Sensing method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The present application discloses a sensing method, a communication device, a communication system, a storage medium, and a program product. The sensing method executed by a first network element comprises: receiving a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request comprises sensing target information, and the sensing target is associated with a terminal; sending a first request to a second network element serving the terminal, wherein the first request is used for requesting location information of the terminal; and in response to receiving the location information of the terminal, sensing a sensing target on the basis of the location information of the terminal. Thus, a sensing service using a positioning service is implemented, and the reliability and accuracy of the sensing service are improved.

Description

Sensing methods, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, and software products Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to sensing methods, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, and program products. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of communication and sensing technologies, Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) has a wide range of applications, such as high-precision positioning and imaging, and can be applied to scenarios such as smart transportation, smart homes, and smart healthcare. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides sensing methods, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, and program products.

[0004] A first aspect of this application provides a sensing method, which is executed by a first network element, and the method includes:

[0005] Receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information and the sensing target is associated with the terminal;

[0006] Send a first request to the second network element that serves the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0007] In response to receiving location information from the terminal, the system perceives the target based on the terminal's location information.

[0008] A second aspect of this application provides a sensing method, which is executed by a second network element, and the method includes:

[0009] Receive a first request sent by a first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0010] Send a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

[0011] A third aspect of this application provides a sensing method, which is executed by a third network element, and the method includes:

[0012] Receive a location request sent by a second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request a fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element;

[0013] Send the terminal's location information to the second network element or to the first network element.

[0014] A fourth aspect of this application provides a first network element, which includes:

[0015] The transceiver module is used to receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information and the sensing target is associated with the terminal;

[0016] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to send a first request to a second network element that serves the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0017] The processing module is used to respond to the received location information from the terminal and to perceive the target based on the location information of the terminal.

[0018] A fifth aspect of this application provides a second network element, which includes:

[0019] The transceiver module is used to receive a first request sent by the first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0020] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to send a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

[0021] A sixth aspect of this application proposes a third network element, which includes:

[0022] The transceiver module is used to receive a location request sent by the second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element;

[0023] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to send the terminal's location information to the second network element or to the first network element.

[0024] The solution proposed in this application involves a first network element receiving a first sensing request for a sensing target associated with a terminal. This first network element can then send a first request to a second network element serving the terminal to request the terminal's location information. Based on the terminal's location information, the sensing target is then perceived. This achieves sensing combined with location services, improving the reliability and accuracy of the sensing service. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or background art of this application, the following description of the accompanying drawings is provided. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of this application and do not impose specific limitations on the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 is an interactive schematic diagram of a perception method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figures 3A-3B are interactive schematic diagrams of a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first network element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second network element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram of the structure of a third network element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] This application provides sensing methods, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, and program products.

[0035] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application propose a sensing method, which is executed by a first network element, and the method includes:

[0036] Receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information and the sensing target is associated with the terminal;

[0037] Send a first request to the second network element that serves the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0038] In response to receiving location information from the terminal, the system perceives the target based on the terminal's location information.

[0039] In the above embodiments, after receiving a first sensing request for a sensing target associated with the terminal, the first network element can send a first request to the second network element serving the terminal to request the terminal's location information. Then, based on the terminal's location information, it can sense the sensing target. This achieves sensing combined with location services, improving the reliability and accuracy of the sensing service.

[0040] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the aforementioned perceived target information includes at least one of the following:

[0041] Terminal identifier;

[0042] Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the first network element can determine whether the sensing target is associated with the terminal based on whether the sensing target information contains a terminal identifier or whether it contains area information associated with the terminal, thereby improving the flexibility of sensing requests.

[0044] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments the above method further includes:

[0045] Send a second request to a third network element, wherein the second request is used to request a query of the second network element associated with the terminal;

[0046] Receive a first response sent by the third network element, wherein the first response includes information about the second network element.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second request described above includes at least one of the following:

[0048] The identifier of the terminal;

[0049] The type of the second network element.

[0050] In the above embodiments, the first network element can query the second network element that serves the terminal from the third network element, thereby ensuring the reliability and accuracy of the second network element determined by the first network element.

[0051] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first request described above includes at least one of the following:

[0052] Terminal identifier;

[0053] Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal;

[0054] Location-based Quality of Service (QoS) information;

[0055] The notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request;

[0056] The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0057] In the above embodiments, the first network element can request the terminal's location information from the second network element through multi-dimensional information, which improves the flexibility of the first network element in requesting the terminal's location information and provides conditions for reducing the transmission resources occupied in the process of transmitting the terminal's location information.

[0058] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above response to receiving the location information of the terminal includes at least one of the following:

[0059] In response to receiving the terminal's location information sent by the second network element;

[0060] In response to receiving the terminal's location information sent by the fourth network element.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the first network element can receive the terminal location information sent by the second network element and / or the fourth network element, which improves the flexibility and reliability of the first network element in obtaining the terminal location information.

[0062] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments the above method further includes:

[0063] Receive a second response sent by a second network element, wherein the second response includes at least one of the following:

[0064] The first instruction indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the second instruction indicates that the terminal's location information was received from the fourth network element; and the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0065] In the above embodiments, the first network element can receive a second response including the location information of the terminal from the second network element, thereby ensuring that the first network element can reliably obtain the location information of the terminal, providing a basis for the first network element to reliably perceive the target.

[0066] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments the above method further includes:

[0067] Receive a third response sent by a fourth network element, wherein the third response includes at least one of the following:

[0068] The first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; and the identifier associated with the notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is made.

[0069] In the above embodiments, the first network element can receive a third response including the location information of the terminal from the fourth network element, which improves the flexibility of the first network element in obtaining the location information of the terminal, thereby ensuring that the first network element can reliably obtain the location information of the terminal and providing a basis for the first network element to reliably perceive the target.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described sensing of the target based on the terminal's location information includes:

[0071] Based on the terminal's location information and the sensing target information, at least one of the sensing entity and sensing area is determined, wherein the sensing entity is the sensing sender and / or the sensing receiver.

[0072] Send a second sensing request to the sensing entity;

[0073] Based on the perception data returned by the perceived entity, the perception result for the perceived target is determined.

[0074] In the above embodiments, the first network element can determine the sensing area and / or sensing entity based on the location information of the terminal, and then obtain sensing data from the sensing entity to obtain the sensing result of the sensing target. Since the sensing entity and sensing area are determined based on the terminal associated with the sensing target, the accuracy of the obtained sensing data and sensing results is improved, thereby improving the reliability and accuracy of the sensing service.

[0075] Secondly, embodiments of this application propose a sensing method, which is executed by a second network element, and the method includes:

[0076] Receive a first request sent by a first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0077] Send a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

[0078] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first request and the location request mentioned above each include at least one of the following: a terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information; a notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; and a notification associated identifier, wherein the notification associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0079] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments the above method further includes:

[0080] Receive a positioning response sent by a fourth network element, wherein the positioning response includes at least one of the following:

[0081] The first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal's location information is sent from the fourth network element to the first network element; and the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0082] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments the above method further includes:

[0083] Send a second response to the first network element, wherein the second response includes at least one of the following:

[0084] The first instruction indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the second instruction indicates that the terminal's location information was received from the fourth network element; and the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0085] Thirdly, this application provides a sensing method, which is executed by a fourth network element, and the method includes:

[0086] Receive a location request sent by a second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request a fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element;

[0087] Send the terminal's location information to the second network element or to the first network element.

[0088] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the above-mentioned location request includes at least one of the following:

[0089] The terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information; address information of the first network element; notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; notification associated identifier, wherein the notification associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, and the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the location information of the terminal.

[0090] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of the aforementioned transmitting terminal includes:

[0091] Send a location response to the second network element, wherein the location response includes at least one of the following:

[0092] The first instruction indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the third instruction indicates that the terminal's location information is sent from the fourth network element to the first network element; the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, and the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the terminal's location information.

[0093] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of the aforementioned transmitting terminal includes:

[0094] Send a third response to the first network element, wherein the third response includes at least one of the following:

[0095] The first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; and the identifier associated with the notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, and the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the terminal's location information.

[0096] Fourthly, embodiments of this application propose a sensing method, which includes:

[0097] The first network element receives the first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information and the sensing target is associated with the terminal;

[0098] The first network element sends a first request to the second network element that serves the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0099] The second network element sends a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element;

[0100] The fourth network element sends the terminal's location information to the second network element or the first network element;

[0101] In response to receiving the location information from the terminal, the first network element performs sensing of the target based on the location information of the terminal.

[0102] Fifthly, embodiments of this application propose a first network element, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein,

[0103] The transceiver module is used to receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information and the sensing target is associated with the terminal;

[0104] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to send a first request to a second network element that serves the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0105] The processing module is used to respond to the received location information from the terminal and to perceive the target based on the location information of the terminal.

[0106] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the aforementioned perceived target information includes at least one of the following:

[0107] Terminal identifier;

[0108] Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal.

[0109] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0110] Send a second request to the third network element, wherein the second request is used to request a query of the second network element associated with the terminal;

[0111] Receive a first response sent by the third network element, wherein the first response includes information about the second network element.

[0112] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the second request described above includes at least one of the following:

[0113] Terminal identifier; type of second network element.

[0114] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first request described above includes at least one of the following:

[0115] Terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information;

[0116] The notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request;

[0117] The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0118] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0119] In response to receiving the terminal's location information sent by the second network element;

[0120] In response to receiving the terminal's location information sent by the fourth network element.

[0121] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0122] Receive a second response sent by a second network element, wherein the second response includes at least one of the following:

[0123] The first instruction indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the second instruction indicates that the terminal's location information was received from the fourth network element; and the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0124] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0125] Receive a third response sent by a fourth network element, wherein the third response includes at least one of the following:

[0126] The first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; and the identifier associated with the notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is made.

[0127] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described processing module is further used for:

[0128] Based on the terminal's location information and the sensing target information, at least one of the sensing entity and sensing area is determined, wherein the sensing entity is the sensing sender and / or the sensing receiver.

[0129] Send a second sensing request to the sensing entity;

[0130] Based on the perception data returned by the perceived entity, the perception result for the perceived target is determined.

[0131] Sixthly, embodiments of this application propose a second network element, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein,

[0132] The transceiver module is used to receive a first request sent by the first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal;

[0133] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to send a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

[0134] In conjunction with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the first request and the location request mentioned above each include at least one of the following: a terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information; a notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; and a notification associated identifier, wherein the notification associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0135] In conjunction with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0136] Receive a positioning response sent by a fourth network element, wherein the positioning response includes at least one of the following:

[0137] The first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal's location information is sent from the fourth network element to the first network element; and the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0138] In conjunction with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0139] Send a second response to the first network element, wherein the second response includes at least one of the following:

[0140] The first instruction indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the second instruction indicates that the terminal's location information was received from the fourth network element; and the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0141] Seventhly, embodiments of this application propose a fourth network element, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein...

[0142] The transceiver module is used to receive a location request sent by the second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element;

[0143] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to send the terminal's location information to the second network element or to the first network element.

[0144] In conjunction with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the above-mentioned location request includes at least one of the following:

[0145] The terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information; address information of the first network element; notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; notification associated identifier, wherein the notification associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, and the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the location information of the terminal.

[0146] In conjunction with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0147] Send a location response to the second network element, wherein the location response includes at least one of the following:

[0148] The first instruction indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; the third instruction indicates that the terminal's location information is sent from the fourth network element to the first network element; the notification-associated identifier, wherein the notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, and the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the terminal's location information.

[0149] In conjunction with some embodiments of the seventh aspect, in some embodiments, the above-described transceiver module is further used for:

[0150] Send a third response to the first network element, wherein the third response includes at least one of the following:

[0151] The first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; the timestamp of the location information; the positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; and the identifier associated with the notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, and the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the terminal's location information.

[0152] Eighthly, embodiments of this application propose a first network element, which includes one or more processors; wherein the first network element is used to execute the first aspect and optional implementations of the first aspect.

[0153] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this application propose a second network element, which includes one or more processors; wherein the second network element is used to execute the second aspect and optional implementations of the second aspect.

[0154] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application propose a fourth network element, which includes one or more processors; wherein the second network element is used to execute the third aspect and optional implementations of the third aspect.

[0155] In the eleventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which is used to execute the first aspect and its optional implementation, or to execute the second aspect and its optional implementation, or to execute the third aspect and its optional implementation.

[0156] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application propose a communication system comprising: a terminal, a first network element, a second network element, and a fourth network element; wherein the first network element is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, the second network element is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementations, and the fourth network element is configured to perform the method described in the third aspect and its optional implementations.

[0157] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementation, or the second aspect and its optional implementation, or the third aspect and its optional implementation.

[0158] In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementation, or the second aspect and its optional implementation, or the third aspect and its optional implementation.

[0159] In a fifteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementation, or the second aspect and its optional implementation, or the third aspect and its optional implementation.

[0160] In a sixteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described according to the first aspect and its optional implementations, or the second aspect and its optional implementations, or the third aspect and its optional implementations.

[0161] It is understood that the aforementioned first network element, second network element, third network element, communication equipment, communication system, storage medium, program product, etc., are all used to execute the method proposed in the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0162] This application provides sensing methods, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, and program products. In some embodiments, the terms sensing method, communication method, information processing method, and data processing method may be used interchangeably.

[0163] The embodiments in this application are not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0164] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0165] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun after the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0166] In the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0167] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of A or B, at least one of A and B”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0168] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether there is a branch B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether there is a branch A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0169] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether a branch B exists); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether a branch A exists); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0170] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this application are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0171] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0172] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0173] In some embodiments, terms such as “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “when…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably. These descriptions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not necessarily limit the time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there must be other limitations.

[0174] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0175] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “network function,” “network device,” “function,” “node,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0176] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0177] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0178] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", "subscriber station", "mobile unit", "subscriber unit", "wireless unit", "remote unit", "mobile device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "remote device", "mobile subscriber station", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "wireless terminal", "remote terminal", "handset", "user agent", "mobile client", and "client" can be used interchangeably.

[0179] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, various embodiments of this application can also be applied to structures that replace communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals with communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, uplink link, downlink link, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0181] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0182] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0183] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this application embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0184] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application.

[0185] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101, an access network device 102, and a core network device 103.

[0186] In some embodiments, terminal 101 includes, for example, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, satellite communication device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, wireless terminal device in smart home, and red-capped terminal, but is not limited thereto.

[0187] In some embodiments, the access network device 102 may be a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0188] In some embodiments, the access network device may be a satellite.

[0189] In some embodiments, the core network equipment (not shown in the figure) may be a single device, multiple devices, or a group of devices, including all or some of the first network element 1031, the second network element 1032, the third network element 1033, the fourth network element 1034, etc. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 5G Core Network (5GCN), 6G Core Network (6GCN), and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0190] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 is, for example, a sensing function (SF) network element.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first network element 1031 is used to control the entire lifecycle of sensing services. For example, it verifies the legitimacy of sensing requests, selects the optimal sensing device (e.g., access network device or terminal), and issues sensing parameters (e.g., sampling frequency, accuracy requirements, etc.), and exposes the processed sensing data to the application layer.

[0192] In some embodiments, the second network element 1032 is, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first network element 1032 is used to implement terminal access management and mobility management. It is responsible for terminal state maintenance, terminal reachability management, mobility management (MM), forwarding of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, and forwarding of session management (SM) N2 messages.

[0194] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 is, for example, a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element.

[0195] In some embodiments, the third network element 1033 is used to store the user's Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and security policies, manage user subscription information (such as package type and service permissions), and provide real-time data to other network elements (such as AMF) to support personalized services, etc.

[0196] In some embodiments, the fourth network element 1034 is, for example, a location management function (LMF) network element.

[0197] In some embodiments, the fourth network element 1034 is used to provide positioning services for the communication system, such as estimating the terminal location based on the location of the access network device.

[0198] In some embodiments, at least one of the first network element, the second network element, the third network element, and the fourth network element can be independent of the core network equipment.

[0199] In some embodiments, at least one of the first network element, the second network element, the third network element, and the fourth network element may be part of the core network equipment.

[0200] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0201] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1 are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1, or may include other main bodies outside of FIG1. ​​The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0202] The embodiments of this application can be applied to Non-terrestrial Networks (NTN), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), 6G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and IEEE IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi, registered trademark), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX, registered trademark), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Narrow Band-IoT (NB-IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G / 6G).

[0203] In some embodiments, different roles exist in an Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) system:

[0204] Object or environment: The target object for perceiving information.

[0205] Transmitter: A device that transmits radio signals to a target object. It can be a terminal or a network device, such as a gNB.

[0206] Receiver: A device that detects sensor information based on radio signals reflected from a target object. It can be a terminal or a network device.

[0207] Processor: A device that collects and processes sensor information to generate sensor results. It can be a UE, gNB, core network entity, or application server.

[0208] Consumers are authorized devices that request or subscribe to perceived information, and can calculate outputs based on that information. Consumers can be, for example, terminal applications, ISAC service application servers, core network entities, or RAN nodes.

[0209] In some embodiments, sensing technologies can be used to acquire multi-dimensional sensing information about a target object (i.e., the sensing target). For example, for a target object, the sensing results may include shape, size, orientation, velocity, position, distance between objects, or relative motion (e.g., between the target object and the sensing signal receiver). For the target environment, the sensing results may include parameters describing the environmental space or state.

[0210] In some embodiments, the perceived result may be processed data rather than the final result.

[0211] In some embodiments, the target for a sensing request can be an object or the environment. When the sensing object is a UE, or when the sensing object is associated with a UE (e.g., a drone carrying a UE), the sensing area may change as the UE moves due to its mobility. The UE's location can be obtained through existing Location Service (LCS) procedures. The UE's location estimate (i.e., location information) obtained through the LCS procedure can assist the sensing process, such as in sensing entity selection and sensing area determination.

[0212] However, it remains unclear how to integrate the LCS process to perceive objects related to the UE.

[0213] The sensing method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0214] Figure 2 is an interactive schematic diagram of a perception method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the embodiment of this application relates to a perception method, which includes:

[0215] Step S2101: The first network element receives the first sensing request.

[0216] The first perception request includes perception target information, and the perception target is associated with the terminal.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first network element may be, for example, a sensing function SF network element. Alternatively, it may be any other network element that can be used to control the entire lifecycle of sensing services.

[0218] In some embodiments, the first sensing request may be a mobile-initiated sensing request. That is, a sensing request initiated by a UE is used to request sensing of another UE, or to request sensing information of an area related to another UE.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first sensing request may also be a sensing request for mobile termination. That is, it is initiated by the network to request sensing of a specific UE, or to request sensing information of a region related to a specific UE.

[0220] In some embodiments, if the first sensing request is a sensing request originating from a mobile device, then the first request can be sent from the second network element AMF to the first network element 1031. That is, the first request can be initiated by the terminal and sent to the first network element sequentially through the access network device 101 and the second network element 1032.

[0221] In some embodiments, if the first sensing request is a sensing request for mobile termination, then the first sensing request may be sent to the first network element by the Network Exposure Function (NEF), the Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC), or the second network element 1032.

[0222] In some embodiments, if the first sensing request is a mobile termination sensing request, then the transmission path of the first sensing request can be: Application Function (AF) → NEF → First Network Element. Alternatively, the transmission path of the first sensing request can also be: AF → NEF → GMLC → First Network Element. Or, the transmission path of the first sensing request can also be: AF → NEF → GMLC → AMF → First Network Element.

[0223] In some embodiments, the perceived target information may include the identifier of the terminal.

[0224] In some embodiments, the sensing target can be a terminal indicated by sensing target information, or the sensing target can be the environment or area associated with the terminal indicated by sensing target information. For example, the sensing target can be a device carrying the terminal, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Alternatively, the sensing target can be the environment of a certain area surrounding the terminal.

[0225] In some embodiments, the terminal's identifier can be, for example, a globally unique subscription identifier (GPSI). Alternatively, it can be a subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI).

[0226] In some embodiments, the perceived target information may further include area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal.

[0227] In some embodiments, the region information can be the shape of the region associated with the terminal. For example, a circle, rectangle, sector, etc. centered on the location of the terminal, or a shape description associated with the terminal, such as a region centered (or vertex or focus) on the location of the terminal, with a certain value as its diameter (or radius, or side length, or major axis, or minor axis), etc., or the cell identifier where the terminal is located, etc.

[0228] In some embodiments, the perceived target information may also include perceived Quality of Service (QoS) information. For example, the perceived latency requirements, the accuracy requirements of the perceived results, etc., are not limited in this disclosure.

[0229] In step S2102, the first network element sends a second request to the third network element.

[0230] The second request is used to request the second network element associated with the query terminal.

[0231] In some embodiments, the second request is used to request a query for a second network element that provides terminal services indicated by sensing target information.

[0232] In some embodiments, the third network element may be, for example, a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element.

[0233] In some embodiments, the third network element is used to store the user's SUPI and security policies, and manage user subscription information, etc.

[0234] In some embodiments, the second network element may be, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, used to implement terminal access management and mobility management.

[0235] In some embodiments, the second request may include the identifier of the terminal.

[0236] In some embodiments, the second request may also include the type of the second network element. Since user subscription information can be stored in the UDM, in this embodiment of the disclosure, by carrying the type of the second network element in the second request, the first network element can instruct the third network element to retrieve only the stored relevant information of the second network element, and this provides a condition for reducing the transmission resources used when the third network element returns query results to the first network element.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first network element can send a second request to the third network element through Network Unified Data Management-UE Context Management Get Request (Nudm_UECM_Get request).

[0238] In step S2103, the third network element sends a first response to the first network element.

[0239] The first response includes information about the second network element.

[0240] In some embodiments, the third network element determines the second network element associated with the terminal based on the terminal identifier, and the first response sent by the third network element to the first network element includes information about the second network element associated with the terminal.

[0241] In some embodiments, the information of the second network element may include the identifier of the second network element and / or the address of the second network element.

[0242] In some embodiments, the information of the second network element may further include the method by which the terminal accesses the network, i.e., the terminal's access type. For example, the terminal's access type may be 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, or non-3GPP access, etc. This allows the first network element to more accurately select the sensing area and / or sensing entity based on the terminal's access type.

[0243] In some embodiments, a third network element may send a first response to a first network element via a Nudm_UECM_Get response message.

[0244] In some embodiments, if the first network element is a network element that provides sensing services to a terminal associated with the sensing target, or if the first network element stores information about a second network element that serves the terminal, then the first network element does not need to query the second network element from the third network element, that is, it does not need to perform the above steps S2102 and S2103.

[0245] In step S2104, the first network element sends a first request to the second network element that serves the terminal.

[0246] The first request is used to request the terminal's location information.

[0247] In some embodiments, the first network element obtains a second network element that serves the terminal and sends a first request to the second network element to request the location information of the terminal.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first request includes at least one of the following: a terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; and location quality of service (QoS) information.

[0249] In some embodiments, location QoS information may include, for example, the accuracy and confidence level of the location.

[0250] In some embodiments, the first request may further include a notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request. For example, the notification target address may be the address of the first network element.

[0251] In some embodiments, the first request may further include a notification correlation ID, which identifies the session or process in which the first request belongs. Since the first network element may need to process multiple sensing requests simultaneously, it needs to send multiple first requests to one (or more) second network elements concurrently. By carrying the notification correlation ID in the first request, the first network element can accurately distinguish different sessions or processes when it receives the second and / or third responses through the notification correlation ID in the second and / or third responses.

[0252] In some embodiments, the first network element can send a first request to the AMF by calling the "Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo" interface in the AMF. That is, the first network element can request the location of the terminal from the AMF by triggering the 5th Generation Core (5GC) Mobile Terminated-Location Request (MT-LR) procedure.

[0253] In step S2105, the second network element sends a location request to the fourth network element.

[0254] The location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

[0255] In some embodiments, the location request may include an indication field, which instructs the fourth network element to send the terminal's location information to which network element. For example, the indication field may indicate that the terminal's location information is sent to the first network element, or the indication field may indicate that the terminal's location information is sent to the second network element, or the indication field may indicate that the terminal's location information is sent to both the first and second network elements, etc. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0256] In some embodiments, the second network element may also implicitly instruct the fourth network element to send the terminal's location information to which network element through the location request. For example, if the location request includes the address of the first network element, it implicitly instructs the fourth network element to send the terminal's location information to the first network element; or, if the location request includes the address of the first network element, it implicitly instructs the fourth network element to send the terminal's location information to at least one of the first and second network elements; or, if the location request does not include the address of the first network element, it implicitly instructs the fourth network element to send the terminal's location information to the second network element, and so on. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0257] In some embodiments, the fourth network element can be a Location Management Function (LMF) network element.

[0258] In some embodiments, the fourth network element can be any network device that can provide positioning services (such as estimating the location of the terminal) for the communication system.

[0259] In some embodiments, the location request may include at least one of the following: a terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information; a notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; and a notification associated identifier, wherein the notification associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0260] The meaning and function of each piece of information included in the location request can be found in the detailed description of step S2104, and will not be repeated here.

[0261] In some embodiments, if the terminal is in a Connection Management (CM) idle state, the second network element can initiate a Network-Triggered Service Request (LTS) procedure to trigger the UE to quickly restore connection from a low-power state. That is, by obtaining the UE's real-time location through signaling connection activation, the target fourth network element (LMF) serving the terminal is determined.

[0262] In some embodiments, if the terminal does not have a fourth network element serving it, the second network element can select a fourth network element for the terminal.

[0263] In some embodiments, the second network element can request the terminal's current location by invoking the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request message through the network location management function.

[0264] Step 2106: The fourth network element determines the location information of the terminal.

[0265] In some embodiments, the fourth network element can perform a positioning process, such as a terminal-assisted positioning process, whereby the network-side device sends positioning-related instructions and information to the terminal, the terminal performs measurements based on this information, and feeds back the measurement results or measurement data to the network side; or a terminal-based positioning process, whereby the network-side device sends positioning-related instructions and information to the terminal, the terminal performs measurements based on this information, determines its location based on its own capabilities and algorithms, and feeds back the measurement results to the network side; or a network-assisted positioning process, whereby the network device sends positioning-related instructions and information to a base station, the base station performs measurements based on this information, feeds back the measurement data to the network side, and the network side determines the terminal's location information based on the received measurement data.

[0266] Step 2107: The fourth network element sends a positioning response to the second network element.

[0267] In some embodiments, after the fourth network element determines the location information of the terminal, it can send a location response to the second network element.

[0268] In some embodiments, when the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, the fourth network element may send a location response to the second network element after determining the location information of the terminal.

[0269] In some embodiments, the fourth network element may not send a location response to the second network element if the location request only requests the first network element to send the terminal's location information.

[0270] In some embodiments, the location response may include a first indication, which indicates whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful.

[0271] In some embodiments, if the request for the terminal's location information is successful, the location response may further include at least one of the following: the terminal's location information, the timestamp of the location information, the location method (such as terminal-assisted location, or the terminal's location, or network-assisted location, etc.); and the QoS accuracy of the location information.

[0272] In some embodiments, if the positioning response includes the location information of multiple terminals, the positioning response may also include at least one of the following: timestamp, positioning method, QoS accuracy, etc., corresponding to each location information, thereby assisting the second network element in selecting the target location information to be used from the multiple location information as needed. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0273] In some embodiments, the location response may further include a third indication, which indicates the location information of the terminal and is sent by the fourth network element to the first network element. That is, after determining the location information of the terminal, the fourth network element may also indicate to the second network element in the location response sent to the second network element that the location information of the terminal will be sent directly to the first network element without the second network element forwarding it, thereby reducing the resource consumption caused by the second network element forwarding the location information of the terminal.

[0274] In some embodiments, in order to help the first network element accurately determine which terminal (or which first request) the received location response is associated with in the session or process, the location response may also include an identifier associated with the notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process to which the first request is located.

[0275] In some embodiments, the fourth network element can send a location response to the second network element through the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response.

[0276] In step S2108, the second network element sends a second response to the first network element.

[0277] In some embodiments, after receiving the positioning response, the second network element sends a second response to the first network element.

[0278] In some embodiments, the second response may include at least one of the following: a first indication, which indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; a timestamp of the location information; a positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; and an identifier associated with a notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the first request.

[0279] In some embodiments, if the positioning response received by the second network element from the fourth network element includes a third indication, then the second network element may also include a second indication in the second response sent to the first network element, the second indication being used to indicate the location information of the terminal received from the fourth network element.

[0280] In some macro implementations, the second network element can send a second response to the first network element via the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo response.

[0281] In step S2109, the fourth network element sends a third response to the first network element.

[0282] In some embodiments, the fourth network element may send a third response to the first network element when the location request requests the first network element to send the terminal's location information.

[0283] In some embodiments, the third response includes at least one of the following: a first indication, which indicates whether the request for the terminal's location information was successful; the terminal's location information; a timestamp of the location information; a positioning method; the QoS accuracy of the location information; and an identifier associated with a notification, wherein the identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the first request.

[0284] In some embodiments, if the second response sent by the fourth network element to the second network element includes a third indication, that is, the fourth network element will directly send the terminal's address information to the first network element, then the fourth network element can send a third response to the first network element.

[0285] In some embodiments, if the second response sent by the fourth network element to the second network element does not include the third indication, in order to ensure that the first network element can receive the terminal's address information, the fourth network element may also directly send the determined terminal's address information to the first network element through the third response.

[0286] In some embodiments, the third response can be sent to the first network element via the location event notification (location_EventNotify) of the LMF, namely Nlmf_location_EventNotify.

[0287] In some embodiments, S2109 and S2108 can be executed simultaneously, or S2109 can be executed first and then S2108 can be executed. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0288] In some embodiments, S2109 and S2107 can be executed simultaneously, or S2109 can be executed first and then S2107 can be executed. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0289] In some embodiments, after determining the location information of the terminal, the fourth network element may skip S2107 and directly execute S2109. Correspondingly, the second network element does not need to execute S2108.

[0290] In step S2110, the first network element senses the target based on the location information of the terminal.

[0291] In some embodiments, the first network element can determine at least one of the sensing entity and the sensing area based on the terminal's location information and the sensing target information. Then, a second sensing request is sent to the sensing entity, and upon receiving the sensing data returned by the sensing entity, the sensing result for the sensing target is determined based on the returned sensing data.

[0292] The sensing entity is the sensing sender (or sensing transmitter) and / or the sensing receiver (or sensing receiver).

[0293] In some embodiments, if the terminal's location information is (x, y), where x and y are the latitude and longitude coordinates of the terminal's location, and the sensing target information is a circle with the terminal's location as its center and a radius of r, where r is a natural number, then the first network element can determine the sensing area as a circular area with (x, y) as its center and a radius of r. In this case, the first network element can determine the entities capable of sensing this area as sensing entities. For example, the access network equipment covering the area can be determined as the sensing transmitter, and the terminals located within the area can be determined as sensing receivers. Alternatively, some terminals located within the area can be determined as sensing transmitters, and other terminals as sensing receivers, etc. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0294] It should be noted that the terminal in the sensing entity determined by the first network element may be the same terminal or a different terminal associated with the aforementioned sensing target. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0295] In some embodiments, the sensing transmitter determined by the first network element may be one or more, and the sensing receiver determined may be one or more, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0296] In some embodiments, the first network element can also determine the sensing method based on the terminal's location information and the sensing target information. The sensing method can be called mono-station sensing (e.g., mono-static sensing). When the wireless signal transmitter and receiver are not co-located, this sensing method can be called bi-station sensing (e.g., bi-static sensing), and so on.

[0297] In some embodiments, the first network element may send a second sensing request to the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver respectively, requesting both parties to perform sensing measurements on the sensing target.

[0298] In some embodiments, if the first network element selects the terminal as the sensing receiver, the first network element can send a second sensing request to the terminal via the selected second network element (AMF). The terminal can then perform sensing measurements on the sensing target according to the second sensing request, and then feed back the measurement results to the first network element via the N1 interface (i.e., the control plane interface between the terminal and the AMF) and / or via the user plane.

[0299] In some embodiments, if the first network element selects an access network device (e.g., RAN) as the sensing receiver, the first network element can send a second sensing request to the RAN via the selected AMF. Then, the RAN node can perform sensing measurements on the sensing target based on the second sensing request, and then feed back the measurement results to the first network element via the N2 interface (i.e., the control plane interface between the RAN and AMF) and / or via the user plane.

[0300] In some embodiments, if the first network element determines multiple sensing receivers, the first network element can fuse the sensing data returned by the multiple sensing receivers respectively (e.g., weighted average, or extraction according to certain rules, etc.) to obtain the sensing result of the sensing target.

[0301] In some embodiments, after determining the sensing result of the sensing target, the first network element may also send the sensing result to the requester of the first sensing request, such as to NEF, GMLC or AMF, etc. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0302] In some embodiments, if an arrow in the interaction diagram representing the sending of information, signaling, etc. from one subject to another passes through other subjects, it can be interpreted as the information being forwarded from one subject to another via other subjects, or it can be interpreted as the information being sent from one subject to another without passing through other subjects.

[0303] The sensing method involved in the embodiments of this application may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2110. For example, step S2101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2102+S2103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2104+S2108 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2104+S2105+S2106+S2107+S2108 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2104+S2109 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2104+S2110 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and so on, but not limited thereto.

[0304] In some embodiments, steps S2102+S2103 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0305] In some embodiments, steps S2107+S2108 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0306] In this embodiment, after receiving a first sensing request for a sensing target associated with the terminal, the first network element can send a first request to the second network element serving the terminal to request the terminal's location information. Then, based on the terminal's location information, it can sense the sensing target. This achieves sensing combined with location services, improving the reliability and accuracy of the sensing service.

[0307] Figure 3A is an interactive schematic diagram of a sensing method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3A, the sensing method involved in this embodiment can be executed by a communication system, and the method includes:

[0308] Step S3101: The first network element receives the first sensing request.

[0309] The first perception request includes perception target information, and the perception target is associated with the terminal.

[0310] In some embodiments, the perceived target information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the terminal; and area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal.

[0311] In step S3102, the first network element sends a first request to the second network element that serves the terminal.

[0312] The first request is used to request the terminal's location information.

[0313] In some embodiments, the first request includes at least one of the following: a terminal identifier; area information, wherein the area information is associated with the terminal; location service quality (QoS) information; a notification target address, wherein the notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; and a notification associated identifier, wherein the notification associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

[0314] In step S3103, the second network element and the fourth network element send a positioning request.

[0315] The location request is used to request the terminal's location information.

[0316] In some embodiments, the content included in the location request can be referred to the relevant description of the content included in the first request above, and will not be repeated here.

[0317] In step S3104, the fourth network element sends the terminal's location information to the first network element or the second network element.

[0318] In some embodiments, the fourth network element may send the terminal's location information only to the second network element.

[0319] In some embodiments, the fourth network element may send the terminal's location information only to the first network element.

[0320] In some embodiments, the fourth network element can simultaneously send the terminal's location information to both the first and second network elements.

[0321] In step S3105, the first network element senses the target based on the location information of the terminal.

[0322] The sensing method involved in the embodiments of this application may include at least one of steps S3101 to S3105. For example, steps S3101+S3102+S3105 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3102+S3103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3103+S3104 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and so on, but are not limited thereto.

[0323] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0324] The following, with reference to Figure 3B, uses SF as the first network element, AMF as the second network element, UDM as the third network element, and LMF as the fourth network element as an example to exemplify the methods described in the above embodiments. Figure 3C is an interactive schematic diagram of the sensing method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3B, the sensing method involved in the embodiment of this application includes:

[0325] Step 1. SF receives a sensing request with sensing target information.

[0326] The target perception information indicates that the target perception is a specific area or environment related to the target UE, or the target UE itself, or a device carrying the target UE, such as a UAV. The target perception information may include the UE ID (e.g., GPSI, SUPI) and optional perception area information (e.g., area shape and shape description, the target UE's cell).

[0327] In some embodiments, the sensing request received by the SF can be a sensing request from a Mobile Originating Module (MO) or a Mobile Termination Module (MT). For the MT case, the SF can receive the sensing request from the NEF, GMLC, or AMF. For the MO case, the SF can receive the request from the AMF.

[0328] For example, in the MT case, the transmission path of the sensing request can be: AF->NEF->SF; or AF->NEF->GMLC->SF; or AF->NEF->GMLC->AMF->SF.

[0329] For the MO case, the transmission path for the sensing request can be: UE->RAN->AMF->SF.

[0330] Steps 2-3. SF retrieves the AMF serving the target UE from the UDM.

[0331] In step 2, to obtain the AMF of the target UE service indicated by the perception request, the SF can send a Nudm_UECM_Get request to the UDM. That is, the signaling interaction between the SF and the UDM can be: SF->UDM: Nudm_UECM_Get request (AMF, SUPI / GPSI).

[0332] Afterwards, the UDM can return the network address and / or service AMF ID of the service AMF to the SF in the Nudm_UECM_Get response message.

[0333] Optionally, the UDM can also return the access type of the target UE. That is, the UDM can return a response to the SF via the following signaling: UDM->SF:Nudm_UECM_Get response(AMF ID, AMF address, access type).

[0334] In some embodiments, if the SF is an SF that provides services to the target UE, or if the SF stores AMF information for the target UE, then the first network element radio queries the AMF information from the UDM, that is, steps 2-3 can be skipped.

[0335] Step 4. The SF requests the location of the target UE from the AMF serving the target UE.

[0336] In some embodiments, the SF can call the AMF's Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo interface to request the location of the target UE. The request may include the UE ID (GPSI / SUPI).

[0337] Optionally, the call request may also include location QoS, supported grid-based access and delivery (GAD) shape (sensing area information received in step 1), notification target address, and notification-related ID.

[0338] In some embodiments, the notification target address is the address of the SF. A notification-related ID is used to identify this location request.

[0339] In some embodiments, the SF can request the instantaneous location of the target UE by invoking the 5GC-MT-LR procedure.

[0340] Step 5. AMF selects LMF for the target UE.

[0341] In some embodiments, if the target UE is in the CM idle state, the AMF can initiate a network-triggered service request (LTF) procedure to establish a signaling connection with the target UE and select an LMF for the target UE.

[0342] In some embodiments, if the target UE does not have a serving LMF, the AMF selects an LMF for the target UE.

[0343] Step 6. The AMF requests the location information of the target UE from the LMF.

[0344] In some embodiments, the AMF can request the location information of the target UE from the LMF by invoking the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request message.

[0345] In some embodiments, the AMF may include the UE ID (GPSI / SUPI), the required location QoS, the supported GAD shape (sensing area information received in step 1), the notification target address, and the notification related ID in the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request message.

[0346] Step 7. LMF determines the location of the target UE.

[0347] In some embodiments, the LMF may perform a UE-assisted positioning process, a UE-based positioning process, or at least one of a network-assisted positioning process based on parameters received from the AMF, to obtain the UE's location information.

[0348] Step 8. The LMF returns the location of the target UE to the AMF.

[0349] In some implementations, the LMF can return the UE's current location via the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response. If the notification target address and notification-related ID are received in step 6, the LMF responds to the AMF in the Nlmf_location_determineLocation response to indicate that the location result will be sent directly to the SF.

[0350] Step 9. The AMF sends a second response to the SF.

[0351] In some embodiments, the AMF can return a second response to the SF via the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Response.

[0352] In some embodiments, Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfoResponse may include the location information of the target UE received by the AMF.

[0353] In some embodiments, if step 8 includes an indication to send the determined location directly to the SF, the second response may also indicate to the SF to receive the location information of the target UE from the LMF.

[0354] In some embodiments, the content that may be included in the second response can be referred to in the detailed description of the other embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0355] Step 10. LFM sends a third response to SF.

[0356] In some embodiments, if the determined location information will be sent directly to the SF, the LMF can send Nlmf_location_EventNotify directly to the SF based on the received notification target address.

[0357] In some embodiments, Nlmf_Location_EventNotify may include at least one of the following: location success / failure indication, location estimation (i.e., location information), timestamp of location estimation, location method, implemented location QoS accuracy, etc.

[0358] In some embodiments, steps 8 and 9 may be skipped.

[0359] Step 11.SF identifies the sensing entity and / or sensing area.

[0360] In some embodiments, the SF can determine the sensing area, sensing entity, and sensing method of the sensing request based on the location of the target UE received from the AMF or LMF, as well as the sensing QoS and sensing target information contained in the sensing request in step 1.

[0361] Step 12.SF collects sensory data of the determined sensory area from the selected sensory entities.

[0362] In some embodiments, if the UE is selected as the receiver, the SF can send a sensing request to the UE via the selected AMF. The UE can return sensing measurement results, i.e., sensing data, to the SF via the N1 interface and / or the user plane.

[0363] In some embodiments, if a RAN is selected, the SF can send a sensing request to the RAN via the selected AMF. The RAN node can then return the sensing measurement results, i.e., the sensing data, to the SF via the N2 interface and / or the user plane.

[0364] Step 13. Calculate the perception results based on the collected perception data.

[0365] In some embodiments, the SF may send a perception response message, including the perception result, to the NEF, GMLC, or AMF.

[0366] In some embodiments, unless contradictory, the optional implementations in this embodiment can be implemented as independent embodiments, and the optional implementations in this embodiment can also be combined arbitrarily. The technical features of different feasible implementations in this embodiment can be combined to form new optional implementations based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0367] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0368] This application also proposes an apparatus (also referred to as a communication device, etc.) for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is proposed, which includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Furthermore, another apparatus is proposed, which includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0369] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0370] In this application embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0371] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first network element according to an embodiment of this application. The first network element 4100 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4A, the first network element 4100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 4101, a processing module 4102, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4101 is used to receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information, and the sensing target is associated with a terminal; send a first request to a second network element serving the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal; and the processing module 4102 is used to, in response to receiving the location information of the terminal, sense the sensing target based on the location information of the terminal.

[0372] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps (such as S2101, S2102, S2103, S2104, S2109, but not limited thereto) performed by the first network element in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module is used to perform other steps (such as S2110, but not limited thereto) performed by the first network element in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0373] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second network element proposed in an embodiment of this application. The second network element 4200 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4B, the second network element 4200 may include at least one of a transceiver module 4201, a processing module 4202, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4201 is used to receive a first request sent by a first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal; send a positioning request to a fourth network element, wherein the positioning request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

[0374] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps (e.g., S2104, S2105, S2107, S2108, but not limited thereto) performed by the second network element in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the second network element in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0375] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fourth network element proposed in an embodiment of this application. The fourth network element 4300 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4C, the fourth network element 4300 may include at least one of a transceiver module 4301, a processing module 4302, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4301 is used to receive a location request sent by the second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element; the transceiver module 4301 is also used to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element or the second network element.

[0376] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps (e.g., S2105, S2107, S2109, but not limited thereto) performed by the third network element in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps (e.g., step S2106, but not limited thereto) performed by the third network element in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0377] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0378] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module.

[0379] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0380] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 5100 proposed in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 5100 can be a network device (e.g., a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, a fourth network element, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 5100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0381] As shown in Figure 5A, the communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 includes one or more processors 5101. The processor 5101 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 5100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0382] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more transceivers 5103. When the communication device 5100 includes one or more transceivers 5103, the transceiver 5103 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., S2101, S2102, S2103, S2104, S2105, etc., but not limited thereto) in the above method, and the processor 5101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., S2106, S2110, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0383] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more memories 5102 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to invoke instructions stored in the memory 5102 to cause the communication device 5100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, all or part of the memory 5102 may also be located outside the communication device 5100. In an optional embodiment, the communication device 5100 may include one or more interface circuits 5104. Optionally, the interface circuit 5104 is connected to the memory 5102 and can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memory 5102 or other devices, and can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memory 5102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5104 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memory 5102 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 5101.

[0384] The communication device 5100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 5100 described in this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 5100 may not be limited by FIG. 5A. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data, programs and / or instructions; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0385] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 5200 according to an embodiment of this application. For cases where the communication device 5100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 5200 shown in Figure 5B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0386] Chip 5200 includes one or more processors 5201. Chip 5200 is used to perform any of the methods described above.

[0387] In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more interface circuits 5202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more memories 5203 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 5203 may be located outside of chip 5200. Optionally, the interface circuit 5202 is connected to the memories 5203, and the interface circuit 5202 can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memories 5203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 5202 can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memories 5203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5202 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memories 5203 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 5201.

[0388] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 5202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., S2101, S2102, S2103, S2104, etc., but not limited thereto). The interface circuit 5202 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method refers, for example, to the interface circuit 5202 performing data and / or instruction interaction between the processor 5201, the chip 5200, the memory 5203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 5201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., S2106, S2110, but not limited thereto).

[0389] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0390] This application also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0391] This application also proposes a program product, including a program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0392] This application also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A sensing method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a first network element, and the method includes: Receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information, and the sensing target is associated with the terminal; A first request is sent to a second network element serving the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal; In response to receiving the location information from the terminal, the target is perceived based on the location information from the terminal.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The perceived target information includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the terminal; Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Send a second request to a third network element, wherein the second request is used to request a query of the second network element associated with the terminal; Receive a first response sent by the third network element, wherein the first response includes information about the second network element.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The second request includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the terminal; The type of the second network element.

5. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first request includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the terminal; Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal; Location-based Quality of Service (QoS) information; The notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The response to receiving the location information of the terminal includes at least one of the following: In response to receiving the location information of the terminal sent by the second network element; In response to receiving the location information of the terminal sent by the fourth network element.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The method further includes: Receive a second response sent by the second network element, wherein the second response includes at least one of the following: A first indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful; The location information of the terminal; The timestamp of the location information; Location method; QoS accuracy of the location information; The second instruction is used to indicate receiving the location information of the terminal from the fourth network element; The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a third response sent by a fourth network element, wherein the third response includes at least one of the following: A first indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful; The location information of the terminal; The timestamp of the location information; Location method; QoS accuracy of the location information; The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The step of sensing the target based on the location information of the terminal includes: Based on the location information of the terminal and the sensing target information, at least one of the sensing entity and the sensing area is determined, wherein the sensing entity is a sensing sender and / or a sensing receiver; Send a second sensing request to the sensing entity; Based on the perception data returned by the perception entity, the perception result for the perception target is determined.

10. A sensing method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a second network element, and the method includes: Receive a first request sent by a first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal; A location request is sent to a fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The first request and the location request each include at least one of the following: The identifier of the terminal; Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal; Location-based Quality of Service (QoS) information; The notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

12. The method as described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the positioning response sent by the fourth network element, wherein the positioning response includes at least one of the following: A first indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful; The location information of the terminal; The timestamp of the location information; Location method; QoS accuracy of the location information; The third instruction is used to indicate the location information of the terminal, which is sent by the fourth network element to the first network element; The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

13. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second response to the first network element, wherein the second response includes at least one of the following: A first indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful; The location information of the terminal; The timestamp of the location information; Location method; QoS accuracy of the location information; The second instruction is used to indicate receiving the location information of the terminal from the fourth network element; The identifier associated with the notification is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located.

14. A sensing method, characterized in that, The method is executed by the fourth network element, and the method further includes: The system receives a location request sent by a second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element; The location information of the terminal is sent to the second network element or to the first network element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The location request includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the terminal; Regional information, wherein the regional information is associated with the terminal; Location-based Quality of Service (QoS) information; The address information of the first network element; The notification target address is used to identify the address of the network element that sent the first request; The notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, wherein the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the location information of the terminal.

16. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The step of sending the location information of the terminal includes: Send a location response to the second network element, wherein the location response includes at least one of the following: A first indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful; The location information of the terminal; The timestamp of the location information; Location method; QoS accuracy of the location information; The third instruction is used to indicate the location information of the terminal, which is sent by the fourth network element to the first network element; The notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, wherein the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the location information of the terminal.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The step of sending the location information of the terminal includes: Send a third response to the first network element, wherein the third response includes at least one of the following: A first indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate whether the request for the location information of the terminal was successful; The location information of the terminal; The timestamp of the location information; Location method; QoS accuracy of the location information; The notification-associated identifier is used to identify the session or process in which the first request is located, wherein the first request is a request from the first network element to the second network element for the location information of the terminal.

18. A sensing method, the method being used in a communication system, the communication system comprising a terminal, a first network element, a second network element, and a fourth network element, characterized in that, The method includes: The first network element receives a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information, and the sensing target is associated with the terminal; The first network element sends a first request to the second network element serving the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal; The second network element sends a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element; The fourth network element sends the location information of the terminal to the first network element or the second network element; The first network element perceives the target based on the location information of the terminal.

19. A first network element, characterized in that, The first network element includes: The transceiver module is used to receive a first sensing request, wherein the first sensing request includes sensing target information, and the sensing target is associated with the terminal; The transceiver module is further configured to send a first request to a second network element serving the terminal, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal; The processing module is used to respond to receiving the location information of the terminal and to perceive the target based on the location information of the terminal.

20. A second network element, characterized in that, The second network element includes: A transceiver module is used to receive a first request sent by a first network element, wherein the first request is used to request the location information of the terminal. The transceiver module is further configured to send a location request to the fourth network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element.

21. A fourth network element, characterized in that, The fourth network element includes: The transceiver module is used to receive a location request sent by a second network element, wherein the location request is used to request the location information of the terminal, and / or to request the fourth network element to send the location information of the terminal to the first network element; The transceiver module is also used to send the location information of the terminal to the second network element or to the first network element.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: One or more processors; The terminal is used to execute the sensing method according to any one of claims 1-9, or the sensing method according to any one of claims 10-13, or the sensing method according to any one of claims 14-17.

23. A communication system, characterized in that, The system includes a terminal, a first network element, a second network element, and a fourth network element, wherein the first network element is configured to implement the sensing method according to any one of claims 1-9, the second network element is configured to implement the sensing method according to any one of claims 10-13, and the third network element is configured to implement the sensing method according to any one of claims 14-17.

24. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the sensing method as described in any one of claims 1-9, 10-13, and 14-17.

25. A program product comprising at least one of a program and instructions, characterized in that, When at least one of the programs or instructions is executed by a communication device, the sensing method according to any one of claims 1-9, 10-13, and 14-17 is implemented.

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