Communication method, communication apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed in embodiments of the present application are a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a storage medium, used for enabling a network device to accurately inventory an AIoT device. The method in the embodiments of the present application comprises: determining first information, wherein the first information indicates a first field, the first field indicates at least one piece of information of an identifier type, a PLMN ID, an NID, a third-party identifier, a temporary identifier, or identifier information, and the first information is used for instructing to page an Internet of Things device, an Internet of Things device identifier of which comprises the at least one piece of information; and sending the first information. In the embodiments of the present application, because the first information indicates the first field, and the first field indicates the at least one piece of information of the identifier type, the PLMN ID, the NID, the third-party identifier, the temporary identifier, or the identifier information, a first apparatus can flexibly select an Internet of Things device in a specific range, so that the Internet of Things device in the specific range sends the identifier information, thereby avoiding wasting unnecessary radio resources.

Description

Communication methods, communication devices and storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202510391360.7, filed on March 28, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] Internet of Things (IoT) devices can obtain energy from the environment, such as through solar, radio frequency, wind, hydro, or tidal power. This method is called ambient IoT (AIoT).

[0004] Once the ambient IoT function (AIOTF) determines to perform an IoT business operation (such as inventory operation), it can send an inventory request message to an access network device with a reader function. This message contains identification information, which can be understood as a prefix of the AIoT device's identifier.

[0005] However, since AIoT devices include various identification types, how to ensure that network devices can accurately store information about AIoT devices is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, communication device, and storage medium for enabling network devices to accurately store data in AIoT devices.

[0007] This application provides a communication method, optionally, in which the execution entity can be a first device. The first device can be a core network device, a component or device applied to the core network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the core network device's functions (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU)). In this method, the first device determines first information, which indicates a first field. The first field indicates at least one of the following: identification type, Public Land Mobile Network ID (PLMN ID), Network Identifier (NID), third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identification information. The first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes at least one of the following IoT devices: an IoT device. The first device then transmits the first information.

[0008] Based on the first aspect of this application, since the first information indicates the first field, and the first field indicates at least one of the following: identification type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identification, temporary identification, or identification information, the first device can flexibly select a specific range of IoT devices, enabling the specific range of IoT devices to send identification information, thereby avoiding the waste of unnecessary wireless resources.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the first device may also receive a first identifier of the first IoT device, or receive a second identifier of the first IoT device, the second identifier corresponding to the first identifier. The first identifier of the first IoT device includes at least one piece of information. The first identifier may be a permanent identifier, and the second identifier may be a temporary identifier; specific details are not limited here.

[0010] When the identifier of the first IoT device is successfully matched with the first information, the first IoT device can send its own temporary or permanent identifier to the first device to respond to the paging on the network side.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the first information further indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to the first bit in at least one piece of information. The first bit can be some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information. The first bit can be replaced by a first numerical value or a first character. The first numerical value can be an octal number, a decimal number, a hexadecimal number, etc., and is not specifically limited here. The first numerical value can be some or all of the numerical values ​​in at least one piece of information, and the first character can be some or all of the characters in at least one piece of information.

[0012] By indicating a first value, the first device can instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include the corresponding content of the IoT device, thereby identifying the IoT device of a specific target and thus avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the first information further indicates a first offset and / or first length information, wherein the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit, or the first offset is used to indicate the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first bit, and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit, or the first length information is used to indicate the length in the IoT device identifier that matches the first bit. Specifically, the first offset is used to indicate the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first value, and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first value.

[0014] By indicating the first offset and / or the first length information, the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first value is determined, so that the first information can be used to indicate the IoT device whose identifier (or information) at the corresponding position in the IoT device identifier corresponds to (or is the same as) the first value, thereby accurately matching a specific IoT device.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the first device may further determine second information, which indicates a second field. The second field is used to indicate at least one piece of information. If the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier does not include the second field. The first device sends the second information.

[0016] By specifying the second field and the first preset value, IoT devices whose identifiers include the second field can be excluded, thereby avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the first information also indicates the length of the first field, which indicates whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or NID.

[0018] In some possible implementations, when the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from at least one piece of information.

[0019] When the first field to be matched indicates multiple pieces of information, and the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the default is to match the value of the next field (assuming there is an order between the fields). If the sum of the starting position of the first bit and the first length information is greater than the length of the IoT device identifier, the match is considered to have failed. This allows for more efficient matching of IoT device identifiers.

[0020] In some possible implementations, the first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include at least one piece of information.

[0021] By instructing the first rule, the first device can instruct the IoT device that matches every item in the paged IoT device identifier, thereby accurately matching a specific IoT device and avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the first rule also indicates that the value of some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information is a first value.

[0024] In some possible implementations, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a PLMN ID;

[0025] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes an NID;

[0026] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes PLMN ID and NID.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the first device may also receive a first identification range, which is used to determine the first information. The first identification range includes one or more of the following: an identification type range, a PLMN ID range, an NID range, a third-party identification range, or an identification information range.

[0028] In some possible implementations, the first device may also obtain authorization data corresponding to the first application function from the network function. The first device determines at least one matching information based on the authorization data and the second identifier range.

[0029] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution entity of this method may be a first device, which may be a core network device, a component or device applied to the core network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software (e.g., CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the core network device's functions. In this method, the first device determines second information, which indicates a second field. The second field is used to indicate one of at least one piece of information. If the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate that the IoT device identifier does not include the second field. The first device then sends the second information.

[0030] In some possible implementations, the first device may also receive a third identifier of the second IoT device, or a fourth identifier of the second IoT device, the fourth identifier corresponding to the third identifier. The third identifier of the second IoT device does not include the second field.

[0031] In some possible implementations, the second information includes a second value and / or a second offset, wherein the second value is a first preset value, or the second offset is the first preset value.

[0032] A third aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of this method may be a second device, which may be a terminal device, a component or device applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. In this method, the second device receives first information, which indicates a first field. The first field indicates at least one of the following: identification type, Public Land Mobile Network ID (PLMN ID), Network ID (NID), third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identification information. The first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes at least one of the following IoT devices: an IoT device. The second device determines, based on the first information, that the first identifier of the first IoT device includes at least one of the following information.

[0033] In some possible implementations, the second device may also send a first identifier of the first IoT device, or send a second identifier of the first IoT device, the second identifier corresponding to the first identifier. The first identifier may be a permanent identifier, and the second identifier may be a temporary identifier.

[0034] In some possible implementations, the first information further indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to the first bit in at least one piece of information. The first bit can be some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information. The first bit can be replaced by a first numerical value or a first character. The first numerical value can be an octal number, a decimal number, a hexadecimal number, etc., and is not specifically limited here. The first numerical value can be some or all of the numerical values ​​in at least one piece of information, and the first character can be some or all of the characters in at least one piece of information.

[0035] In some possible implementations, the first information further indicates a first offset and / or first length information, wherein the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit, or the first offset is used to indicate the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first bit, and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit, or the first length information is used to indicate the length in the IoT device identifier that matches the first bit. Specifically, the first offset is used to indicate the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first value, and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first value.

[0036] In some possible implementations, the second device may also receive second information indicating a second field, the second field being used to indicate at least one piece of information. If the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier does not include the second field.

[0037] In some possible implementations, the first information also indicates the length of the first field, which indicates whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or NID.

[0038] In some possible implementations, when the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from at least one piece of information.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include at least one piece of information.

[0040] In some possible implementations, the first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the first rule also indicates that the value of some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information is a first value.

[0042] In some possible implementations, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a PLMN ID;

[0043] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes an NID;

[0044] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes PLMN ID and NID.

[0045] In some possible implementations, if the sum of the starting position of the first field and the length of the first bit exceeds the length of the first IoT device identifier, then the first IoT device identifier does not belong to the IoT device identifier that needs to be paged this time, and the second device does not send its own identifier.

[0046] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be the first device described above. The communication device includes modules or units for performing the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0047] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be the second device described above. The communication device includes modules or units for performing the methods described in the second or third aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0048] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be a first device or a second device, or a component applied to the first device or the second device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software (e.g., CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device or the second device. The communication device includes:

[0049] A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0050] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is used to store programs.

[0051] The seventh aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being used to run computer programs or instructions to perform the communication method described in any of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects.

[0052] The communication interface in the chip can be an input / output interface, pins, or circuits.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory storing instructions. The memory can be an internal storage unit of the chip, such as a register or cache, or it can be a storage unit of the chip itself, such as a read-only memory or random access memory.

[0054] The eighth aspect of this application provides a communication system, including communication means for performing the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and communication means for performing the second or third aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] A ninth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the third aspect above.

[0056] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the third aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figures 1 to 3 are schematic diagrams of network architecture embodiments in this application;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the environmental IoT service flow in this application;

[0059] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the environmental IoT service flow in this application;

[0060] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the Internet of Things device identifier in this application;

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0062] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the first rule in this application;

[0063] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0064] Figures 10 to 13 are schematic diagrams of embodiments of the communication device in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0065] First, a brief description of the network architecture on which the embodiments of this application are based:

[0066] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, a core network (CN) 200, and an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0067] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G, or future mobile communication system. RAN 100 can also be an open-radio access network (ORAN), a cloud-radio access network (CRAN), or a Wi-Fi system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0068] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0069] In one possible scenario, access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNodeB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station (BS), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi system, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, radio controller in a CRAN scenario, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be access network equipment in a 5G mobile communication system. For example, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), TRP, or TP in an NR system; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) in a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or, access network equipment can also be network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point. Examples include centralized units (CU), distributed units (DU), centralized unit control planes (CU-CP), centralized unit user planes (CU-UP), or radio units (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units. For example, in remote radio units (RRU), active antenna units (AAU), or remote radio heads (RRH). Alternatively, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).It should be understood that the aforementioned TRP can be a device or module located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. The TRP typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The TRP can also be configured with program instructions for the corresponding communication functions.

[0070] It should be noted that the access network equipment can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned device or apparatus; this application does not impose any specific limitation. It should also be noted that in this application, the term "access network equipment" can refer to the access network equipment itself, or to the chip, functional module, or integrated circuit within the access network equipment that performs the method provided in this application; this application does not impose any specific limitation.

[0071] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart homes, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. Terminals typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. Terminals can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0072] As shown in Figure 2, taking network equipment as the base station and terminal equipment as ambient IoT (AIoT) devices as an example, AIoT can be referred to as passive IoT devices or passive IoT devices, without specific limitations here. AIoT devices can harvest energy from the surrounding environment, such as light energy (solar energy) and radio frequency energy, and convert it into electrical energy for the device's use. This energy harvesting method is usually characterized by low power consumption and high efficiency, enabling the device to operate stably in unattended or power-difficult environments.

[0073] In the architecture shown in Figure 2, AIoT devices and base stations communicate directly. Communication between the base station and the AIoT device includes AIoT data and / or signaling. The base station sending signals to the AIoT device and the base station receiving signals from the AIoT device can be different base stations.

[0074] In the communication process, the base station can be understood as a reader that communicates with the device. Therefore, the downlink communication link between the base station and the AIoT device can also be called a reader-to-device (R2D) link or R2D communication. The uplink communication link between the AIoT device and the base station is called a device-to-reader (D2R) link or D2R communication.

[0075] As shown in Figure 3, taking the network device as the base station and the terminal device as the AIoT device as an example, the AIoT device communicates directly with the intermediate node. The intermediate node transfers the communication information between the base station and the AIoT device. The intermediate node can be a relay node, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a terminal node, or a repeater—any node that enables AIoT communication. When the intermediate node communicates with the base station, it can receive information from the base station and forward it to the AIoT device; conversely, when communicating with the AIoT device, it can receive information from the AIoT device and forward it to the base station.

[0076] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other future communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As those skilled in the art will understand, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0077] The following is a brief introduction to the concepts that may be involved in this application.

[0078] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of the environmental IoT service flow. When an application function (AF) needs to initiate a service operation, it can send a service request to the core network device, such as sending a service request to the network function (NEF), which in turn sends the service request to the environmental IoT function (AIOTF), or directly to the AIOTF. The AIOTF, also known as the IoT function or IoT management function, is primarily responsible for transmitting service data from IoT devices, managing IoT terminals, ensuring the security of IoT terminals, or instructing readers (or controllers) to perform IoT service operations based on the service requester's (or application function's) instructions. The naming of this application embodiment is not limited.

[0079] Business operation types may include, but are not limited to, retrieving IoT device information, inventory operations (or storage operations), read operations, write operations, failure operations, and information interaction operations with IoT devices. Business requests or operation instructions may include regional location information, IoT device identification information, etc. A reader (e.g., an access network device) sends a paging message to the IoT device. The IoT device can perform random access with the access network device, and the IoT device reports its own IoT device identification. For non-inventory operations such as read, write, or failure operations, the core network device can send operation instructions to the IoT device through the access network device. The IoT device retrieves or sends corresponding information according to the instructions. This information is sent to the core network device through the access network device, and the core network can integrate the information (through network open functions) and send it to the application function.

[0080] Specifically, inventory management (also known as stocktaking) involves taking stock of the existing IoT devices, or obtaining their identification information. Each IoT device has its own identifier. These identifiers can be assigned by the enterprise (written into the IoT device when it's printed) or by the operator. In one possible implementation, the identifier can be a globally unique code, such as an electronic product code (EPC), or it can be a temporary identifier or a non-globally unique identifier. During the inventory process, the server can issue inventory instructions. Typically, these instructions include information such as the IoT device's identification range, reader identifier, and location information. Upon receiving the inventory instructions, the reader will perform an inventory check on the IoT devices according to the instructions and send the IoT device's identification information to the server. Alternatively, the server can send an instruction, and the reader can forward this instruction to the IoT devices. The IoT device, upon learning that the instruction is for inventory management, sends its identification information to the reader, which in turn sends the identification information to the server; alternatively, the IoT device sends its identification information to the core network via the reader, which in turn sends the identification information to the server.

[0081] A read operation refers to the process of reading data from an IoT device. IoT devices can have storage capabilities, and their storage areas can store data. If a server wants to perform a read operation on an IoT device, it sends a read command. The reader or core network then performs the read operation according to the command, retrieving data from the IoT device's storage area and sending the data back to the server.

[0082] A write operation is the process of writing data to an IoT device. A server can send a write command, and the reader or core network will then execute the write operation on the IoT device, writing data to its storage area.

[0083] Deactivation is an operation that disables or deactivates IoT devices. A server can send a deactivation command, which may include the IoT device identifier (i.e., the identifier of the IoT device to be deactivated or disabled). The reader or core network then performs the deactivation operation on the IoT device according to the command. After the operation is completed, the IoT device will be deactivated or disabled and cannot be inventoried or subjected to other operations.

[0084] Obtaining IoT device information can be understood as a higher-level description of the various operations mentioned above (such as a higher-level description of inventory and read operations). It does not distinguish whether the server is inventorying IoT devices or reading IoT device data. This operation will obtain IoT device information, which may be the identification information of the IoT device or the information stored in the IoT device's storage area.

[0085] The message interaction operation with IoT devices can be understood as a higher-level description of the various operations mentioned above. After receiving instructions from the server, the reader / writer interacts with the IoT device to exchange information or messages, and sends information from the IoT device back to the server. This operation mainly applies to situations where the reader / writer does not examine the content of the instructions, but only forwards messages sent from the server to the IoT device and messages sent from the IoT device to the server. Therefore, in this scenario, the operation performed by the reader / writer on the IoT device can be understood as a message interaction operation with the IoT device.

[0086] Taking inventory operations as an example, the process of IoT devices performing business operations is shown in Figure 5. The specific steps include:

[0087] 501. AIOTF sends an inventory request message to the access network device.

[0088] Once AIOTF determines that it needs to perform an IoT service operation (such as an inventory operation), it can send an Inventory Request message to an access network device (such as a gNB or AIOT RAN) with a reader function. This message contains mask information, which can be understood as a prefix for the identifier of the AIoT device.

[0089] 502. The access network device sends an inventory response message to AIOTF.

[0090] After receiving the instruction, the access network device can send an Inventory Response message to AIOTF to indicate that the inventory request message has been successfully received.

[0091] 503. The access network device sends a paging message to the AIoT device; optionally, the access network device periodically sends query or queryrep messages.

[0092] Access network devices broadcast this mask information by sending paging messages.

[0093] When an AIoT device determines that the broadcast mask information matches its own identification information (e.g., the mask information and the identification prefix are the same), in one possible implementation, the IoT device can generate a counter or a random number, and decrement the counter or random number by one each time a query or queryRep is detected, until the counter or random number is reduced to 0, at which point step 504 is executed; in another possible implementation, the AIoT device skips steps 504 and 505 and executes step 506 directly.

[0094] 504. AIoT devices execute random access procedures.

[0095] AIoT devices with a counter of 0 can perform random access. The AIoT device sends Msg1 to initiate random access, and Msg1 includes a first identifier. Msg1 is the first message in the random access process, sent by the AIoT device to the access network device. Msg1 can be used to identify the randomly accessing IoT device. After successfully receiving the first identifier from the AIoT device, the access network device executes step 506 to send Msg2. The first identifier can be a random number (RN) or an identification (ID), which is not limited here. For example, a first identifier that is a 16-bit random number is called RN16.

[0096] After sending Msg1, the AIoT device will continuously monitor Msg2, which is the response message to Msg1. It will demodulate and decode each received Msg2. If Msg2 contains the first identifier sent by the AIoT device, the AIoT device will consider that the access network device has received its own Msg1 and determine that the Msg2 is the corresponding Msg2 sent by itself.

[0097] 505. The AIoT device sends an AIOT NAS message to the access network device.

[0098] The AIoT device learns from the received response that it has successfully accessed the network and sends a message to the access network device. This message contains an AIoT non-access stratum (NAS) message, which includes the identifier of the AIoT device.

[0099] 506. Access network devices send inventory reports to AIOTF.

[0100] Access network devices forward AIOT NAS from AIoT devices to AIOTF via inventory reports. AIOTF obtains the identifier of the AIoT device and completes the inventory process.

[0101] Figure 6 illustrates one possible implementation of IoT device identification. IoT device identification includes an ID type and identification information.

[0102] The identifier type can be used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a network identifier. Specifically, the network identifier can include a public land mobile network ID (PLMN ID) and / or a network identifier (NID), or it can be used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a third-party ID, or it can be used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier is in EPC or unstructured format.

[0103] Identification information can be in EPC or unstructured format.

[0104] Optionally, the IoT device identifier may also include domain name information, which may include network identifiers and / or third-party identifiers.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the mask information includes a length L and a value, which can be used to represent a prefix of length L, starting from the first bit of the IoT device identifier, with the value being value. Therefore, the IoT device will determine whether its own identifier's prefix is ​​the same as the prefix indicated by the mask information. If they are the same, it is considered a match, and the device will send the identifier. If they do not match, it is considered not to belong to the range of IoT devices to be inventoried in this batch, and it will not respond to the network.

[0106] Optionally, the mask information may also include an offset to match the bit string in the middle of the IoT identifier. Because the current identifier design allows the network identifier to include the PLMN ID and / or NID, even if the ID type indicates that the identifier includes the network identifier, it is still impossible to further confirm whether it includes the PLMN ID, the NID, or both. The problem at this point is that if the core network wants to accurately inventory IoT devices that only contain the PLMN ID with a value of 460002, it cannot accurately construct a mask.

[0107] Specifically, suppose the mask information is constructed using offset, length information, and value. For example, the mask information is (offset, length, value) = (3, 24 (bits), the bit string corresponding to 460002). In this case, it might be stored in an IoT device identifier that has no PLMN ID but happens to have an NID, or it might be stored in an identifier containing both PLMN and NID, or it might be stored in an IoT device that has no network identifier but whose identifier information's initial bit string corresponds to the same value.

[0108] If the mask information is a prefix, that is, it only contains length information and value, it may also be stored on IoT devices that have no PLMN ID but have NID or contain both PLMN ID and NID.

[0109] If you only want to store some EPC fields, such as the EPC field corresponding to "refrigerator", then because the starting position of EPC is different under different types of IDs, you need to traverse various permutations and combinations.

[0110] In another scenario, if the IoT device stores a temporary ID, it becomes impossible to determine whether a permanent or temporary ID should be used to match the mask information.

[0111] Based on this, this application provides a method. Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application. The method shown in Figure 7 is executed interactively by a first device and a second device. The first device can be a core network device, or a component or device applied to the core network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the core network device's functions. The second device can be a terminal device, or a component or device applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. In this application embodiment, the first device is an AIOTF and the second device is an Internet of Things (IoT) device, as an example for illustration. This method can be applied to the system architecture shown in Figure 4. The method includes:

[0112] 701. The first device determines the first information.

[0113] The first information indicates a first field, which indicates at least one of the following: identifier type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identifier information. The first information is used to indicate that the IoT device identifier includes at least one of these identifiers. Specifically, "the first information is used to indicate that the IoT device identifier includes at least one of these identifiers" can be understood as instructing the access network device to send a paging message to page the IoT device identifier including at least one of these identifiers; or it can be understood as, after the first device sends the first information to the access network device, the access network device will send a paging message containing the first information to page the IoT device identifier including at least one of these identifiers.

[0114] It should be noted that IoT device identifiers include permanent identifiers and / or temporary identifiers. Therefore, the first information can indicate whether an IoT device is being paged if its permanent identifier includes at least one piece of information, whether an IoT device is being paged if its temporary identifier includes at least one piece of information, or whether an IoT device is being paged if the set of permanent and temporary identifiers includes at least one piece of information; the specific method is not limited here.

[0115] The PLMN ID consists of two parts: the mobile country code (MCC) and the mobile network code (MNC).

[0116] The MCC consists of three digits and is used to identify a country. For example, China's mobile country code is 460.

[0117] The MNC (Mobile Network Code) consists of two digits and is used to identify the mobile network operator in a specific country. Different operators may have multiple MNCs.

[0118] A PLMN ID is used to uniquely identify a public terrestrial mobile network, that is, to identify a network composed of access network, core network, and other equipment. The PLMN ID determines which country and operator the network belongs to.

[0119] NID is part of the identifier for a standalone non-public network (SNPN). An SNPN identifier consists of a PLMN ID and an NID. There are two NID allocation models: self-assignment and cooperative assignment. Self-assignment assigns the NID independently by the SNPN during deployment (and therefore may not be unique). Cooperative assignment assigns the NID in two ways: 1) the assigned NID is globally unique, independent of the PLMN ID used; or 2) the assigned NID and PLMN ID combination is globally unique.

[0120] The first information can be understood as identification information used to select a specific IoT device. The IoT device can match its own identifier based on the first information. When the IoT device's identifier successfully matches the first information, the IoT device responds to the network side. In one possible implementation, the first information may include the aforementioned mask information in one form or function.

[0121] In this application, the first information may also be referred to as identification information, matching information, matching rules, filtering information, identification filtering information, or device identification used for paging, etc. The naming of this application embodiment is not limited; any information that can be used to select / filter a specific range of IoT devices can be regarded as the first information in this application.

[0122] In this embodiment of the application, since the first information indicates the first field, and the first field indicates at least one of the following: identification type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identification, temporary identification, or identification information, the first device can flexibly select a specific range of IoT devices, so that the specific range of IoT devices can send identification information, thereby avoiding the waste of unnecessary wireless resources.

[0123] In one possible implementation, the first field can be understood as a set of at least one fields, each of which indicates one of the following: identifier type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identifier information. For example, each of the at least one fields can be represented by a field. For instance, the first field includes... <field1> <field2> <field3>.

[0124] Optionally, one of the at least one fields may be used to indicate both the PLMN ID and the NID.

[0125] In one possible implementation, when the first field is used to indicate the PLMN ID, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID. In this case, if the identifier of an IoT device also includes an NID, it does not match the first information, and the IoT device will not respond to the network side. In this implementation, only IoT devices whose identifier includes the PLMN ID but not the NID can respond to the network side.

[0126] In another possible implementation, when the first field is used to indicate the PLMN ID, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID. In this case, if the identifier of an IoT device also includes an NID, it can be considered to match the first information, and the IoT device can respond to the network side. In this implementation, as long as the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID, the IoT device can respond to the network side.

[0127] In another possible implementation, when the first field is used to indicate the PLMN ID and NID, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes both the PLMN ID and NID. In this case, if the identifier of an IoT device only includes the PLMN ID, or only includes the NID, it can be considered that it does not match the first information, and the IoT device will not respond to the network side.

[0128] For example, the first field includes <field1> <field2> <field3>In this context, field1 indicates the identification type, field2 indicates the PLMN ID, and field3 indicates the identification information. The first information is used to indicate the IoT device that is being paged, including the identification type, PLMN ID, and identification information.

[0129] Optionally, the first information may indicate a first value. This first value can be a bit string, a string, a decimal number, or a hexadecimal number, etc., without specific limitations here. The first value corresponds to the value of the first bit in at least one piece of information, where the first bit may be some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information. For example, the first bit may include all the bits in the PLMN ID, or it may include some of the bits in the PLMN ID.

[0130] It should be noted that the first bit can be replaced by a first numerical value or a first character. The first numerical value can be part or all of the numerical values ​​in at least one piece of information, and the first character can be part or all of the characters in at least one piece of information. For example, the first bit can include all the numerical values ​​in the PLMN ID, or it can include part of the numerical values ​​in the PLMN ID. As another example, the first bit can include all the characters in the identification information, or it can include part of the characters in the identification information. Specific limitations are not specified here.

[0131] The first value can be an octal number, a decimal number, or a hexadecimal number, etc., and there is no specific limitation here.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the IoT device is identified as a bit string, with the first value being a decimal number. This first value is used to represent the decimal number corresponding to some or all of the bits in the bit string.

[0133] In another possible implementation, the IoT device identifier is a decimal number, and the first value is a decimal number, which is used to represent part or all of the values ​​in the IoT device identifier.

[0134] In another possible implementation, the IoT device identifier is a decimal number, and the first value is a bit string. The first value is used to represent the bit string corresponding to some or all of the values ​​in the IoT device identifier.

[0135] The above examples are merely illustrations. In practical applications, the IoT device identifier and the first value can be implemented in other ways. Any information that can be used to match part or all of the identifier content contained in the IoT device identifier can be regarded as the first value in this application.

[0136] In this embodiment of the application, by indicating a first value, the first device can instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include the first bit of the IoT device, thereby identifying the IoT device of a specific target and thus avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0137] It should be noted that the first value can be understood as a set of at least one values, each corresponding one-to-one with at least one field in the first field. Each of these at least one values ​​is used to match part or all of the content in each of the at least one field. For example, each of these at least one values ​​can be represented by the value. For instance, the first value includes... <value1> <value2> <value3>In this context, value1 is used to match part or all of the content in the identifier type, value2 is used to match part or all of the content in the PLMN ID, and value3 is used to match part or all of the content in the identifier information. The first information is used to indicate the IoT device whose paged IoT device identifier includes the corresponding content.

[0138] As an example, the first value includes <value1>value1 = 460002. If the IoT device identifier of an IoT device includes the bit string corresponding to value1, i.e., 1110000010011100010, then the IoT device can respond to the network side.

[0139] As another example, the first value includes <value1>value1 = 460002. If the IoT device identifier of an IoT device includes this value, i.e., 460002, then the IoT device can respond to the network side.

[0140] Optionally, the first information may indicate a first offset and / or a first length.

[0141] Wherein, the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit, or the first offset is used to indicate the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first bit, and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit, or the first length information is used to indicate the length in the IoT device identifier that matches the first bit.

[0142] Specifically, the first offset is used to indicate the starting position in the IoT device identifier that needs to match the first value, or to indicate the difference or offset between the position in the IoT device identifier that needs to match the first value and the starting position corresponding to the first field in the IoT device identifier.

[0143] For example, in an IoT device identifier, the PLMN ID field is a bit string. The first value is the first bit. This first bit is used to match a subset of bits in the PLMN ID. Based on the first offset, the starting position to be matched against this first value is indicated by the position of the PLMN ID field within the IoT device identifier, which is the position one offset forward from the current position. Assuming the starting position of the PLMN ID is the 6th bit in the IoT device identifier, and the first offset is 9, then the position to be matched against the first value is the 15th bit in the IoT device identifier.

[0144] For example, in an IoT device identifier, the PLMN ID field is a bit string. The first value is the first bit. This first bit is used to match a subset of bits in the PLMN ID. The first offset can be used to indicate the difference between the starting position of this subset of bits and the starting position of the PLMN ID field. Assuming the starting position of the PLMN ID is the 6th bit in the IoT device identifier, and the starting position of this subset of bits is the 15th bit in the IoT device identifier, then the first offset is 9 bits.

[0145] Alternatively, the first offset can be described as indicating the first offset bits after the starting position of the PLMN ID field as the starting position that needs to be matched with the first value; the specifics are not limited here.

[0146] For example, if the PLMN ID field in an IoT device identifier is a decimal number, and the first value is the first numerical value, then the first numerical value is used to match a portion of the PLMN ID. The first offset can be used to indicate the difference between the starting position of this portion of the numerical value and the starting position of the PLMN ID field. Assuming the starting position of the PLMN ID is the 6th digit in the IoT device identifier, and the starting position of this portion of the numerical value is the 15th digit in the IoT device identifier, then the first offset is 9.

[0147] Alternatively, the first offset indicates the starting position that needs to be matched with the first value, which is the position one offset forward from the position of the PLMN ID field in the IoT device identifier. If the starting position of the PLMN ID is the 6th digit in the IoT device identifier, and the first offset is 9, then the starting position of this part of the value is the 15th digit in the IoT device identifier, but the specific position is not limited here.

[0148] For example, in the PLMN ID field of an IoT device identifier, which is a bit string, the first value is a first numerical value. The bit string corresponding to the first numerical value is used to match a portion of the bits in the PLMN ID, or the first numerical value is used to match the numerical value corresponding to a portion of the bits in the PLMN ID. The first offset can be used to indicate the difference between the starting position of the portion of bits and the starting position of the PLMN ID field, or it can be used to indicate the difference between the starting position of the portion of numerical value and the starting position of the numerical value corresponding to the PLMN ID field.

[0149] Alternatively, based on the first offset, the starting position to be matched with the bit string corresponding to the first value can be indicated as the position of the first offset after the position of the PLMN ID field in the IoT device identifier, or the starting position to be matched with the first value can be indicated as the position of the first offset after the position of the value corresponding to the PLMN ID field in the IoT device identifier.

[0150] In other words, the first offset can be a bit offset or a numerical offset; there is no specific limitation here.

[0151] It should be noted that the first offset can be understood as a set of at least one offset, which corresponds one-to-one with at least one value in the first value. Each offset in the at least one offset is used to indicate each position in the IoT device identifier that matches each value in the at least one value. For example, each offset in the at least one offset can be represented by an offset. For instance, the first offset includes... <offset1> <offset2> <offset3>Each offset corresponds to a value, which indicates the position in the IoT device identifier that matches that value.

[0152] The first length information is used to indicate the length of the identifier content corresponding to the first value.

[0153] In this embodiment of the application, by indicating the first offset and / or the first length information, the position in the IoT device identifier that matches the first value is determined, so that the first information can be used to indicate the IoT device whose identifier at the corresponding position in the IoT device identifier corresponds to (or is the same as) the first value, thereby accurately matching a specific IoT device.

[0154] It should be noted that the first length information can be understood as a set of at least one length information, which corresponds one-to-one with at least one value in the first value. Each length information in the at least one length information is used to indicate the length of the matched content corresponding to each value in the at least one value. For example, each length information in the at least one length information can be represented by the character "length". For example, the first length information includes... <length1> <length2> <length3>Each length information corresponds to a value, which indicates the length of the identifier content that needs to be matched with that value.

[0155] Based on the above embodiments, one possible format of the first information is: <field> <offset> <length> <value>Or, one possible format for the first information is: <field> <value>Or, one possible format for the first information is: <field> <offset> <value>For example, a field, an offset, a length, and a value constitute a set of information, and the first set of information may include multiple sets of information. In this case, the first set of information is used to indicate the IoT device identifier that matches all of these multiple sets of information.

[0156] Optionally, the first device may further determine second information, which indicates a second field. The second field indicates at least one of the following: identifier type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identifier information (the second field may also indicate both PLMN ID and NID simultaneously). If the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier does not include at least one of the information corresponding to the second field.

[0157] For example, the second information includes a second value or a second offset. The second value corresponds to a portion or all of the content in the second field, and the second offset indicates the matching position of that portion or all of the content. The first preset value can be either the value of the second value or the value of the second offset; no specific limitation is made here.

[0158] For example, the second field indicates the NID, and when the second offset is -1, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier does not include the NID of the IoT device.

[0159] For example, the second field indicates the PLMN ID. When the second value is -1, the first information is used to indicate that the IoT device identifier does not include the PLMN ID.

[0160] The values ​​of the second offset and the second value mentioned above are only examples. In actual applications, the second offset and the second value can have other values. These values ​​can be configured by the network side or predefined by the protocol. No specific limit is set here.

[0161] In this embodiment of the application, by determining the second information, IoT devices whose IoT device identifiers include the second field can be excluded, thereby avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0162] Optionally, the first information can indicate the length of the first field. For example, when the first field is a network identifier, the length of the first field can indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or NID. Specifically, since the PLMN ID and NID have different lengths in the IoT device identifier, indicating the length of the first field can determine whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or NID. For example, the PLMN ID has a length of 24 bits in the IoT device identifier, and the NID has a length of 44 bits. Therefore, if it is necessary to page an IoT device whose IoT device identifier only includes the PLMN ID, the length of the first field is 24 bits; if it is necessary to page an IoT device whose IoT device identifier only includes the NID, the length of the first field is 44 bits; if it is necessary to page an IoT device whose IoT device identifier includes both the PLMN ID and NID, the length of the first field is 68 bits.

[0163] Optionally, when the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from at least one of the information. Specifically, the fields included in the IoT device identifier can be arranged in a predetermined order. For example, the IoT device identifier can be stored in the order of identifier type, PLMN ID (if any), NID (if any), third-party identifier (if any), EPC or unstructured format, and temporary identifier. When the length of the first value to be matched is greater than the length of the first field (e.g., PLMN ID), it can indicate that, except for matching some or all of the bits of the first field, the values ​​of subsequent fields continue to be matched. If the sum of the starting position to be matched with the first bit and the first length information is greater than the length of the IoT device identifier, the match is considered to have failed. For example, if the length of the IoT device identifier is 100 bits, the starting position to be matched with the first bit is the 50th bit of the IoT device identifier. The first length information is 60 bits. That is, the IoT device needs to match the value of the 60 bits after the 50th bit of the IoT device identifier with the first bit. Since the IoT device identifier only has 50 bits after the 50th bit, there are no 60 bits to match, so the match is considered to have failed.

[0164] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include at least one piece of information.

[0165] For example, Figure 8 illustrates one possible implementation of the first rule. The first rule comprises 12 bits, with each 2 bits corresponding to one of the following: PLMN ID, NID, third-party identifier, EPC, unstructured format, or temporary identifier. That is:

[0166] Bits 1-2: Used to indicate whether a PLMN ID is included and whether a match is required.

[0167] Bits 3-4: Used to indicate whether an NID is included and whether a match is required.

[0168] Bits 5-6: Used to indicate whether a third-party identifier is included and whether it needs to be matched.

[0169] Bits 7-8: Used to indicate whether an EPC is included and whether a match is required.

[0170] Bits 9-10: Used to indicate whether unstructured formats are included and whether matching is required.

[0171] Bits 11-12: Used to indicate whether a temporary identifier is included and whether a match is required.

[0172] It should be noted that the above first rule is only an example. In practical applications, the first rule can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the first rule includes 6 bits, each bit corresponding to one of the following information: PLMN ID, NID, third-party identifier, EPC, unstructured format or temporary identifier. The specific implementation is not limited here.

[0173] As an example, the first and second bits are used to indicate the PLMN ID. If these two bits are "00", the IoT device identifier of the IoT device to be paged does not include the PLMN ID; if these two bits are "01", the IoT device identifier of the IoT device to be paged may or may not include the PLMN ID; if these two bits are "10", the IoT device identifier of the IoT device to be paged includes the PLMN ID, but does not need to match a specific value; if these two bits are "11", the IoT device identifier of the IoT device to be paged includes the PLMN ID, and it needs to match the corresponding value. That is, when these two bits are "11", the first rule also indicates that the value of some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information is the first value.

[0174] In this embodiment of the application, by indicating a first rule, the first device can indicate an IoT device that matches every item in the paged IoT device identifier, thereby accurately matching a specific IoT device and thus avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0175] Optionally, the first information may indicate a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information. Specifically, the first value includes multiple values, for example, the first value includes... <value1> <value2> <value3>In this context, the bit string corresponding to value1 is part or all of the bits in the PLMN ID, the bit string corresponding to value2 is part or all of the bits in the NID, and the bit string corresponding to value3 is part or all of the bits in the EPC. The first information is used to indicate the IoT device whose pager identifier includes the corresponding bit string.

[0176] For example, if the first rule indicates 110101010101 and value1 = 001002, then the first rule indicates that the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID, and the PLMN ID needs to match an IoT device with a value of 001002. Other fields of the identifier may or may not be present.

[0177] For example, if the first rule indicates 110000010101 and value1 = 001002, then the first rule indicates that the paged IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID. The PLMN ID must match the value 001002, and this identifier cannot contain IoT devices with NIDs or third-party identifiers. There are no restrictions on whether the identifier information contains EPC or unstructured values.

[0178] For example, if the first rule indicates 110011010101, value1 = 001002, and value2 = 888, then the first rule indicates that the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and the third-party identifier, but does not include the NID. The PLMN ID must match a value of 001002, and the third-party identifier must match an IoT device with a value of 888. There are no restrictions on whether the identifier information contains EPC or unstructured values.

[0179] In this embodiment of the application, by indicating a first rule and a first value, the first device can indicate an IoT device whose paged IoT device identifier includes a specific bit string, thereby accurately matching a specific IoT device and thus avoiding the waste of wireless resources.

[0180] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a PLMN ID;

[0181] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes an NID;

[0182] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes PLMN ID and NID.

[0183] 702. The first device sends first information to the second device. Correspondingly, the second device receives the first information from the first device.

[0184] The second device receives first information from the first device and determines, based on the first information, whether the identifier of the first IoT device includes at least one piece of information. The first IoT device is the second device.

[0185] Specifically, the first device sending the first information to the second device can be achieved by the first device sending the first information to the second device through an access network device (or a reader). Similarly, the second device receiving the first information from the first device can also be achieved by the second device receiving the first information from the first device through an access network device (or a reader).

[0186] If the identifier of the first IoT device includes at least one of the information items, and matches the first value, first offset (if included), and first length information (if included) indicated in the first information, then step 703 is executed. The method for determining whether a match exists can be referred to step 701 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0187] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG7 further includes step 703. Step 703 may be performed after step 702.

[0188] 703. The second device sends the identifier of the first IoT device to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device receives the identifier of the first IoT device from the second device.

[0189] If the first identifier of the first IoT device matches the first information, then the second device sends the first identifier of the first IoT device to the first device, or the second device sends the second identifier of the first IoT device to the first device. The first IoT device is the second device. The first identifier can be a permanent identifier, and the second identifier can be a temporary identifier. The second identifier corresponds to the first identifier.

[0190] It should be noted that the identifier of the first IoT device is sent to the first device by the second device via an AIoT NAS message.

[0191] In some possible implementations, if the sum of the starting position of the first field and the length of the first bit exceeds the length of the first IoT device identifier, then the first IoT device identifier does not belong to the IoT device identifier that needs to be paged this time, and the second device does not send its own identifier.

[0192] Optionally, the first device may also receive a third identifier of the second IoT device, or a fourth identifier of the second IoT device, wherein the fourth identifier corresponds to the third identifier. The third identifier of the second IoT device does not include the second field.

[0193] Specifically, the first device instructs the access network device to send a paging message, which includes second information for paging IoT devices whose IoT device identifier does not include the second field. A description of the second information can be found in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here. Based on the second information, the second IoT device determines that its identifier does not include the second field, and in response to the paging message, sends either its third identifier or its fourth identifier to the first device. The third identifier can be a permanent identifier, and the fourth identifier can be a temporary identifier, corresponding to the third identifier.

[0194] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG7 further includes step 700a. Step 700a may be performed before step 701.

[0195] 700a, The first device receives the first identifier range.

[0196] Specifically, the first device receives a first identifier range from the AF via the NEF. The first identifier range may include one or more of the following: identifier type range, PLMN ID range, NID range, third-party identifier range, or identifier information range. The first device determines whether the range of the field is permitted based on the authorization data from the AF. If permitted, the first device converts the range of each field into first information.

[0197] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG7 further includes step 700b. Step 700b may be performed before step 701.

[0198] 700b. The first device acquires the authorization data corresponding to the first application function.

[0199] The first device receives an inventory request from the AF via NEF. This inventory request may not contain an identifier range, or it may contain identifier range information; or the inventory request may contain complete or partial identifier information (e.g., a prefix or identifier range). The first device obtains the authorization data corresponding to the first application function from the AIoT data management (ADM) and determines one or more fields from the identifier type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identifier, EPC, or unstructured format identifier of the IoT device corresponding to the AF that can perform business operations. Alternatively, if the inventory request includes a second identifier range (the second identifier range may be the range information of identifier information), the first device can determine whether the range information is allowed based on the authorization data corresponding to the first application function.

[0200] Specifically, the first device can determine the first information based on the authorized data corresponding to the first application function, or it can determine the first information based on the first application function and the second identifier range; the specific determination is not limited here.

[0201] The method by which the first device determines the first information has been described above. Below, referring to Figure 9, the process of AIoT devices performing business operations is described using inventory operations as an example. This process includes:

[0202] 901. The application function sends an inventory request message to the network function.

[0203] The AF sends a disk storage request message to the NEF, which includes the identifier range for disk storage. This identifier range can be a first identifier range or a second identifier range, and is not limited here. The description of the first and second identifier ranges can be found in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0204] 902. The network device sends a disk storage request message to AIOTF.

[0205] NEF sends a disk storage request message to AIOTF, which includes a disk storage identifier range. This identifier range can be a first identifier range or a second identifier range, and is not limited here. The description of the first and second identifier ranges can be found in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0206] 903. AIOTF determines the first information and / or the second information. Optionally, AIOTF can obtain the authorization data corresponding to the AF through ADM, and determine the first information and / or the second information based on the authorization data corresponding to the AF. The ADM can be used to manage the configuration data (e.g., profile data) or subscription data (e.g., subscription) of AIoT devices.

[0207] In one possible implementation, the AIOTF can determine the first information based on the authorization data of the AF obtained from the ADM. The AIOTF can be the first device in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and the method by which the AIOTF determines the first information can be referred to the embodiment shown in Figure 7, but is not specifically limited here.

[0208] In another possible implementation, AIOTF can determine the second information based on the authorization data of AF obtained by ADM. Here, AIOTF can be the first device in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and the method by which AIOTF determines the second information can be referred to the embodiment shown in Figure 7, but is not specifically limited here.

[0209] In another possible implementation, AIOTF can determine the first and second information based on the authorization data of AF obtained by ADM.

[0210] 904. AIOTF sends first and / or second information to the access network device via inventory request messages.

[0211] 905. The access network device sends an inventory response message to AIOTF.

[0212] 906. The access network device sends (e.g., broadcast) a paging message, wherein the paging message includes first information and / or second information. Optionally, the access network device periodically sends query or queryrep messages.

[0213] Optionally, 907, AIoT devices perform a random access procedure.

[0214] Steps 904 to 907 in this embodiment are similar to steps 501 to 504 shown in Figure 5 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0215] 908. The AIoT device responding to the paging message sends the identifier of the first IoT device to AIOTF.

[0216] Step 908 in this embodiment is similar to step 703 in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0217] 909. AIOTF performs security authentication, identification filtering and other operations through ADM.

[0218] If the identifier of the first IoT device sent by the AIoT device is a temporary identifier, then AIOTF can obtain the permanent identifier corresponding to the temporary identifier and send the permanent identifier to NEF in step 910. In other words, if the identifier of the first IoT device sent by the AIoT device to AIOTF in step 908 is a temporary identifier, then AIOTF can obtain the permanent identifier corresponding to the temporary identifier, and the identifier of the first IoT device sent by AIOTF to NEF in step 910 includes the permanent identifier corresponding to the temporary identifier.

[0219] 910. AIOTF sends the identifier of the first IoT device to NEF.

[0220] AIOTF sends the identifiers of the stored IoT devices to NEF, including the identifier of the first IoT device. Optionally, AIOTF can aggregate the identifiers of multiple AIoT devices before sending them.

[0221] 911. NEF sends the identifier of the first IoT device to AF.

[0222] AIOTF sends the identifiers of the stored IoT devices to NEF, including the identifier of the first IoT device.

[0223] The communication method in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The communication device in the embodiments of this application is described below. Referring to Figure 10, the communication device 1000 can be used to execute the process performed by the first device in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 1000 can be a core network device, or a component or device applied to the core network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the core network device functions.

[0224] The communication device 1000 includes an interface module 1001 and a processing module 1002.

[0225] The processing module 1002 is used for data processing. The interface module 1001 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 1001 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0226] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 1002 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 1000 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0227] The communication device 1000 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be the first device, a communication module within the first device, or a circuit or chip in the first device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 1000 can be the first device or a component configurable within the first device. The processing module 1002 is used to perform processing-related operations on the first device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 1001 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the first device side in the above method embodiments.

[0228] Optionally, the interface module 1001 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0229] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by the communication device 1000 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 1000 is used to execute the actions performed by the first device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0230] For example, the communication device 1000 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0231] Processing module 1002 is used to determine first information, the first information indicating a first field, the first field indicating at least one of the following: identification type, PLMN ID, NID, third-party identification, temporary identification, or identification information; the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identification includes at least one of the following IoT devices.

[0232] Interface module 1001 is used to send the first information.

[0233] In one possible implementation, interface module 1001 is also used to receive the first identifier of the first IoT device;

[0234] or,

[0235] Receive the second identifier of the first IoT device, the second identifier corresponding to the first identifier;

[0236] The first identifier of the first IoT device includes at least one piece of information.

[0237] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to the first bit in at least one piece of information, and the first bit is some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information.

[0238] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first offset and / or first length information, wherein the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit.

[0239] In another possible implementation, the processing module 1002 is further configured to determine second information, the second information indicating a second field, the second field indicating at least one piece of information, and if the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier does not include the second field;

[0240] Interface module 1001 is also used to send a second message.

[0241] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates the length of the first field, which indicates whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or NID.

[0242] In another possible implementation, when the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from at least one piece of information.

[0243] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include at least one piece of information.

[0244] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information.

[0245] In another possible implementation, the first rule also indicates that some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information have the first value.

[0246] In another possible implementation, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a PLMN ID;

[0247] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes an NID;

[0248] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes PLMN ID and NID.

[0249] In another possible implementation, the interface module 1001 is further configured to receive a first identifier range, which is used to determine the first information. The first identifier range includes one or more of the following: identifier type range, PLMN ID range, NID range, third-party identifier range, or identifier information range.

[0250] In another possible implementation, interface module 1001 is also used to obtain authorization data corresponding to the first application function;

[0251] The processing module 1002 is also used to determine the first information based on the authorized data, or to determine the first information based on the authorized data and the second identifier range.

[0252] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0253] The processing module 1002 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The interface module 1001 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 1001 can also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0254] The following is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 11, the communication device can be used to execute the process performed by the second device in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 1100 can be an AIoT device, or a component or device applied to an AIoT device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of an AIoT device.

[0255] The communication device 1100 includes an interface module 1101. Optionally, a processing module 1102.

[0256] The processing module 1102 is used for data processing. The interface module 1101 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 1101 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0257] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 1102 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 1100 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0258] The communication device 1100 can be used to perform the actions performed by the second device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be the second device, a communication module within the second device, or a circuit or chip in the second device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 1100 can be the second device or a component configurable within the second device. The processing module 1102 is used to perform processing-related operations on the second device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 1101 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the second device side in the above method embodiments.

[0259] Optionally, interface module 1101 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0260] It should be noted that the communication device 1100 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by the communication device 1100 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 1100 is used to execute the actions performed by the second device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, which will not be elaborated here.

[0261] For example, the communication device 1100 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0262] Interface module 1101 is used to receive first information, the first information indicating a first field, the first field indicating at least one of the following: identifier type, public land mobile network identifier PLMN ID, network identifier NID, third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identifier information; the first information is used to indicate that the first identifier of the paging IoT device includes at least one of the following IoT devices.

[0263] The processing module 1102 is used to determine, based on the first information, that the identifier of the first Internet of Things device includes at least one piece of information.

[0264] In one possible implementation, interface module 1101 is also used to send the first identifier of the first IoT device;

[0265] or,

[0266] Send the second identifier of the first IoT device, which corresponds to the first identifier.

[0267] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to the first bit in at least one piece of information, and the first bit is some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information.

[0268] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first offset and / or first length information, wherein the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit.

[0269] In another possible implementation, the interface module 1101 is also used to receive second information, the second information indicating a second field, the second field indicating at least one piece of information, and if the second information includes a first preset value, the second information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier does not include the second field of the IoT device.

[0270] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates the length of the first field, which indicates whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or NID.

[0271] In another possible implementation, when the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from at least one piece of information.

[0272] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging IoT device identifier to include at least one piece of information.

[0273] In another possible implementation, the first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information.

[0274] In another possible implementation, the first rule also indicates that some or all of the bits in at least one piece of information have the first value.

[0275] In another possible implementation, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes a PLMN ID;

[0276] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes an NID;

[0277] Alternatively, the identifier type is used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes PLMN ID and NID.

[0278] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0279] Optionally, when the communication device 1100 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the processing module 1102 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip. The interface module 1101 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 1101 may also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0280] Optionally, when the communication device 1100 is a circuit or chip in a terminal device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1102 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processing cores. The function of the interface module 1101 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0281] The following describes a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device may be the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, or it may be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first device or the second device in implementing the above methods. This communication device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and for details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0282] The communication device may include one or more processors 1201, which are connected to a memory 1202, an input / output unit 1203, and a bus 1204. The processor 1201 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., base station, baseband chip, terminal, terminal chip, DU or CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0283] Optionally, the communication device may include one or more memories 1202, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1201 to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1202 may also store data. The processor 1201 and the memories 1202 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0284] Optionally, the communication device may also include a transceiver and an antenna. A transceiver, also called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, is used to implement transmission and reception functions. A transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter; the receiver, also called a receiver circuit, is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter, also called a transmitter or transmitting circuit, is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0285] In another possible design, the processor 1201 may include a transceiver for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0286] In another possible design, the processor 1201 may optionally store instructions that, when executed, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The instructions may be stored in the processor 1201; in this case, the processor 1201 may be implemented in hardware.

[0287] In another possible design, the communication device may include a circuit that can perform the transmitting or receiving or communication functions of the first or second device in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application embodiment can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0288] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a first device or a second device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited to FIG12. The communication device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0289] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0290] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0291] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0292] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0293] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.

[0294] (6) Others, etc.

[0295] For communication devices that can be chips or chip systems, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 13. The chip 1300 shown in Figure 13 includes a processor 1301 and an interface 1302. Optionally, it may also include a memory 1303. The number of processors 1301 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1302 can be multiple.

[0296] For cases where the chip is used to implement the functions of the first or second device in the embodiments of this application:

[0297] The interface 1302 is used to receive or output signals;

[0298] The processor 1301 is used to perform data processing operations of the first device or the second device.

[0299] It should also be understood that the above naming is defined solely for the purpose of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of using other names in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in future communication networks, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may retain the names used in 5G, or they may adopt other names, etc.

[0300] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the communication device given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0301] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0302] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAK are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0303] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium may be a non-volatile storage medium.

[0304] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0305] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0306] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0307] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0308] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0309] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0310] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0311] The embodiments described in this application are merely some, not all, of the embodiments described herein. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments described herein without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0312] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as used in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0313] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. < / value2> < / value1> < / value> < / offset> < / field> < / value> < / field> < / value> < / length> < / offset> < / field> < / length2> < / length1> < / offset2> < / offset1> < / value2> < / value1> < / field2> < / field1> < / field2> < / field1>

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Determine first information, the first information indicating a first field, the first field indicating at least one of the following: identifier type, public terrestrial mobile network identifier (PLMN ID), network identifier (NID), third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identifier information, the first information being used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes the at least one of the following IoT devices; Send the first message. The method of claim 1, wherein The method further includes: Receive the first identifier of the first IoT device; or, Receive the second identifier of the first IoT device, wherein the second identifier corresponds to the first identifier; The first identifier of the first IoT device includes at least one of the aforementioned pieces of information. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to a first bit in the at least one piece of information, where the first bit is some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first information also indicates a first offset and / or first length information, wherein the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further includes: Determine the second information, the second information indicating the second field, the second field indicating the at least one piece of information, and if the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate paging the IoT device identifier that does not include the second field; Send the second message. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first information also indicates the length of the first field, which indicates whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or the NID. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that When the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from the at least one piece of information. The method of claim 1, wherein The first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging of the IoT device identifier to include the at least one of the information. The method of claim 8, wherein The first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information. The method of claim 9, wherein The first rule also indicates that some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information are of the first value. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The identifier type is used to indicate whether the PLMN ID is included in the IoT device identifier; Alternatively, the identifier type may be used to indicate whether the NID is included in the IoT device identifier; Alternatively, the identifier type may be used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and the NID. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The method further includes: Receive a first identifier range, which is used to determine the first information. The first identifier range includes one or more of the following: identifier type range, PLMN ID range, NID range, third-party identifier range, or identifier information range. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The method further includes: Obtain the authorization data corresponding to the first application function; The first information is determined based on the authorized data, or the first information is determined based on the authorized data and the second identifier range. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Receive first information, the first information indicating a first field, the first field indicating at least one of the following: identification type, public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID), network identifier (NID), third-party identifier, temporary identifier, or identification information, the first information being used to indicate that the paging IoT device identifier includes the at least one of the above-mentioned information; The first identifier of the first IoT device, determined based on the first information, includes at least one of the aforementioned pieces of information. The method of claim 14, wherein The method further includes: Send the first identifier; or, Send the second identifier of the first IoT device, which corresponds to the first identifier. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to a first bit in the at least one piece of information, where the first bit is some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information. The method of claim 16, wherein The first information also indicates a first offset and / or first length information, wherein the first offset is used to indicate the matching position of the first bit and the first length information is used to indicate the length of the first bit. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that The method further includes: Receive second information, the second information indicating a second field, the second field indicating the at least one piece of information, if the second information includes a first preset value, then the second information is used to indicate paging the IoT device identifier that does not include the second field. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that The first information also indicates the length of the first field, which indicates whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and / or the NID. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that When the matching length corresponding to the first field is greater than the length of the first field, the first information is used to indicate that the IoT device identifier includes multiple pieces of information from the at least one piece of information. The method of claim 14, wherein The first information also indicates a first rule, which is used to instruct the paging of the IoT device identifier to include the at least one of the information. The method of claim 21, wherein The first information also indicates a first value, which is the value corresponding to some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information. The method of claim 22, wherein The first rule also indicates that some or all of the bits in the at least one piece of information are of the first value. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 23, characterized in that The identifier type is used to indicate whether the PLMN ID is included in the IoT device identifier; Alternatively, the identifier type may be used to indicate whether the NID is included in the IoT device identifier; Alternatively, the identifier type may be used to indicate whether the IoT device identifier includes the PLMN ID and the NID. A communication device, characterized by It includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 24. A communication device, characterized by include: A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by A computer program product comprising computer programs or instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 14 to 24 to be performed. A computer program product, characterized in that A computer program product comprising computer programs or instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 14 to 24 to be performed.

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