood as the first path.

[0119] Optionally, the first information may further include N time information corresponding to the first set of regions. Each of the N time information can indicate a time. The times indicated by different time information among the N time information can be the same or different. N can be a positive integer, for example, N can be greater than or equal to 1, or N can be greater than or equal to 2. Optionally, N can be an integer greater than or equal to M. The N time information can correspond to the M regions. For example, each of the N time information can correspond to one or more regions among the M regions, and one region among the M regions can correspond to one or more of the N time information. Any one of the N time information can indicate the time during which the first AIoT device is allowed to be located in the corresponding region; or it can be understood that any one of the time information can indicate the legal time during which the first AIoT device is located in the corresponding region. Here, the corresponding region refers to the region corresponding to any one of the time information. For example, the N time information includes time information 1, which corresponds to region 1 in the M regions. Time information 1 can indicate the time during which the first AIoT device is allowed to be located in region 1, or time information 1 can indicate the legal time during which the first AIoT device is located in region 1.

[0120] As an example, taking M regions as M cells, the first region set may include M cells, and the first information may be a cell list, which may include the identifiers of the M cells. One cell identifier may be, for example, the cell's ID number. Referring to Table 1, which provides an example of a cell list, the first information in this embodiment may include one or more rows as shown in Table 1.

[0121] Table 1

[0122] In Table 1, the "Sequence Number" can indicate the first movement order; for example, ascending sequence numbers indicate a front-to-back order. Alternatively, the first information may not include the sequence number; for example, Table 1 may not include the "Sequence Number" column, and the first movement order can be determined based on the arrangement of the cell identifiers in the cell list. Therefore, this cell list is ordered and can also be called an ordered cell list. Furthermore, if the first area set does not correspond to time information, Table 1 may not include the "Time Information" column.

[0123] Alternatively, the first piece of information can be implemented not as a list, but as an array or other form; there are no restrictions on this.

[0124] Optionally, the content indicated by the first information may come from the service requester, such as the AF. For example, the method may also include S602, whereby the AF may send a ninth piece of information, which may indicate a first set of regions, or the first set of regions may be determined based on the ninth information. Optionally, the ninth information may also indicate one or more AIoT devices, for example, the ninth information includes the identifiers of the one or more AIoT devices. The identifier of an AIoT device may include, for example, the mask of the AIoT device. The mask of the AIoT device may be part or all of the identifier (ID) information of the AIoT device. The first AIoT device is, for example, one of the AIoT devices; this application embodiment uses the first AIoT device as an example for description. Optionally, the ninth information may be included in an AIoT tracking request, or it may also be included in a subscription message.

[0125] The receiving end of the ninth information is, for example, NEF (S602 is an example here). For example, AF can send the ninth information to NEF through a first application programming interface (API), and correspondingly, NEF can receive the ninth information through the first API. The first API can be the API defined in the embodiments of this application, and the first API can transmit information about the set of areas where the AIoT device is allowed to move. Optionally, the method may also include S603, whereby NEF, having received the ninth information, can send sixth information to AIoTF. AIoTF can receive the sixth information, which can indicate the first set of areas, thereby AIoTF determining the first set of areas. Optionally, the sixth information can also indicate the one or more AIoT devices, for example, the sixth information includes the identifiers of the one or more AIoT devices.

[0126] Alternatively, the NEF can also send sixth information to a storage network element, which can store the sixth information. For example, the sixth information could be the subscription data of the first AIoT device, the context information of the first AIoT device, or other AIoT service information of the first AIoT device. Optionally, the storage network element can send the sixth information to the AIoTF. For example, the storage network element can send the sixth information to the AIoTF upon receiving a request from the AIoTF, or it can proactively send the sixth information to the AIoTF, allowing the AIoTF to receive it. This storage network element could be, for example, a UDM or a unified data repository (UDR), or other network elements with storage capabilities.

[0127] The ninth piece of information indicates the first set of regions. For example, one indication method is that the ninth piece of information includes the geographical location information corresponding to M regions, thereby indicating the first set of regions. Taking the M regions as M cells as an example, for instance, the AF may not perceive the specific cells, but it does perceive the specific geographical location. Therefore, the AF can indicate the geographical location corresponding to the M cells. Optionally, the geographical location information corresponding to any one of the M regions may include, for example, the coordinates and / or the latitude and longitude information corresponding to that region.

[0128] Optionally, NEF can transform the ninth piece of information, for example, by converting it into the sixth piece of information. For instance, if the ninth piece of information includes geographic location information corresponding to M regions, then NEF can convert the ninth piece of information into an ordered list of cells, and the sixth piece of information can include or indicate this ordered list of cells.

[0129] AIoTF sends first information to a first AIoT device, which can be sent through the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. For example, AIoTF can send the first information to the reader, and the reader can then send the first information back, so that the first AIoT device can receive the first information from the reader. The sixth information received by AIoTF can indicate one or more AIoT devices. AIoTF can then determine the reader corresponding to each of these AIoT devices and send the first information to the determined reader, ensuring that all of the AIoT devices can receive the first information. Taking the first AIoT device as an example, AIoTF can determine the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, send the first information to that reader, and the reader, after receiving the first information, can send its own first information, thus allowing the first AIoT device to receive the first information from that reader. Taking the sixth information indicating a first region set as an example, and assuming the first information includes N time information items, AIoTF can determine the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device based on the first region set and the current time. For example, AIoTF can determine that the first AIoT device should currently be located in one of the M regions based on the first region set and the current time, and thus can send the first information to the reader corresponding to that region.

[0130] AIoTF sends the first information through the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. There are multiple implementation methods, which are illustrated in the following examples.

[0131] As an optional implementation of AIoTF sending first information through a reader corresponding to a first AIoT device, AIoTF can first inventory the first AIoT device through the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. After the first AIoT device is successfully inventoryed, the first information is then sent to the first AIoT device. This inventory process includes, for example, AIoTF sending a first inventory request to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. The first inventory request may include the identifier of the first AIoT device. The first inventory request may request the inventory of the first AIoT device. If, among the one or more AIoT devices indicated by the sixth information, there are other AIoT devices besides the first AIoT device that also correspond to the reader, the first inventory request may also include the identifier of the other AIoT device, and the first inventory request may also request the inventory of the other AIoT device; there is no limitation on this. Upon receiving the first inventory request, the reader can trigger the first AIoT device to initiate an AIoT air interface access procedure. Upon receiving the trigger, the first AIoT device can send a message to the reader, for example, referred to as message 1. Message 1 may include the identifier of the first AIoT device. Optionally, message 1 may be a device-to-reader (D2R) message, or it may be other messages between the AIoT device and the reader. Taking message 1 as a D2R message as an example, this D2R message may carry message 2, which may include the identifier of the first AIoT device. Optionally, message 2 may be an AIoT non-access stratum (NAS) message, or it may be other messages. When the reader receives message 1, the first AIoT device has successfully connected to the reader, and the reader can send a first inventory response to the AIoTF. Optionally, the first inventory response may be an AIoT NAS message. The first inventory response may indicate that the first AIoT device has been inventoried, or indicate that the first AIoT device has been successfully inventoried. Optionally, the first inventory response may include the identifier of the first AIoT device.

[0132] After the first AIoT device is successfully stored, the AIoTF can send the first information to it. The AIoTF already knows the identifier of the first AIoT device, so it can send the first information directly without going through the reader; alternatively, the AIoTF can send the first information to the reader, which then sends it to the first AIoT device. Optionally, the first information may be included in a downlink (DL) AIoT NAS transport message. Optionally, upon receiving the first information, the first AIoT device can send a response to the AIoTF, such as an uplink (UL) AIoT NAS transport message. This response can be an ACK or NACK to indicate whether the first information was successfully received or not. Sending the first information only after successfully storing the first AIoT device can improve the success rate of receiving the first information.

[0133] As an optional implementation of AIoTF sending first information through a reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, AIoTF can send a paging message through the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. This paging message may include the first information. For example, AIoTF can instruct the reader to send a paging message; upon receiving the instruction, the reader can send the paging message, which may include the first information. Optionally, the paging message may include the identifier of the first AIoT device. If, among the one or more AIoT devices indicated by the sixth information, there are other AIoT devices besides the first AIoT device that also correspond to the reader, the paging message may also include the identifiers of those other AIoT devices; this is not limited. For the AIoT device receiving the paging message, it can determine whether the paging message includes the identifier of the AIoT device. If the paging message includes the identifier of the AIoT device, the AIoT device can respond to the paging message, for example, by obtaining the first information included in the paging message; if the paging message does not include the identifier of the AIoT device, the AIoT device can ignore the paging message. The paging message may be, for example, a one-way command message. Sending the first information via paging messages can reduce the signaling interaction process, improve the efficiency of the first AIoT device receiving the first information, and save signaling overhead.

[0134] In this embodiment, the first region set indicated by the first information includes, for example, all or part of the regions within the region set indicated by the ninth information. For example, the ninth information indicates information about K regions corresponding to region set A, where region set A includes regions that the first AIoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, and K is a positive integer greater than or equal to M. If region set A is, for example, the first region set, then the first region set includes all regions within the region set indicated by the ninth information; or, region set A includes, for example, the first region set and also includes other region sets; or, region set A includes all regions within the first region set and also includes other regions, then the first region set includes part of the regions within the region set indicated by the ninth information. For example, if region set A is long (e.g., the length of the information of the regions included in region set A is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the first threshold being, for example, pre-configured in AIoTF, or predefined in the protocol, or obtainable from the subscription information corresponding to the first AIoT device, or determined through negotiation with the first AIoT device, or set by the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, etc.), then AIoTF can send region set A in segments, and the first region set can be one of those segments.

[0135] Wherein, if the first region set is the first segment region set in region set A, the AIoTF can send the first information through the inventory method or paging method described above; or, if the first region set is another segment region set in region set A besides the first segment region set, the AIoTF can send the first information through the inventory method or paging method described above, or it can also send the first information through other methods, such as sending the first information after receiving information from the first AIoT device. It can be understood that, for the first segment region set in region set A, the AIoTF can send information indicating the first segment region set through the inventory method or paging method described above; or, for other segment region sets in region set A besides the first segment region set, the AIoTF can send information indicating the other segment region sets through the inventory method or paging method described above, or it can also send information indicating the other segment region sets through other methods, such as sending information indicating the other segment region sets after receiving information from the first AIoT device. Optionally, for the first AIoT device, after receiving the next segment of the region set, it can delete or discard the previous segment of the region set; or, after receiving the next segment of the region set, it can use the next segment of the region set to overwrite or replace the previous segment of the region set, thereby saving the storage space of the first AIoT device and reducing the probability of the first AIoT device confusing different region sets.

[0136] Optionally, after the first AIoT device receives the next segment of the data set, it can send a notification message to the network indicating successful reception.

[0137] Please refer to Figure 7. Taking the AIoTF sending the various segmented region sets corresponding to region set A via disk storage as an example, this illustrates how the AIoTF sends the various segmented region sets. The process shown in Figure 7 is optional; therefore, each step is optional and is no longer represented by dashed lines in the figure.

[0138] S701 and AF send the ninth message to NEF. Correspondingly, NEF receives the ninth message.

[0139] S702, NEF converts the ninth information into the sixth information.

[0140] S703 and NEF send the sixth message to AIoTF. Correspondingly, AIoTF receives the sixth message.

[0141] S704, AIoTF sends a first inventory request to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. Correspondingly, the reader receives the first inventory request. The first inventory request may include the mask of the first AIoT device.

[0142] S705, The reader performs random access with the first AIoT device.

[0143] S706, The first AIoT device sends a D2R message to the reader. Correspondingly, the reader receives the D2R message. For example, this D2R message can be referred to as D2R message 1.

[0144] S707, The reader sends a first inventory response to the AIoTF. Correspondingly, the AIoTF receives the first inventory response.

[0145] S708, AIoTF sends first information to the first AIoT device. Correspondingly, the first AIoT device receives the first information.

[0146] S709, the first AIoT device sends a response to the AIoTF. The AIoTF then receives this response. This response is, for example, referred to as response 1, and response 1 is, for example, a UL AIoT NAS transport message.

[0147] S704 to S709, for example, describe the inventory process corresponding to time T1. For instance, if region set A corresponds to n region sets, then AIoTF and the first AIoT device can repeat the inventory process described in S704 to S709 n-1 times, thereby sending the n region sets to the first AIoT device. For example, T... nThe inventory process at any given time is the last inventory process in the n-1 inventory processes. After the completion of this last inventory process, the first AIoT device can obtain the entire set of regions in the n region sets. The last inventory process is described below through S710 to S715.

[0148] S710, AIoTF sends the nth disk storage request to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device. Correspondingly, the reader receives the nth disk storage request. The nth disk storage request may include the mask of the first AIoT device.

[0149] When sending the nth inventory request, the first AIoT device may not have moved yet, or it may have moved, relative to when the first inventory request was sent. If the first AIoT device has moved, the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device in S710 and the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device in S704 can be the same reader or different readers. Figure 7 shows an example where both are the same reader.

[0150] S711, The reader performs random access with the first AIoT device.

[0151] S712, The first AIoT device sends a D2R message to the reader. Correspondingly, the reader receives the D2R message. For example, this D2R message can be referred to as D2R message n.

[0152] S713, The reader sends the nth disk storage response to the AIoTF. Correspondingly, the AIoTF receives the nth disk storage response.

[0153] S714, AIoTF sends the nth information to the first AIoT device. Correspondingly, the first AIoT device receives the nth information. The nth information may indicate the nth region set corresponding to region set A, for example, the last region set included in region set A.

[0154] Optionally, the first AIoT device can replace the (n-1)th region set with the nth region set. The (n-1)th region set is, for example, the region set of the first AIoT device at time T. n-1 It is obtained during the inventory process at any given time.

[0155] S715, The first AIoT device sends a response to the AIoTF. Correspondingly, the AIoTF receives the response. This response is, for example, referred to as response n, and response n is, for example, a UL AIoT NAS transport message.

[0156] For details regarding the features involved in the process shown in Figure 7, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0157] As previously described, for other segment regions in region set A besides the first segment region set, the AIoTF can send information indicating these other segment region sets via the inventory or paging methods described above, or it can send such information via other methods. Taking the second segment region set in region set A as an example, this describes how the AIoTF sends information indicating these other segment region sets after receiving information from the first AIoT device. The information indicating the second segment region set is, for example, the fifth piece of information. The second segment region set is, for example, the next segment region set in region set A after the first segment region set.

[0158] For example, if the first AIoT device receives the first information, it can move according to the first set of regions indicated by the first information. If the first AIoT device is about to move out of the M regions corresponding to the first set of regions, for example, if the first AIoT device moves to the last region included in the first set of regions (e.g., the last region in the first moving order among the M regions), the first AIoT device can send a fourth message to the AIoTF. The fourth message can indicate that the first AIoT device has reached the last region included in the first set of regions, or that the first AIoT device is about to move out of the first set of regions, or that the first AIoT device is about to cross a region. Optionally, the first AIoT device can directly send the fourth message to the AIoTF, or it can send the fourth message to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, and then the reader sends the fourth message to the AIoTF.

[0159] Upon receiving the fourth information, the AIoTF can then send information indicating the next segment of the first region set to the first AIoT device, i.e., send the fifth information. Optionally, the AIoTF can directly send the fifth information to the first AIoT device, or it can send the fifth information to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, and then the reader can send the fifth information to the first AIoT device.

[0160] In the example above, the fourth message from the first AIoT device indicates that the first AIoT device is about to cross the region; or, the AIoTF may also send information indicating the other segment region set after receiving other information from the first AIoT device, which will be described in other steps later.

[0161] This embodiment of the application uses the example of the area set A indicated by the ninth information corresponding to one AIoTF. Alternatively, if the area set A is long, it may correspond to multiple AIoTFs, i.e., it may involve AIoTF switching. Optionally, the AIoTF corresponding to the fourth information and the AIoTF corresponding to the fifth information may be the same AIoTF, or they may be different AIoTFs. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first AIoT device sends the fourth information to AIoTF 1, but the area included in the next area set is no longer within the coverage of AIoTF 1, but within the coverage of AIoTF 2, then AIoTF 2 may send the fifth information to the first AIoT device. If AIoTF switching is involved, and if area set A includes multiple area sets, then optionally, in S603, the NEF can send all the area sets included in area set A to the first AIoTF corresponding to area set A, and the first AIoTF can store all the area sets in the UDM. If an AIoTF switch occurs, for example, from the first AIoTF to the second AIoTF, then the second AIoTF can request the UDM to obtain the subsequent area sets.

[0162] Alternatively, if a handover of AIoTFs is involved, and if region set A includes multiple region sets, then optionally, in S603, the NEF can send all region sets included in region set A to the UDM. Any AIoTF corresponding to region set A can request the region set from the UDM; or, the NEF can send all region sets included in region set A to the first AIoTF corresponding to region set A. If a handover occurs, for example, from the first AIoTF to the second AIoTF, then the second AIoTF can request the subsequent region set from the UDM.

[0163] S604, the first AIoT device sends the second information. Correspondingly, the AIoTF receives the second information.

[0164] The first AIoT device receives the first information and can move according to the first set of regions indicated by the first information. For example, if the first set of regions corresponds to a first movement order, the first AIoT device can move within the M regions according to the first movement order; or if the first set of regions does not correspond to a movement order, the first AIoT device can move within the M regions. The second information can indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first set of regions, or indicate that the first AIoT device moves out of the first set of regions, or indicate that the first AIoT device has not moved according to the first requirement, or indicate that the AIoTF sends a first notification message, etc. This article takes the example of the second information indicating that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first set of regions. For example, the first AIoT device can send the second information when its movement does not conform to the first set of regions, and the second information can indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first set of regions.

[0165] In this scenario, the first AIoT device can directly send the second information to the AIoTF; or, the first AIoT device can also send the second information to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, which in turn sends the second information to the AIoTF. S604 uses this as an example.

[0166] Optionally, the second information is included in the first information element, which can be used for alarm purposes; and / or, the second information is included in the first signaling, which can be used for alarm purposes. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first information element is an information element defined in the embodiments of this application, and / or the first signaling is a signaling defined in the embodiments of this application, where both the first information element and the first signaling can be used for alarm purposes. For example, the second information sent by the first AIoT device can be considered as alarm information. Through the first information element or the first signaling, the AIoTF can determine that the second information is information used for alarm purposes.

[0167] The movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first set of regions, for example, including one or more of the following: the movement order of the first AIoT device is not the first movement order; the first AIoT device has moved out of the first set of regions; or, the time when the first AIoT device is in any of the M regions is different from the time indicated by the time information corresponding to that region. During its movement, the first AIoT device can monitor cell information, such as cell information broadcast by a reader. This cell information may include cell identifiers, etc., thereby allowing the first AIoT device to determine whether its movement conforms to the first set of regions.

[0168] For example, the first set of regions includes region 1, region 2, and region 3. The first movement order is region 1 – region 2 – region 3, meaning the first AIoT device should first go to region 1, then to region 2, and then to region 3. If the first AIoT device goes directly from region 1 to region 3 without passing through region 2, it indicates that the movement order of the first AIoT device is not the first movement order, and in this case, the first AIoT device can send the second information.

[0169] For example, the first region set includes region 1, and the first information includes time information 1 corresponding to region 1, which indicates the time as December 20, 2024. However, the first AIoT device is actually located in region 1 on December 21, 2024, which means that the time when the first AIoT device is located in region 1 is different from the time indicated by the time information corresponding to region 1. In this case, the first AIoT device can send the second information.

[0170] Optionally, the second information may also include information about a second region, which can be the region where the first AIoT device is currently located. Taking any one of the M regions as a cell as an example, the second region could be, for instance, the cell where the first AIoT device is currently located, and the information of the second region could include the cell's identifier. The information of the second region can assist the AIoTF in determining whether the second information is a valid alarm.

[0171] S605 and AIoTF send the first notification information to AF. Correspondingly, AF receives the first notification information.

[0172] Optionally, the first notification information may be, for example, a notification message, or included in a notification message; or a response message, or included in a response message; or a subscription response message, or included in a subscription response message. Alternatively, the first notification information may also be other messages or included in other messages; there are no restrictions on the implementation of the first notification information.

[0173] Optionally, the first notification information can be used for alarms. For example, the first notification information may indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first area set (this indication is used for alarm), or the first notification information may be the alarm information itself. In this implementation, the first notification information may also be called the first alarm information, etc., and there is no limitation on the name.

[0174] Alternatively, the first notification information may not be used for alarm purposes. For example, the first notification information may include the identifier of the first AIoT device and / or information about the second region, or the first notification information may indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first region set (but this indication is not used for alarm purposes). Upon receiving the first notification information, AIoTF can determine whether to issue an alarm.

[0175] Optionally, the first notification information may be, for example, a tracking response.

[0176] If the first notification information is used for alarm purposes, optionally, after receiving the first notification information, the AIoTF can determine whether the first notification information is a valid alarm information. If it is a valid alarm information, it can send the first notification information to the AF; or, if it is an invalid alarm information, it can choose not to send the first notification information to the AF. Alternatively, after receiving the first notification information, the AIoTF may not determine whether the first notification information is a valid alarm and may directly send the first notification information to the AF.

[0177] Alternatively, if the first notification information is not for alarm purposes, the AIoTF can optionally determine whether to issue an alarm after receiving the first notification information. If an alarm is issued, the AIoTF can send the first notification information to the AF; otherwise, if no alarm is issued, the AIoTF can choose not to send the first notification information to the AF.

[0178] As can be seen from the above description, S605 is not necessarily executed, and therefore is an optional step.

[0179] For example, after receiving the second information, if AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is located within the first set of regions, such as the first AIoT device being located in any of the M regions, and the movement order of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first movement order, then S605 can be executed.

[0180] Alternatively, after receiving the second information, if AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is located within the first set of regions, for example, the first AIoT device is located in any of the M regions, and the movement order of the first AIoT device conforms to the first movement order, then S605 can be omitted.

[0181] Specifically, AIoTF can initiate location tracking for the first AIoT device to determine its current location, thereby determining whether the first AIoT device is located within the M regions. Alternatively, the second information may include information about a second region, which is the region where the first AIoT device is currently located, and AIoTF can determine whether the second region is included within the M regions.

[0182] For example, after receiving the second information, if AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is located outside the first region set, for example, the first AIoT device is not located in any of the M regions, and the first AIoT device is not located in the first region corresponding to the second region set, then S605 can be executed.

[0183] Alternatively, after receiving the second information, if the AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is outside the first region set—for example, the first AIoT device is not located in any of the M regions, but is located in the first region corresponding to the second region set—then S605 can be omitted. Optionally, although the AIoTF does not execute S605, it can send tenth information, which can indicate the second region set, enabling the first AIoT device to obtain the second region set and thus move according to it. For example, the AIoTF can directly send the tenth information to the first AIoT device, or it can send the tenth information to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, which then sends the tenth information back to the first AIoT device. As mentioned above, the AIoTF can send information indicating the other region set after receiving information from the first AIoT device; one possible type of information from the first AIoT device is, for example, the second information.

[0184] The second region set is, for example, the next region set following the first region set, which is included in region set A. This can be understood as follows: although the first AIoT device leaves the first region set, if it enters the first region corresponding to the next region set, its movement still conforms to region set A, and therefore no alarm is needed. Alternatively, if the first AIoT device leaves the first region set but does not enter the first region corresponding to the next region set (for example, if it enters a region other than the first region in the next region set, or if it does not enter any region in the next region set), then its movement does not conform to region set A, and an alarm can be triggered.

[0185] Specifically, AIoTF can initiate location tracking for the first AIoT device to determine its current location, thereby determining whether the first AIoT device is within or outside the M regions. Alternatively, the second information may include information about a second region, which is the region where the first AIoT device is currently located, and AIoTF can determine whether the second region is included within the M regions.

[0186] For example, if the first region set does not correspond to a movement order, after receiving the second information, if the AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is outside the first region set, it can execute S605. Alternatively, if the AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is within the first region set after receiving the second information, it can skip executing S605. For the first region set that does not correspond to a movement order, the movement order of the first AIoT device is not restricted; as long as the first AIoT device moves within the first region set, no alarm is needed. The AIoTF can initiate a location check on the first AIoT device to determine its current position, thereby determining whether the first AIoT device is outside the first region set. Alternatively, the second information can include information about a second region, which is the region where the first AIoT device is currently located. The AIoTF can then determine whether the second region is included within the first region set.

[0187] If the AF receives the first notification information, it can perform corresponding processing. For example, the AF can output a second notification information, allowing relevant business personnel to arrange for the retrieval of the first AIoT device, etc., without restriction. Optionally, the second notification information can be used for alarms, so it can also be called a second alarm information, etc., without restriction on the name.

[0188] In the embodiments of this application, the first AIoT device can determine whether it conforms to the first region set, and then report the second information. Alternatively, the embodiments of this application can also provide another solution: the first AIoT device can monitor system messages broadcast by the reader during movement. Upon receiving a system message corresponding to a new region, it can send the information of that new region to the AIoTF, which then determines whether to issue an alarm. The method by which the AIoTF determines whether to issue an alarm can be referred to the preceding description. That is, the embodiments of this application can allow the first AIoT device to determine whether to issue an alarm, and / or allow the AIoTF to determine whether to issue an alarm, which is a more flexible approach. Furthermore, having the AIoTF determine whether to issue an alarm simplifies the implementation of the first AIoT device and reduces the capability requirements of the first AIoT device.

[0189] In this embodiment, the AIoTF can indicate to the first AIoT device a set of areas that the first AIoT device is allowed to move within under a first requirement, so that the first AIoT device can move according to the set of areas, or in other words, so that the first AIoT device can move within a specified range as much as possible. Furthermore, this embodiment can issue an alarm when the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the predetermined set of areas, thereby achieving monitoring of the first AIoT device.

[0190] This application provides a second communication method, as shown in Figure 8, which is a flowchart of the method. In this embodiment, an example is taken where the first network device is AMF, the second network device is NEF, and the first service request device is AF.

[0191] S801, the AMF sends first information to the first AIoT device. Correspondingly, the first AIoT device receives the first information. The AMF may be, for example, an AMF registered with the first AIoT device, an AMF serving the first AIoT device, or an AMF selected by the AIoTF to perform corresponding AIoT services. For example, the AIoTF may select an AMF based on a first set of regions. Optionally, the AMF may have the ability to send alarms to the AIoTF.

[0192] Optionally, an AMF that supports AIoT services (e.g., the AMF also has the ability to initiate alarms to AIoTFs) can indicate its capability information to the NRF when registering or updating with the NRF. This information could include, for example, indicating that the AMF supports AIoT services and / or has the ability to initiate alarms to AIoTFs. Optionally, the AMF can indicate this capability information to the NRF in the form of AIoT capabilities, or it can indicate it in the form of a service type. Alternatively, the AMF can also send this capability information to the RAN, for example, through a next-generation (NG) setup process.

[0193] For an introduction to the first information, please refer to the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0194] Optionally, the content indicated by the first information may come from the AF. For example, the method may further include S802, whereby the AF may send a ninth message, which may indicate a first area set. Optionally, the ninth message may also indicate one or more AIoT devices, for example, the ninth message includes the identifiers of the one or more AIoT devices. The identifier of an AIoT device may include, for example, a mask of the AIoT device. The mask of the AIoT device may be part or all of the ID information of the AIoT device. The first AIoT device is, for example, one of the AIoT devices; this application embodiment uses the first AIoT device as an example for description.

[0195] The receiving end of the ninth information is, for example, NEF (S802 is an example here). For example, AF can send the ninth information to NEF through the first API, and correspondingly, NEF can receive the ninth information through the first API. The first API can be the API defined in the embodiments of this application, and the first API can transmit information about the set of areas where the AIoT device is allowed to move. For more details about the ninth information, please refer to the embodiment shown in FIG6. Optionally, the method may also include S803, whereby NEF, having received the ninth information, can send sixth information to AIoTF, and AIoTF can receive the sixth information, which may indicate the first set of areas. Optionally, the sixth information may also indicate one or more AIoT devices, for example, the sixth information includes the identifier of the one or more AIoT devices. For a description of this, please refer to the embodiment shown in FIG6.

[0196] Alternatively, the NEF can also send sixth information to a storage network element, which can store the sixth information. For example, the sixth information can be the subscription data of the first AIoT device, the context information of the first AIoT device, or other AIoT service information of the first AIoT device. Optionally, the storage network element can send the sixth information to the AIoTF. For example, the storage network element can send the sixth information to the AIoTF upon receiving a request from the AIoTF, or it can proactively send the sixth information to the AIoTF, so that the AIoTF can receive the sixth information. This storage network element can be, for example, a UDM or UDR, or other network elements with storage functions. For a detailed explanation, please refer to the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0197] Optionally, NEF can convert the ninth information into the sixth information, as illustrated in the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0198] Optionally, the method may further include S804, whereby the AIoTF, having received the sixth information, may send eleventh information to the AMF. The AMF may receive the eleventh information, which may indicate a first area set. Optionally, the eleventh information may also indicate one or more AIoT devices, for example, the eleventh information may include the identifiers of the one or more AIoT devices. For example, the AIoTF may query the AMF currently registered with the first AIoT device, thereby sending the eleventh information to that AMF. Optionally, the eleventh information may be included, for example, in a tracking request. Optionally, the tracking request may also request the AMF to generate a registration area (RA) based on the eleventh information, or request the AMF to use the eleventh information as a reference factor in generating the RA.

[0199] The AMF receives the eleventh information and can generate an Alarm Response (RA) based on it, for example, called the first RA. For example, in this embodiment, the first RA is a first set of regions; further details about the first set of regions can be found in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. Optionally, in this embodiment, the first set of regions serving as the first RA can correspond to a first movement order. Optionally, the first RA is an RA used for alarms. The AMF can send the first RA to the first AIoT device, allowing the first AIoT device to move according to the first RA. Optionally, in addition to providing the first RA to the first AIoT device, the AMF can also provide a second RA, such as a legacy RA, meaning the second RA does not correspond to a movement order, and the first AIoT device does not need to execute an alarm based on the second RA. To distinguish different RAs, the first information can optionally indicate that the first RA is an RA used for alarms, making it clear to the first AIoT device that the first RA is a special RA, and that it can execute an alarm based on the first RA.

[0200] AMF sends the first information to the first AIoT device, for example, through the UE configuration update (UCU) procedure.

[0201] In this embodiment of the application, the first set of regions indicated by the first information includes, for example, all or part of the regions within the set of regions indicated by the ninth information. For example, the ninth information indicates information about K regions corresponding to region set A, where region set A includes regions that the first AIoT device is allowed to move in under the first requirement, and K is a positive integer greater than or equal to M. If region set A is, for example, the first set of regions, then the first set of regions includes all the regions within the set of regions indicated by the ninth information; or, region set A includes, for example, the first set of regions and also includes other set of regions; or, region set A includes the M regions and also includes other regions, then the first set of regions includes part of the regions within the set of regions indicated by the ninth information. For example, if region set A is relatively long (e.g., the length of the information of the regions included in region set A is greater than or equal to a first threshold, which may be pre-configured in AIoTF, predefined in the protocol, obtained from the subscription information corresponding to the first AIoT device, determined through negotiation with the first AIoT device, or set by the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device), then AIoTF can segment region set A and send it to AMF (i.e., AIoTF segments region set A), or AMF can segment region set A and send it to the first AIoT device (i.e., AMF segments region set A). The first region set can be one of these segments. If AIoTF segments region set A and sends it to AMF, AIoTF can send all segmented region sets to AMF at once, or AIoTF can send the first segment of the region set first, and then send subsequent region sets after receiving a request from AMF.

[0202] Wherein, if the first region set is the first segment region set included in region set A, the AMF can send the first information through the UCU procedure described above; or, if the first region set is another segment region set included in region set A besides the first segment region set, the AMF can send the first information through the UCU procedure described above, or it can also send the first information in other ways, such as sending the first information after receiving information from the first AIoT device. It can be understood that, for the first segment region set in region set A, the AMF can send information indicating the first segment region set through the UCU procedure described above; or, for other segment region sets in region set A besides the first segment region set, the AMF can send information indicating the other segment region sets through the UCU procedure described above, or it can also send information indicating the other segment region sets in other ways, such as sending information indicating the other segment region sets after receiving information from the first AIoT device.

[0203] Taking the second region set in region set A as an example, this describes how the AMF sends information to indicate other region sets after receiving information from the first AIoT device. The information indicating the second region set is, for example, the fifth piece of information. The second region set is, for example, the next region set after the first region set included in region set A.

[0204] For example, if the first AIoT device receives the first information, it can move according to the first set of regions indicated by the first information. If the first AIoT device is about to move out of the first set of regions, for example, if the first AIoT device moves to the last region included in the first set of regions (e.g., the last region in the first moving order among the M regions), the first AIoT device can send a fourth message to the AMF. The fourth message can indicate that the first AIoT device has reached the last region included in the first set of regions, or indicate that the first AIoT device is about to move out of the set of regions, or indicate that the first AIoT device is about to cross a region.

[0205] Upon receiving the fourth information, the AMF can send information indicating the next segment of the first region set to the first AIoT device, i.e., send the fifth information. Optionally, if the AIoTF has segmented region set A, and the AMF receives the fourth information, it can request the next segment of the region set from the AIoTF. The AIoTF can then send the second region set to the AMF, allowing the AMF to obtain the second region set.

[0206] In the example above, the fourth message from the first AIoT device indicates that the first AIoT device is about to cross the region; or, the AMF may also send information indicating the other segment region set after receiving other information from the first AIoT device, which will be described in other steps later.

[0207] This embodiment of the application uses the example of a region set A indicated by the ninth information corresponding to one AIoTF. Alternatively, if region set A is long, it may correspond to multiple AIoTFs, meaning that AIoTF switching may be involved. For the scenario of AIoTF switching, how the AIoTF obtains the corresponding region set can be referred to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0208] S805, the first AIoT device sends the second information. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the second information.

[0209] The first AIoT device receives first information and can move according to the first set of regions indicated by the first information. Second information can indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first set of regions. For example, the first AIoT device can send second information if its movement does not conform to the first set of regions, and the second information can indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first set of regions.

[0210] The movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first region set, for example, including one or more of the following: the movement order of the first AIoT device is not the first movement order, the first AIoT device has moved out of the region set, or the time when the first AIoT device is in any of the M regions is different from the time indicated by the time information corresponding to that region. During its movement, the first AIoT device can monitor cell information, such as cell information broadcast by the reader. This cell information may include cell identifiers, etc., thereby allowing the first AIoT device to determine whether its movement conforms to the first region set. For details on how the first AIoT device determines whether its movement conforms to the first region set, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0211] Optionally, the second information may also include information about a second region, which can be the region where the first AIoT device is currently located. Taking any one of the M regions as a cell as an example, the second region could be, for instance, the cell where the first AIoT device is currently located, and the information of the second region could include the cell's identifier. The information of the second region can assist the AMF or AIoTF in determining whether the second information is a valid alarm.

[0212] In this embodiment, the second information indicating that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first area set includes, for example, the second information indicating that the first AIoT device has left the first area set. That is, regardless of the reason why the first AIoT device believes that its movement does not conform to the first area set, the second information can indicate that the first AIoT device has left the first area set. Optionally, the second information may be, for example, a mobile registration update request.

[0213] This application embodiment utilizes a tracking area update (TAU) process, except that the first RA in this embodiment is an RA with a first movement sequence. Under the TAU process, the AMF can provide the first RA to the first AIoT device via S801. If the first AIoT device moves out of the area corresponding to the first RA, it can send a mobile registration update request. The second information included in the mobile registration update request can indicate that the first AIoT device has moved out of the area corresponding to the first RA. Optionally, the mobile registration update request or the second information can be alarm information, and the AMF can determine that the mobile registration update request or the second information corresponds to the first RA.

[0214] S806, AMF sends the first notification information to AF. Specifically, AMF can send the first notification information to AIoTF, and AIoTF can send the first notification information to AMF; S806 in Figure 8 is an example of this.

[0215] Optionally, the first notification information may be, for example, a notification message, or included in a notification message; or a response message, or included in a response message; or a subscription response message, or included in a subscription response message. Alternatively, the first notification information may also be other messages or included in other messages; there are no restrictions on the implementation of the first notification information.

[0216] Optionally, the first notification information can be used for alarms. For example, the first notification information may indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first area set (this indication is used for alarm), or the first notification information may be the alarm information itself. In this implementation, the first notification information may also be called the first alarm information, etc., and there is no limitation on the name.

[0217] Alternatively, the first notification information may not be used for alarm purposes. For example, the first notification information may include the identifier of the first AIoT device and / or information about the second region, or the first notification information may indicate that the first AIoT device has sent a mobile registration update request, or the first notification information may indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first region set (but this indication is not used for alarm purposes). Upon receiving the first notification information, AIoTF can determine whether to issue an alarm.

[0218] Optionally, the first notification information may be, for example, a tracking response.

[0219] If the first notification information is used for alarm purposes, optionally, after receiving the first notification information, the AIoTF can determine whether the first notification information is a valid alarm information. If it is a valid alarm information, it can send the first notification information to the AF; or, if it is an invalid alarm information, it can choose not to send the first notification information to the AF. Alternatively, after receiving the first notification information, the AIoTF may not determine whether the first notification information is a valid alarm and may directly send the first notification information to the AF.

[0220] Alternatively, if the first notification information is not for alarm purposes, the AIoTF can optionally determine whether to issue an alarm after receiving the first notification information. If an alarm is issued, the AIoTF can send the first notification information to the AF; otherwise, if no alarm is issued, the AIoTF can choose not to send the first notification information to the AF.

[0221] Regarding how the AIoTF determines whether the first notification information is a valid alarm message, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6. The method for the AIoTF to determine whether an alarm is triggered based on the first notification information is similar, and therefore, please also refer to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6. For example, after receiving the first notification information, if the AIoTF determines that the first AIoT device is outside the first region set—for example, the first AIoT device is not located in any of the M regions, but is located in the first region corresponding to the second region set, where the second region set can be the next segment of the first region set—then the AIoTF may not send the first notification information to the AF. Optionally, although the AIoTF does not send the first notification information to the AF, it can send tenth information to the AMF. The tenth information can indicate the third RA, which is, for example, the second region set. The AMF can send the tenth information to the first AIoT device, enabling the first AIoT device to obtain the third RA and thus move according to the third RA. As mentioned above, the AMF can send information indicating the other segment region set after receiving information from the first AIoT device. An optional type of information from the first AIoT device is, for example, second information.

[0222] If the AF receives the first notification information, it can perform corresponding processing. For example, the AF can output a second notification information, allowing relevant business personnel to arrange for the retrieval of the first AIoT device, etc., without restriction. Optionally, the second notification information can be used for alarms, so it can also be called a second alarm information, etc., without restriction on the name.

[0223] In the embodiments of this application, the first AIoT device can determine whether it conforms to the first region set, and then report the second information. Alternatively, the embodiments of this application can also provide another solution: the first AIoT device can monitor system messages broadcast by the reader during movement. Upon receiving a system message corresponding to a new region, it can send the information of that new region to the AMF. For example, the AMF can send the information of the new region to the AIoTF, which then determines whether to issue an alarm. The method by which the AIoTF determines whether to issue an alarm can be referred to the preceding description. That is, the embodiments of this application can allow the first AIoT device to determine whether to issue an alarm, and / or allow the AIoTF to determine whether to issue an alarm, which is a more flexible approach. Furthermore, having the AIoTF determine whether to issue an alarm simplifies the implementation of the first AIoT device and reduces the capability requirements of the first AIoT device.

[0224] In this embodiment, the AMF can instruct the first AIoT device via the RA to specify the set of areas the first AIoT device is allowed to move within under a first requirement, allowing the first AIoT device to move according to this set of areas, or in other words, to move within a specified range as much as possible. Furthermore, this embodiment can trigger an alarm when the first AIoT device's movement deviates from the predetermined set of areas, thus achieving monitoring of the first AIoT device. Additionally, this embodiment can utilize the TAU process to monitor the first AIoT device, making it more compatible with existing technologies.

[0225] This application provides a third communication method, please refer to Figure 9, which is a flowchart of the method.

[0226] S901, the first AIoT device sends the seventh information; correspondingly, the first network device receives the seventh information. Optionally, the first network device may be, for example, an AIoTF.

[0227] In this embodiment, the first AIoT device can directly send the seventh information to the AIoTF, or the first AIoT device can send the seventh information to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, and the reader sends the seventh information to the AIoTF (S901 takes this as an example).

[0228] The seventh piece of information may include information about L regions, where L is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Any one of these L regions may be a cell, a TA (Transmission Authority), a Mobility Related Management Area (MLA), a 3GPP network area, or a region of other granularity. The information about any one of these L regions may include, for example, the region's identifier, and may also include other information about the region.

[0229] For example, if the first AIoT device receives system messages from L regions during its movement, it can determine the information of those L regions. If the first AIoT device cannot determine whether an alarm is needed, it can send a seventh message to the AIoTF, allowing the AIoTF to determine whether an alarm should be issued.

[0230] For example, referring to Figure 10, consider one scenario. In Figure 10, region 1 and region 2 intersect. The first AIoT device moves to the intersection of region 1 and region 2. At this time, the first AIoT device can receive system messages from both region 1 and region 2. For example, region 1 belongs to the first region set, while region 2 does not; or although both region 1 and region 2 belong to the first region set, their order does not conform to the first movement order; or neither region 1 nor region 2 belongs to the first region set. In this case, according to the embodiment shown in Figure 6 or Figure 8, the first AIoT device can send a second message to issue an alarm. However, this alarm is likely to be a false alarm (for example, the first AIoT device is currently located at the intersection of region 1 and region 2, and region 1 is, for example, the last region included in the first region set; in this case, the first AIoT device has not actually left region 1 and no alarm is needed). To reduce false alarms, in this embodiment, the first AIoT device can send a seventh message, so that the AIoTF can determine whether to issue an alarm, thereby reducing the probability of a false alarm. For details regarding the features of the first region set, the second region set, etc., please refer to the embodiments shown in Figure 6 or Figure 8.

[0231] S902, AIoTF determines whether the seventh information is a false alarm or whether an alarm is triggered based on one or more of the following: at least one set of regions included in the region set A, environmental information, information of the L regions, or the location of the first AIoT device.

[0232] There may be multiple methods for determining AIoTF, as illustrated in the following example. In this example, L = 2 is used; however, if L is greater than 2, the determination method can be similar.

[0233] For example, if region 1 is a region included in the first region set, while region 2 is not included in the first region set, but region 1 is the last region included in the first region set and region 2 is the first region included in the second region set, then AIoTF can consider the seventh information to be a false alarm, or consider that no alarm is needed. For example, AIoTF can choose not to send the first notification information to AF.

[0234] For example, if region 1 is a region included in the first region set, while region 2 is not a region included in the first region set, and region 1 is not the last region included in the first region set and / or region 2 is not the first region included in the second region set, then AIoTF may consider the seventh information to be not a false alarm, or consider that an alarm is required. For example, AIoTF may send the first notification information to AF.

[0235] For example, Region 1 and Region 2 belong to the first set of regions, but the order of Region 1 and Region 2 does not conform to the first movement order. For example, according to the first movement order, the first AIoT device should move from Region 1 to Region 3, and then from Region 3 to Region 2. That is, there should be other regions between Region 1 and Region 2. In this case, AIoTF can consider the seventh information to be not a false alarm, or consider that an alarm is needed. For example, AIoTF can send the first notification information to AF.

[0236] For example, if neither region 1 nor region 2 is included in the first region set, but region 1 and region 2 are the first two regions included in the second region set, then AIoTF can consider the seventh information to be a false alarm, or consider that no alarm is needed. For example, AIoTF can choose not to send the first notification information to AF.

[0237] For example, if neither Region 1 nor Region 2 is included in the first region set, and neither Region 1 nor Region 2 is the first two regions included in the second region set, then AIoTF may consider the seventh information to be a false alarm, or may consider that an alarm is required. For example, AIoTF may send the first notification information to AF.

[0238] Optionally, AIoTF can also consider a certain margin when making its determination, for example, by combining environmental information. This environmental information may include, for example, information about one or more areas surrounding the area corresponding to area set A.

[0239] For example, region 1 is the last region included in the first region set, while region 2 is neither included in the first region set nor the first region included in the second region set. Without considering environmental information, AIoTF might consider the seventh piece of information not a false alarm, or consider it appropriate to issue an alarm; for example, AIoTF might send the first notification information to AF. However, considering environmental information, AIoTF can make more judgments. For example, although region 2 is not the first region included in the second region set, it is an adjacent region of the first region included in the second region set; for example, the distance between region 2 and the first region is less than or equal to a second threshold. In this case, AIoTF might also consider the seventh piece of information a false alarm, or consider it unnecessary to issue an alarm; for example, AIoTF might not send the first notification information to AF.

[0240] For example, neither Region 1 nor Region 2 is included in the first region set. Region 1 is the first region included in the second region set, while Region 2 is not the second region included in the second region set. Without considering environmental information, AIoTF might consider the seventh piece of information not a false alarm, or consider it acceptable to issue an alarm; for example, AIoTF might send the first notification information to AF. However, considering environmental information, AIoTF can make more judgments. For example, although Region 2 is not the second region included in the second region set, Region 2 is a pre-set legal deviation path. That is, even if the first AIoT device deviates to Region 2, it is considered acceptable. In this case, AIoTF might also consider the seventh piece of information a false alarm, or consider it unnecessary to issue an alarm; for example, AIoTF might not send the first notification information to AF.

[0241] During its movement, the first AIoT device may temporarily deviate from its path due to unforeseen circumstances, such as weather and / or environmental factors (e.g., road construction). Therefore, the AIoTF can have some margin when determining whether to issue an alarm, allowing the first AIoT device some flexibility and reducing alarm frequency. For example, the AIoTF can obtain information about the area near the first area set (e.g., *a* cells near the first area set, where *a* is an integer greater than or equal to 1). When the first AIoT device is in this nearby area, the AIoTF can temporarily refrain from sending alarm information. If the first AIoT device subsequently leaves this nearby area, or fails to return to the first area set for an extended period (e.g., the AIoTF can set a timer; if the first AIoT device has not returned by the timer expires), then an alarm information will be sent, or a further determination will be made regarding whether an alarm is necessary. The specific margin settings (e.g., the value of 'a', and / or the location of the 'a' cells, and / or the maximum distance between the 'a' cells and the first area set, etc.) can be determined based on the operator's policies or configurations, or based on the requirements of the service requester (e.g., the first service requesting device), or based on the subscription information and / or context of the first AIoT device, etc.

[0242] Alternatively, S901 can be replaced by: the first AIoT device sending an eighth message; correspondingly, the first network device receiving the eighth message. The eighth message can indicate that the movement of the first AIoT device does not conform to the first area set. The first AIoT device can directly send the eighth message to the AIoTF, or the first AIoT device can send a seventh message to the reader corresponding to the first AIoT device, which in turn sends the eighth message to the AIoTF.

[0243] In this scheme, the first AIoT device determines whether an alarm has occurred. For example, the AIoTF may no longer need to determine whether an alarm has occurred. If the AIoTF receives the eighth information, it can send the first notification information to the AF. In this case, S902 can be skipped. Alternatively, even if the first AIoT device has already determined whether an alarm has occurred, the AIoTF can still determine whether an alarm has occurred, thus making the determination more accurate. In this case, S902 can be executed.

[0244] Optionally, the first AIoT device may determine whether to issue an alarm based on one or more of the following: at least one set of regions included in region set A, environmental information, information about the L regions, or the location of the first AIoT device. The method for determining the first AIoT device can be similar to the method for determining AIoTF, and will not be elaborated further.

[0245] The technical solutions of this application can reduce the probability of false alarms, thereby reducing interference with AF and signaling overhead.

[0246] The embodiments shown in Figure 9 can be applied alone; or, the embodiments shown in Figure 9 can be applied in combination with the embodiments shown in Figure 6; or, the embodiments shown in Figure 9 can be applied in combination with the embodiments shown in Figure 8, without any specific limitations.

[0247] Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 can be a first AIoT device or its circuit system as described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6-9, used to implement the method corresponding to the first AIoT device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can be an AIoTF or its circuit system as described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6-9, used to implement the method corresponding to the AIoTF in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can be an AMF or its circuit system as described in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, used to implement the method corresponding to the AMF in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can be a NEF or its circuit system as described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6-9, used to implement the method corresponding to the NEF in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can be an AF or its circuit system as described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6-9, used to implement the method corresponding to the AF in the above method embodiments. For example, one type of circuit system is a chip system.

[0248] The communication device 1100 includes at least one processor 1101. The processor 1101 can be used for internal processing within the device to implement certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 1101 includes instructions. Optionally, the processor 1101 can store data. Optionally, different processors can be independent devices, located in different physical locations, or located on different integrated circuits. Optionally, different processors can be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated onto one or more integrated circuits.

[0249] Optionally, the communication device 1100 includes one or more memories 1103 for storing instructions. Optionally, the memories 1103 may also store data. The processor and the memories may be separate or integrated together.

[0250] Optionally, the communication device 1100 includes a communication line 1102 and at least one communication interface 1104. Since the memory 1103, communication line 1102, and communication interface 1104 are all optional, they are all represented by dashed lines in Figure 11.

[0251] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver and / or an antenna. The transceiver can be used to send information to or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver circuit, input / output interface, etc., and is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 1100 via the antenna. Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. For example, the transmitter can be used to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal from a baseband signal, and the receiver can be used to convert the RF signal back into a baseband signal.

[0252] Processor 1101 may include a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs according to the present application.

[0253] Communication line 1102 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0254] Communication interface 1104 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wired access network, etc.

[0255] The memory 1103 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 1103 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1101 via communication line 1102. Alternatively, the memory 1103 may be integrated with the processor 1101.

[0256] The memory 1103 stores computer execution instructions for implementing the present application scheme, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1101. The processor 1101 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103 to achieve one or more of the following: the steps performed by the first AIoT device in the embodiment shown in any of Figures 6 to 9, the steps performed by the AIoTF in the embodiment shown in any of Figures 6 to 9, the steps performed by the AMF in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the steps performed by the NEF in the embodiment shown in any of Figures 6 to 9, or the steps performed by the AF in the embodiment shown in any of Figures 6 to 9.

[0257] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as application code, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0258] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, processor 1101 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG11.

[0259] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 1100 may include multiple processors, such as processor 1101 and processor 1105 in FIG. 11. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0260] When the device shown in Figure 11 is a chip, such as a UE chip or a network device chip, the chip includes a processor 1101 (and may also include a processor 1105), a communication line 1102, and a communication interface 1104. Optionally, it may include a memory 1103. Specifically, the communication interface 1104 may be an input interface, pins, or circuits, etc. The memory 1103 may be a register, cache, etc. The processor 1101 and processor 1105 may be a general-purpose CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program that controls the communication method of any of the above embodiments.

[0261] This application embodiment can divide the device into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, when dividing each functional module according to each function, Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a device. The device 1200 can be the first AIoT device, AIoTF, AMF, NEF, or AF involved in the above method embodiments, or a chip in the first AIoT device, AIoTF, AMF, NEF, or AF. The device 1200 includes a processing unit 1202 and a transceiver unit 1201.

[0262] It should be understood that the device 1200 can be used to implement the steps performed by the first AIoT device and / or AIoTF and / or AMF and / or NEF and / or AF in the communication method of the embodiments of this application. The relevant features can be referred to the embodiments shown in any of the figures 6 to 9 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0263] Optionally, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver unit 1201 and processing unit 1202 in Figure 12 can be implemented by the processor 1101 in Figure 11 calling computer execution instructions stored in memory 1103. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing unit 1202 in Figure 12 can be implemented by the processor 1101 in Figure 11 calling computer execution instructions stored in memory 1103, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver unit 1201 in Figure 12 can be implemented by the communication interface 1104 in Figure 11.

[0264] Optionally, when the device 1200 is a chip or circuit, the function / implementation process of the transceiver unit 1201 can also be implemented through pins or circuits. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1201 may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit, wherein the transmitting unit is used to implement the transmitting function and the receiving unit is used to implement the receiving function; or, the transceiver unit 1201 may be an integral module capable of implementing the transmitting and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1201 may be implemented using a transceiver.

[0265] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods performed by the first AIoT device and / or AIoTF and / or AMF and / or NEF and / or AF in the aforementioned method embodiments. Thus, the functions described in the above embodiments can be implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to it, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0266] This application also provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method executed by the first AIoT device and / or AIoTF and / or AMF and / or NEF and / or AF in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0267] This application also provides a processing apparatus, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the methods performed by the first AIoT device and / or AIoTF and / or AMF and / or NEF and / or AF involved in any of the above method embodiments.

[0268] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are 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, the 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)).

[0269] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or operate the described functions using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor; alternatively, it can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented using a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0270] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments of this application can be directly embedded in hardware, software units executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software units can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can be disposed in an ASIC, which can be disposed in the terminal device. Optionally, the processor and storage medium can also be disposed in different components of the terminal device.

[0271] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0272] The contents of the various embodiments of this application can be referenced to each other. Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0273] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the first AIoT device and / or AIoTF and / or AMF and / or NEF and / or AF can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of this application, other operations or variations of various operations can also be performed. Furthermore, the various steps can be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to perform all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, which involves applying a chip to a first network device or a chip in a first network device, includes: Send first information to a first environmental IoT device, the first information indicating a first set of areas, the first set of areas including areas that the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, the areas included in the first set of areas corresponding to a first movement order, or not corresponding to a movement order; Receive second information, the second information indicating that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set; Send a first notification message to the first service requesting device, the first notification message indicating that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first requirement includes: moving from a first position to a second position.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Send first information to the first environmental IoT device, including: The first information is sent to the first environmental IoT device via a reader.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first set of regions includes M regions, and the M regions are arranged according to the first moving order, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first information also includes N time information, which correspond to the M regions. Each of the N time information corresponds to one of the M regions, and one of the M regions corresponds to one or more of the N time information. Any one of the N time information indicates the time during which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to be located in the corresponding region, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The second information also includes information about a second region, which is the region where the first environmental IoT device is currently located.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The second information indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set, including: The second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left the first registered area RA, where the first RA is the first set of areas.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second piece of information is a mobile registration update request.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, When the second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left the first registered area, the second information is an alarm message.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first information also indicates that the first registration area is a registration area for alarms.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, After receiving the second information and before sending the first notification information, the method further includes: It is determined that the first environmental IoT device is located within the first area set, and the movement order of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first movement order.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, After receiving the second information and before sending the first notification information, the method further includes: It is determined that the first environmental IoT device is located outside the first region set, and the first environmental IoT device is not located in the first region included in the second region set.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the first environmental IoT device has reached the last area included in the first area set; Send a fifth message, the fifth message being used to indicate a second set of regions, the second set of regions being another set of regions allowed by the first environmental IoT device under the first requirement, the second set of regions being the next set of regions after the first set of regions.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, Send the first message, including: Send a first inventory request, the first inventory request including the identifier of the first environmental IoT device; Receive a first inventory response, the first inventory response indicating that the first environmental IoT device has been inventoried; Based on receiving the first inventory response, the first information is sent to the first environmental IoT device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, Send the first message, including: Send a paging message, the paging message including the first information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the seventh information, which includes information about L regions, where L is an integer greater than or equal to 2; Based on one or more of the first set of regions, the information of the L regions, or the location of the first environmental IoT device, determine whether the seventh information is a false alarm.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The first network device is an Ambient Internet of Things Function (AIoTF) or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that, The first service request device is an application server.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: applying a chip to a first-environment IoT device or a first-environment IoT device; Receive first information, the first information indicating a first set of regions, the first set of regions including the regions that the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement, the regions included in the first set of regions may correspond to a first movement order, or may not correspond to a movement order; Send a second message, which indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first requirement includes: moving from a first position to a second position.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The first set of regions includes M regions, and the M regions are arranged according to the first moving order, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The first information also includes N time information, which correspond to the M regions. Each of the N time information corresponds to one of the M regions, and one of the M regions corresponds to one or more of the N time information. Any one of the N time information indicates the time during which the first environmental IoT device is allowed to be located in the corresponding region, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that, The second information also includes information about a second region, which is the region where the first environmental IoT device is currently located.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that, The second information indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first area set, including: The second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left the first RA, where the first RA is the first set of areas.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The second piece of information is a mobile registration update request.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, When the second information indicates that the first environmental IoT device has left the first registered area, the second information is an alarm message.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The first information also indicates that the first registration area is a registration area for alarms.

28. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 27, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message, the fourth message being used to indicate that the first environmental IoT device has reached the last area included in the first area set; The fifth information is received, which is used to indicate a second set of regions, which is another set of regions allowed by the first environmental IoT device under the first requirement, and the second set of regions is the next set of regions after the first set of regions.

29. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 28, characterized in that, Receive the first message, including: Receive a first inventory request, the first inventory request including the identifier of the first environmental IoT device; Send a first inventory response, which indicates that the first environmental IoT device has been inventoried; Based on sending the first inventory response, the first information is received.

30. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 28, characterized in that, Receive the first message, including: Receive a paging message, the paging message including the first information.

31. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 30, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a seventh or eighth message, wherein the seventh message includes information about L regions, where L is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the eighth message indicates that the movement of the first environmental IoT device does not conform to the first set of regions, and the eighth message is determined based on the information of the L regions and / or the location of the first environmental IoT device.

32. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 31, characterized in that, The second information is included in the first signaling, which is used for alarm purposes.

33. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 32, characterized in that, The first network device is either AIoTF or AMF.

34. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 33, characterized in that, The first service request device is an application server.

35. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second network device, the method includes: The ninth information is received via a first application programming interface (API), the ninth information indicating a first set of regions, the first set of regions including the areas where the first environmental IoT device is allowed to move under a first requirement; Send a sixth message, which is used to indicate the first set of regions, the regions included in the first set of regions may or may not correspond to a first movement order.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that, The ninth piece of information indicates the first set of regions, and the method further includes: The ninth information is converted into the sixth information, which includes information about the first set of regions, wherein the first set of regions includes at least one region arranged in the first movement order.

37. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a first network device or a chip in the first network device, the first network device or the chip in the first network device including a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

38. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a first environmental IoT device or a chip in the first environmental IoT device, wherein the first environmental IoT device or the chip in the first environmental IoT device includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 34.

39. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a second network device, the second network device including a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 35 to 36.

40. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a first network device or a chip in the first network device, the first network device or the chip in the first network device including a processor, the processor being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

41. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a first environmental IoT device or a chip in the first environmental IoT device, the first environmental IoT device or the chip in the first environmental IoT device including a processor, the processor being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 34.

42. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a second network device, the second network device including a processor, the processor being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 35 to 36.

43. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when the computer program is run, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 34 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 35 to 36 to be performed.

44. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when run, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 34 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 35 to 36 to be performed.

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