EP-4742785-A1 - LOCATION MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

EP4742785A1EP 4742785 A1EP4742785 A1EP 4742785A1EP-4742785-A1

Abstract

Embodiments of this application provide a location management method and an apparatus. A first core network device obtains a terminal identifier of a first terminal device, and determines, based on the terminal identifier, to perform location management on the first terminal device; determines an area identity set for performing the location management; and sends the area identity set to the first terminal device. In this solution, after obtaining the terminal identifier of the first terminal device, the first core network device sends, to the first terminal device only when determining to perform the location management on the first terminal device, the area identity set for performing the location management. In this way, a core network can perform the location management on a terminal device based on a requirement instead of blindly performing the location management on all terminals, so that network overheads can be reduced, and location management efficiency can be improved.

Inventors

XU, Yishan
ZHOU, Runze
HAN, Zhilin

Assignees

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240704

Claims (20)

A location management method, applied to a first core network device, wherein the method comprises: obtaining a terminal identifier of a first terminal device, and determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform location management on the first terminal device; determining an area identity set for performing the location management; and sending the area identity set to the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device comprises: obtaining subscription data of the first terminal device from a second core network device based on the terminal identifier, wherein the subscription data comprises at least one of first information, second information, or capability information of the terminal device, the first information indicates that the location management needs to be performed on the first terminal device, the second information indicates that the first service requester needs the location management, the first service requester is a service requester that manages the first terminal device, and the capability information of the first terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports the location management; and determining, based on the subscription data, to perform the location management on the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the terminal identifier of the first terminal device comprises: receiving a first message, wherein the first message comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device and capability information of the first terminal device, and the capability information of the first terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports the location management; and the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device comprises: obtaining subscription data of the first terminal device from a second core network device based on the terminal identifier, wherein the subscription data comprises first information and/or second information, the first information indicates that the location management needs to be performed on the first terminal device, the second information indicates that the first service requester needs the location management, and the first service requester is a service requester that manages the first terminal device; and determining, based on the subscription data and the capability information of the first terminal device, to perform the location management on the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the terminal identifier of the first terminal device comprises: receiving a first message, wherein the first message comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device and capability information of the first terminal device, and the capability information of the first terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports the location management; and the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device comprises: determining, based on the terminal identifier and the capability information of the first terminal device, to perform the location management on the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first message is a first registration request message; and the sending the area identity set to the first terminal device comprises: sending a first registration accept message to the first terminal device, wherein the first registration accept message indicates that the first terminal device is successfully registered, the first registration accept message comprises the area identity set, and an area indicated by the area identity set is a registration area allocated by the first core network device to the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein before the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device, the method further comprises: obtaining information locally configured in the first core network device, wherein the information configured locally in the first core network device comprises at least one of a terminal device list, a service requester list, and capability information of the first terminal device, the terminal device list indicates a terminal device on which the location management needs to be performed, the terminal device list comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device, the service requester list indicates a service requester that needs the location management, the service requester list comprises an identifier of a first service requester, the first service requester is a service requester that manages the first terminal device, and the capability information of the first terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports the location management; and the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device comprises: determining, based on the terminal identifier and the information locally configured in the first core network device, to perform the location management on the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein before the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device, the method further comprises: receiving a second message from a first service requester, wherein the second message comprises first information and/or second information, the first information indicates that the location management needs to be performed on the first terminal device, the second information indicates that the first service requester requests the location management, and the first service requester is a service requester that manages the first terminal device; and the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device comprises: determining, based on the terminal identifier, and the first information and/or the second information, to perform the location management on the first terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining second location information, wherein the second location information indicates an area for performing the location management; the obtaining the terminal identifier of the first terminal device comprises: receiving the terminal identifier of the first terminal device from a first access network device; and the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device further comprises: determining first location information based on location information of the first access network device, wherein the first location information indicates an area in which the first terminal device is located; and determining, based on the first location information and the second location information, that the first terminal device is located in the area for performing the location management.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a preset route of the first terminal device; and the determining the area identity set for performing the location management comprises: determining, based on an area that covers a part or all of the preset route, the area identity set for performing the location management, wherein the area identity set comprises an area identity of the area that covers the part or all of the preset route.
The method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the terminal identifier of the first terminal device from a second access network device; determining, based on location information of the second access network device, the area in which the first terminal device is located; if the area in which the first terminal device is located does not belong to an area on the preset route, determining that the first terminal device deviates from the preset route; and sending third information to the first service requester, wherein the third information indicates that a location of the first terminal device is abnormal, and the first service requester is the service requester that manages the first terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining first time information, wherein the first time information indicates a time period for performing the location management; and the determining, based on the terminal identifier, to perform the location management on the first terminal device further comprises: determining, based on the terminal identifier when a current time point is within the time period indicated by the first time information, to perform the location management on the first terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining location information of a target location and second time information, wherein the second time information indicates a time point at which the first terminal device arrives at the target location; determining whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information; and if the first terminal device does not arrive at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information, sending fourth information to the first service requester, wherein the fourth information indicates that the location of the first terminal device is abnormal, and the first service requester is the service requester that manages the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 12, wherein the determining whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information comprises: sending paging information to one or more access network devices by the time point indicated by the second time information, wherein the paging information indicates to page the first terminal device, and the paging information comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device; receiving the terminal identifier of the first terminal device from a third access network device, and determining that the first terminal device is located in an area corresponding to location information of the third access network device; and determining, based on the location information of the third access network device and the location information of the target location, whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information; the determining whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information comprises: sending, by the time point indicated by the second time information, paging information to one or more access network devices corresponding to the target location, wherein the paging information indicates to page the first terminal device, and the paging information comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device; and determining, depending on whether the terminal identifier of the first terminal device is received from any one of the one or more access network devices corresponding to the target location, whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information; or the area identity set does not comprise an area identity of an area that covers the target location; and the determining whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information comprises: receiving the terminal identifier of the first terminal device from a third access network device; determining, based on location information of the third access network device, that the area in which the first terminal device is located is the area that covers the target location; and determining, based on the current time point and the second time information, whether the first terminal device arrives at the target location by the time point indicated by the second time information.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining third time information, wherein the third time information indicates preset duration; determining that the first terminal device is located at a same location for more than the preset duration; and sending fifth information to the first service requester, wherein the fifth information indicates that the location of the first terminal device is abnormal, and the first service requester is the service requester that manages the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 14, wherein the determining that the first terminal device is located at the same location for more than the preset duration comprises: sending the paging information to the one or more access network devices, wherein the paging information is for paging the first terminal device, and the paging information comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device; and if duration of receiving the terminal identifier of the first terminal device from a same access network device a plurality of consecutive times exceeds the preset duration, determining that the first terminal device is located at the same location for more than the preset duration; the determining that the first terminal device is located at the same location for more than the preset duration comprises: periodically sending the paging information to the one or more access network devices based on the preset duration, wherein the paging information is for paging the first terminal device, and the paging information comprises the terminal identifier of the first terminal device; and if the terminal identifier of the first terminal device is received from a same access network device a plurality of times, determining that the first terminal device is located at the same location for more than the preset duration; or the area identity set comprises an area identity of an area that covers the part of the preset route; and the determining that the first terminal device is located at the same location for more than the preset duration comprises: if for more than the preset duration, the terminal identifier of the first terminal device is not received from any access network device outside the area represented by the area identity set, determining that the first terminal device is located at the same location for more than the preset duration.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the second message is a service subscription request message, and the service subscription request message indicates the first core network device to provide a location management service for the first terminal device or a terminal device managed by the first service requester.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the method further comprises: sending, to a third core network device, charging information corresponding to the location management, wherein the charging information comprises at least one of the following: event type information, indicating an event corresponding to the location management; a quantity of area identities for performing the location management; duration of performing the location management; a quantity of times the location management is performed; and a quantity of terminal devices on which the location management is performed.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a third message from the first service requester, wherein the third message indicates to stop performing the location management on the first terminal device; and sending sixth information and/or seventh information to the first terminal device based on the third message, wherein the sixth information indicates the first terminal device to remove the area identity set, and the seventh information indicates that the first terminal device does not need to update a network on the location of the first terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a second registration request message from a second terminal device, wherein the second registration request message comprises a terminal identifier of the second terminal device; determining, based on the terminal identifier of the second terminal device, not to perform the location management on the second terminal device; and sending a second registration accept message to the second terminal device, wherein the second registration accept message indicates that the second terminal device is successfully registered, and an area identity in the second registration accept message is null or a default area identity.
A location management method, applied to a first core network device, and comprising: receiving a second registration request message from a second terminal device, wherein the second registration request message comprises a terminal identifier of the second terminal device; determining, based on the terminal identifier of the second terminal device, not to perform location management on the second terminal device; and sending a second registration accept message to the second terminal device, wherein the second registration accept message indicates that the second terminal device is successfully registered, and an area identity in the second registration accept message is null or a default area identity.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310952525.4, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on July 31, 2023 and entitled "LOCATION MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a location management method and an apparatus. BACKGROUND Currently, a mobile network may use a tracking area (tracking area, TA) to perform location management on a terminal device: The mobile network is divided into a plurality of TAs, a plurality of geographically close cells may be assigned to a same TA, and different TAs are distinguished by using different tracking area identities (tracking area identities, TAIs). After the terminal device is registered with the network, a network device responsible for mobility management determines a registration area (registration area, RA) for the terminal device based on radio access network device connected to the network device, TAs included in a management range of the network device, and the like. The RA may include one or more TAs, and the RA may be a TAI list in a representation form. The TAI list is delivered to the terminal device, and the terminal device stores the TAI list. When a TAI detected by the terminal device in a cell broadcast message is included in the TAI list, it indicates that the terminal device moves in the registration area, and the terminal device may not update the network on a location of the terminal device. When a TAI detected by the terminal device in a cell broadcast message is not included in the TAI list, it indicates that the terminal device moves out of the registration area, and the terminal device may initiate a tracking area update procedure or a mobility registration update procedure, to notify the network device responsible for the mobility management that the terminal device has left the registration area, so that the network device responsible for the mobility management configures a new registration area for the terminal device. In an internet of things technology, for example, a passive internet of things (passive IoT, P-IoT) or ambient power-enabled internet of things (ambient IoT, A-IoT) technology, the terminal device may be active (active), passive (passive), or semi-passive (semi-passive). A passive or semi-passive terminal device does not have a capability of active communication, and can perform communication only under network excitation. Therefore, in an internet of things, not all terminals necessarily support the foregoing location management manner. How to perform the location management on the terminal device in the internet of things is an urgent problem to be resolved. SUMMARY Embodiments of this application provide a location management method and an apparatus, to perform location management on a terminal device in an internet of things, so that network overheads can be reduced, and location management efficiency can be improved. According to a first aspect, a location management method is provided. The method may be applied to a first core network device or a chip in the first core network device. For example, the method is applied to the first core network device. The method includes: The first core network device obtains a terminal identifier of a first terminal device, and determines, based on the terminal identifier, to perform location management on the first terminal device; determines an area identity set for performing the location management; and sends the area identity set to the first terminal device. In the foregoing solution, after receiving the terminal identifier of the first terminal device, the first core network device needs to determine whether to perform the location management on the first terminal device, and sends, to the first terminal device only when determining to perform the location management on the first terminal device, information (for example, the area identity set) for performing the location management. In this way, a core network can perform the location management on a terminal device based on a requirement instead of blindly performing the location management on all terminals, so that network overheads (for example, context maintenance costs) can be reduced, and location management efficiency can be improved. In a possible design, the first core network device may obtain subscription data of the first terminal device from a second core network device based on the terminal identifier, where the subscription data includes at least one of first information, second information, or capability information of the terminal device, the first information indicates that the location management needs to be performed on the first terminal device, the second information indicates that a first service requester needs the location management, the first serv