Position prediction method, apparatus, network element, base station, and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a position prediction method, device, network element, base station and storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: a position service network element receives an MDT measurement information message sent by a base station, wherein the position service network element is a separate network element or a network element in the base station, the MDT measurement information message carries historical position measurement information of at least one UE, and the position service network element determines predicted position information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period according to the historical position measurement information of the at least one UE, and sends the predicted position information to the base station. In this way, the position service network element can predict the predicted position information of the corresponding UE at a specific time point or time period based on the relevant historical position data of the at least one UE.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a position prediction method, device, network element, base station and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] Minimization of Drive-tests (MDT) is an automatic drive test technology introduced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, which is configured by the network to collect and report measurement data of ordinary users or commercial terminals. The principle is that as long as the user terminal starts the Global Positioning System (GPS) and supports the MDT function, the terminal can automatically report the MDT data containing the user position information to the base station.

[0003] However, the current MDT measurement report only contains the historical position information of multiple time points of GPS, and does not contain other historical original measurement quantities of multiple time points that can be used for position measurement. If the terminal does not support GPS or GPS is not started, the historical position information of the terminal cannot be obtained. Moreover, in the existing MDT technology, the obtained historical GPS position information of the terminal is only used to obtain the reception quality at different position points of the terminal, so as to analyze the coverage blind area. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve at least one of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide the following solutions.

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a position prediction method, comprising:

[0006] The position service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station;

[0007] The position service network element is a separate network element or a network element inside the base station, and the MDT measurement information message carries historical position measurement information of at least one user equipment (UE);

[0008] The position service network element determines the predicted position information of the first time point or the first time period of at least one UE according to the historical position measurement information of the at least one UE;

[0009] The position service network element sends the predicted position information to the base station.

[0010] The embodiments of the present application provide a position prediction method, comprising:

[0011] The base station sends MDT measurement activation information to at least one determined UE, the MDT measurement activation information being used to instruct the at least one UE to perform location measurement;

[0012] The base station receives MDT measurement reports sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information, the MDT measurement reports containing historical location measurement information of the at least one UE;

[0013] The base station sends the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE to a location service network element through an MDT measurement information message;

[0014] The location service network element is a separate network element or a network element inside the base station.

[0015] The base station receives predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or in a first time period sent by the location service network element according to the historical location measurement information.

[0016] The embodiment of the present application provides a location prediction device, comprising:

[0017] A receiving module is used to receive an MDT measurement information message sent by a base station.

[0018] The location prediction device is a separate device or a device inside the base station, and the MDT measurement information message carries historical location measurement information of at least one UE.

[0019] A determining module is used to determine predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or in a first time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE.

[0020] A sending module is used to send the predicted location information to the base station.

[0021] The embodiment of the present application provides a location prediction device, comprising:

[0022] A sending module is used to send MDT measurement activation information to at least one determined UE, the MDT measurement activation information being used to instruct the at least one UE to perform location measurement.

[0023] A receiving module is used to receive MDT measurement reports sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information, the MDT measurement reports containing historical location measurement information of the at least one UE.

[0024] The sending module is further used to send the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE to a location service network element through an MDT measurement information message.

[0025] The location service network element is a separate network element or a network element inside the location prediction device.

[0026] The receiving module is further configured to receive predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or in a first time period sent by the location service network element according to historical location measurement information.

[0027] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network element, comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, when the processor executes the computer program, the location prediction method provided by the embodiment of the present application is realized.

[0028] The embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, when the processor executes the computer program, the location prediction method provided by the embodiment of the present application is realized.

[0029] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the location prediction method provided by the embodiment of the present application is realized.

[0030] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the location prediction method provided by the embodiment of the present application is realized.

[0031] The above embodiments and other aspects of the present application and implementation manners thereof are described in the description of drawings, specific embodiments and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 A flow chart of a location prediction method provided by an embodiment;

[0033] Figure 2 A flow chart of a location prediction method provided by an embodiment;

[0034] Figure 3 A structural schematic diagram of a location prediction device provided by an embodiment;

[0035] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of a location prediction device provided by an embodiment;

[0036] Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of a network element provided by an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 6 A structural schematic diagram of a base station provided by an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings below. It should be explained that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be any combination without conflict.

[0039] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the words such as "optionally" or "exemplarily" are used to represent an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "optionally" or "exemplarily" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. In fact, the words such as "optionally" or "exemplarily" are used to present the related concept in a specific way. Also, the "first", "second", "third" in the embodiments of the present application are only used to distinguish different concepts, messages, etc., and are not used for the sequential limitation.

[0040] Figure 1 A flow chart of a position prediction method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which can be applied to a location service network element, such as a location server, as shown in the figure. The method specifically comprises the following steps. Figure 1

[0041] S101, the location service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, the location service network element can be a separate network element independent of the base station, or a network element located in the base station.

[0043] Correspondingly, when the location service network element is a separate network element, the implementation mode of the above step S101 can be that the location service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station through the interface between the location service network element and the base station. When the location service network element is a network element located in the base station, the implementation mode of the above step S101 can be that the location service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station through the interface in the base station.

[0044] The above MDT measurement information message carries the historical position measurement information of at least one UE, wherein the historical position measurement information can include at least one of the following information:

[0045] the latitude and longitude coordinates at one or more time points, the connection cell identifier at one or more time points, the pilot fingerprint measurement value at one or more time points, the wireless local area network identifier recorded at one or more time points, the positioning reference signal time difference of multiple cells at one or more time points, and the connection beam identifier of the connection cell at one or more time points.

[0046] ​S102, the location service network element determines the predicted location information of the at least one UE at the first time point or the first time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE.

[0047] In this step, the first time point or the first time period can be a future time point or a future time period, that is, the above step can be understood as that after the location service network element obtains the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE in the MDT measurement information message based on step S101, the location service network element determines the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a future time point or a future time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE.

[0048] Optionally, the above implementation manner can be that the location service network element determines the predicted location information of the at least one UE at the first time point or the first time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE and the current location of the at least one UE.

[0049] Exemplarily, the predicted location information can include at least one of the longitude and latitude coordinates, the cell identifier, the altitude information, the connection beam identifier of the connected cell, and the tracking area information.

[0050] S103, the location service network element sends the predicted location information to the base station.

[0051] Since the location service network element can be a separate network element or a network element located in the base station, the above implementation manner can have the following different optional implementation manners:

[0052] When the location service network element is a separate network element, the location service network element sends the predicted location information to the base station through the interface between the location service network element and the base station;

[0053] When the location service network element is a network element located in the base station, the location service network element sends the predicted location information to the control plane of the base station through the interface in the base station.

[0054] In the above manner, the location service network element can predict the predicted location information of the corresponding UE at a specific time point or time period (for example, the first time point or the first time period) based on the related historical location data of the at least one UE.

[0055] Figure 2 A flowchart of a location prediction method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which can be applied to a base station, as shown in Figure 2 The method specifically includes the following steps.

[0056] S201, the base station sends MDT measurement activation information to the determined at least one UE.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, the base station can send the MDT measurement activation information to the determined at least one UE through the air interface, where the MDT measurement activation information is used to instruct the determined at least one UE to perform the location measurement.

[0058] Optionally, when the base station sends the MDT measurement activation information to the determined at least one UE through the air interface, the base station can carry the MDT measurement activation information in a radio resource control (RRC) setup message or an RRC reconfiguration message, that is, the base station sends the MDT measurement activation information to the determined at least one UE by sending the RRC setup message or the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0059] Optionally, the MDT measurement activation information is used to instruct the determined at least one UE to perform the related measurement, and the MDT measurement activation information can further carry the MDT location prediction measurement configuration information.

[0060] For example, the MDT location prediction measurement configuration information can include at least one of the following information:

[0061] The location measurement period, the location prediction measurement configuration validity time, whether to measure the latitude and longitude coordinates, whether to measure and record the connected cell identifier, whether to measure the pilot fingerprint (for example, the measurement value of the specified pilot channel strength of the current connected cell and several adjacent cells), whether to measure and record the wireless local area network identifier, whether to measure the positioning reference signal time difference, the positioning reference signal measurement assistance data (for example, the physical cell identifier (PCI), the cell identifier, the frequency point, the positioning reference signal configuration and other information of the connected cell and the adjacent cell), and whether to measure and record the connected beam of the connected cell.

[0062] S202, the base station receives the MDT measurement report sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information.

[0063] After the determined at least one UE in step S201 receives the MDT measurement activation information sent by the base station, the at least one UE can perform the corresponding measurement according to the content in the MDT measurement activation information, and report the measurement result in the form of the MDT measurement report in response to the measurement reporting request of the base station, periodically or eventually.

[0064] Correspondingly, the base station receives the MDT measurement report sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information, where the MDT measurement report contains the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE.

[0065] Optionally, the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE can include at least one of the following information:

[0066] longitude coordinates of one or more time points, connection cell identities of one or more time points, pilot fingerprint measurement values of one or more time points, wireless local area network identities recorded at one or more time points, positioning reference signal time difference of arrival of a plurality of cells at one or more time points, connection beam identities of connection cells at one or more time points.

[0067] S203, the base station sends the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE to a location service network element through an MDT measurement information message.

[0068] After the base station acquires the historical location measurement information in the MDT measurement report sent by the at least one UE, the base station can send the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE to the location service network element through an MDT measurement information message.

[0069] Optionally, the location service network element can be a separate network element independent of the base station, or a network element located inside the base station. Accordingly, the implementation mode of the above step S203 can be divided into the following two cases:

[0070] When the location service network element is a separate network element, the base station sends the MDT measurement information message to the location service network element through an interface between the base station and the location service network element;

[0071] Or, when the location service network element is a network element located inside the base station, the base station sends the MDT measurement information message to the location service network element through an interface inside the base station.

[0072] S204, the base station receives the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period sent by the location service network element according to the historical location measurement information.

[0073] After the base station sends the MDT measurement information message to the location service network element through step S203, the location service network element can determine the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE acquired through the MDT measurement information message, and then send it to the base station.

[0074] The predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period received by the base station can be the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a future time point or a future time period.

[0075] Exemplarily, the above predicted location information can include at least one of the following information:

[0076] The latitude and longitude coordinates, the cell identifier, the altitude information, the connection beam identifier of the connected cell, and the tracking area information, wherein one tracking area can be composed of one cell or multiple cells.

[0077] After the base station receives the predicted location information sent by the location service network element, the base station can perform connection management on the corresponding UE according to the predicted location information, so as to balance the network load. For example, the base station can select a target cell for handover or balancing for a certain UE according to the predicted location information of the UE.

[0078] Further, in the embodiments of the present application, since the at least one UE is determined by the base station, in an example, the base station determines the at least one UE in the following manner: the base station receives a first message sent by the core network, the first message carrying an indication of whether the at least one UE supports MDT predicted location measurement, and the base station receives a second message sent by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) node, the second message carrying effective area information of the predicted location, and then the base station determines the at least one UE supporting the MDT predicted location in the effective area according to the obtained effective area information.

[0079] For example, the first message can be a UE text establishment request (initial context setup request) message or a handover request message initiated by a core access and mobility management function (AMF) node through an NG interface, and the second message can be an MDT activation message sent by the OAM node through an interface connected to the base station, which can be used to instruct the base station to start the MDT function.

[0080] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, the order in which the core network sends the first message and the OAM node sends the second message is not limited.

[0081] In an example, the base station determines the at least one UE in the following manner: the base station receives a third message sent by the core network, the third message carrying an indication of activating MDT predicted location measurement of the corresponding UE, and the base station determines the at least one UE according to the third message.

[0082] Exemplarily, the third message can be a UE initial context setup request message, or a handover request message, or a trace start message, or a trace activation message initiated by the core network AMF node through the NG interface.

[0083] It should be noted that the third message carrying the indication of activating the corresponding UE MDT predicted location measurement can be understood as different third messages carrying the indication of activating different UE MDT predicted location measurements. For example, the base station receives three third messages sent by the core network, and the three third messages respectively carry the indications of activating the MDT predicted location measurements of UE1, UE2 and UE3. Then, the base station can determine at least one UE, i.e., UE1, UE2 and UE3, based on the received third messages.

[0084] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a location prediction device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 3. The device can include a receiving module 301, a determining module 302 and a sending module 303. Figure 3

[0085] The receiving module is configured to receive the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station.

[0086] The device can be a separate device or a device located in the base station, and the MDT measurement information message carries the historical location measurement information of at least one UE.

[0087] The historical location measurement information of the at least one UE includes at least one of the following:

[0088] the latitude and longitude coordinates at one or more time points, the connection cell identifier at one or more time points, the pilot fingerprint measurement value at one or more time points, the wireless local area network identifier recorded at one or more time points, the positioning reference signal time difference of multiple cells at one or more time points, and the connection beam identifier of the connection cell at one or more time points.

[0089] The determining module is configured to determine the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE.

[0090] The sending module is configured to send the predicted location information to the base station.

[0091] In an example, when the device is a separate network element, the receiving module is configured to receive the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station through an interface between the device and the base station. ​

[0092] In an example, when the apparatus is a network element inside the base station, the receiving module is configured to receive the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station through an interface inside the base station.

[0093] In an example, the determining module is configured to determine the predicted location information of the at least one UE at the first time point or the first time period according to the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE and the current location of the at least one UE.

[0094] The predicted location information can include at least one of the following: latitude and longitude coordinates, a cell identifier, altitude information, a connection beam identifier of a connected cell, tracking area information, wherein one tracking area can be composed of one cell or multiple cells.

[0095] In an example, when the apparatus is a network element inside the base station, the sending module is configured to send the predicted location information to the base station through an interface between the apparatus and the base station.

[0096] In an example, when the apparatus is a network element inside the base station, the sending module is configured to send the predicted location information to a control plane of the base station through an interface inside the base station.

[0097] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a location prediction apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 4. The apparatus can include a sending module 401 and a receiving module 402. Figure 4

[0098] The sending module is configured to send MDT measurement activation information to the determined at least one UE, wherein the MDT measurement activation information is used to instruct the at least one UE to perform location measurement.

[0099] The receiving module is configured to receive an MDT measurement report sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information, wherein the MDT measurement report includes historical location measurement information of the at least one UE, and the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE includes at least one of the following:

[0100] latitude and longitude coordinates at one or more time points, a connected cell identifier at one or more time points, a pilot fingerprint measurement value at one or more time points, a wireless local area network identifier recorded at one or more time points, a positioning reference signal time difference of multiple cells at one or more time points, and a connection beam identifier of a connected cell at one or more time points.

[0101] Further, the sending module is also configured to send the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE to a location service network element through the MDT measurement information message, wherein the location service network element is a separate network element or a network element inside the apparatus.​

[0102] Further, the receiving module is further configured to receive predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period sent by the location service network element according to historical location measurement information;

[0103] The predicted location information comprises at least one of:

[0104] The latitude and longitude coordinates, the cell identifier, the altitude information, the connection beam identifier of the connected cell, and the tracking area information, wherein one tracking area can be composed of one cell or multiple cells.

[0105] Further, the apparatus can further comprise a determining module;

[0106] The determining module is configured to determine the at least one UE;

[0107] In an example, the receiving module is configured to receive a first message sent by the core network, wherein the first message carries an indication of whether the at least one UE supports MDT predicted location measurement;

[0108] The receiving module is further configured to receive a second message sent by the OAM node, wherein the second message carries effective area information of the predicted location, and the effective area information can comprise at least one of a cell list and a tracking area list, wherein one tracking area can be composed of one cell or multiple cells;

[0109] The determining module is configured to determine the at least one UE supporting MDT predicted location in the effective area according to the effective area information of the predicted location.

[0110] In an example, the receiving module is configured to receive a third message sent by the core network, wherein the third message carries an indication of activating MDT predicted location measurement of the corresponding UE;

[0111] The determining module is configured to determine the at least one UE according to the third message.

[0112] Further, the sending module can send MDT measurement activation information to the determined at least one UE through an RRC setup message or an RRC reconfiguration message, wherein the MDT measurement activation information carries MDT location prediction measurement configuration information, and the MDT location prediction measurement configuration information comprises at least one of:

[0113] The location measurement period, the location prediction measurement configuration effective time, whether to measure the latitude and longitude coordinates, whether to measure and record the connected cell identifier, whether to measure the pilot fingerprint, whether to measure and record the wireless local area network identifier, whether to measure the positioning reference signal time difference, the positioning reference signal measurement assistance data, and whether to measure and record the connection beam of the connected cell.

[0114] Furthermore, when the location service network element is a separate network element, the sending module is used to send the MDT measurement information message to the location service network element through the interface between the above-mentioned device and the location service network element;

[0115] When the location service network element is a network element within the aforementioned device, the sending module is used to send MDT measurement information messages to the location service network element through its own internal interface.

[0116] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network element is provided for one embodiment, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the network element includes a processor 501 and a memory 502; the number of processors 501 in the network element can be one or more. Figure 5 Taking a processor 501 as an example; the processor 501 and memory 502 in the network element can be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 5 Taking the example of a connection between China and Israel via a bus.

[0117] Memory 502, as a computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, as described in this application. Figure 1 The program instructions / modules corresponding to the location prediction method in the embodiments (e.g., Figure 3 The processor 501 comprises a receiving module 301, a determining module 302, and a transmitting module 303. The processor 501 implements the above-mentioned position prediction method by running software programs, instructions, and modules stored in the memory 502.

[0118] The memory 502 may primarily include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and at least one application program required for a function; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the device. Furthermore, the memory 502 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device.

[0119] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a base station is provided as an embodiment, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the base station includes a processor 601 and a memory 602; the number of processors 601 in the base station can be one or more. Figure 6 Taking a processor 601 as an example; the processor 601 and memory 602 in the base station can be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 6 Taking the example of a connection between China and Israel via a bus.

[0120] The memory 602, as a computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, as described in this application. Figure 2The position prediction method in the embodiment corresponds to program instructions / modules (for example, the sending module 401 and the receiving module 402 in the information transmission method in the embodiment) in the embodiment. The processor 601 implements the position prediction method described above by running the software programs, instructions and modules stored in the memory 602. Figure 4 The processor 601 implements the position prediction method described above by running the software programs, instructions and modules stored in the memory 602.

[0121] The memory 602 can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area can store an operating system and application programs required by at least one function; and the data storage area can store data created during use of the device and the like. In addition, the memory 602 can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a nonvolatile memory such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory device or other nonvolatile solid-state memory device.

[0122] The embodiments of the present application also provide a storage medium containing computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform an information transmission method, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0123] The location service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station;

[0124] The location service network element is a separate network element or a network element inside the base station, and the MDT measurement information message carries historical position measurement information of at least one UE;

[0125] The location service network element determines the predicted position information of at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period according to the historical position measurement information of the at least one UE;

[0126] The location service network element sends the predicted position information to the base station.

[0127] The embodiments of the present application also provide a storage medium containing computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform an information transmission method, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0128] The base station sends MDT measurement activation information to at least one UE determined, and the MDT measurement activation information is used to instruct the at least one UE to perform position measurement;

[0129] The base station receives the MDT measurement report sent by at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information, and the MDT measurement report contains historical position measurement information of the at least one UE;

[0130] The base station sends the historical position measurement information of the at least one UE to a location service network element through an MDT measurement information message;

[0131] The location service network element is a separate network element or a network element inside the base station;

[0132] The base station receives predicted location information of at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period sent by the location service network element according to historical location measurement information.

[0133] The above merely provides the illustrative embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0134] Generally, the various embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in

[0135] Embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a data processor of an information transmission device executing computer program instructions, for example, in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The computer program instructions can be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0136] Any block diagrams of logical flows of the application can represent program steps, or logical steps, or interconnected logic circuit, modules and functions, or combinations of one or more of them. Computer programs can be stored in memory. The memory can be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as but not limited to random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), optical storage devices, and tape storage devices, etc. The computer readable media can include non-transitory storage media. The data processor can be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and can include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and processors of artificial intelligence (AI) such as neural processing units (NPUs) and the like.

[0137] The detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present application has been provided above with reference to the drawings. However, various modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the present application, which is defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, the proper scope of the present application is to be determined not only by the appended claims but also by the following claim.

Claims

1. A location prediction method, characterized in that, include: The location service network element receives the minimized roadside MDT measurement information message sent by the base station; The location service network element is either a separate network element or a network element within the base station. The MDT measurement information message carries historical location measurement information of at least one user equipment (UE). The UE does not support GPS or has not enabled GPS functionality. The location service network element determines the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period based on the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE. The location service network element sends the predicted location information to the base station; The historical location measurement information of the at least one UE includes at least one of the following: pilot fingerprint measurement values ​​at one or more time points, wireless local area network identifiers recorded at one or more time points, time difference of arrival of positioning reference signals of multiple cells at one or more time points, and connection beam identifiers of connected cells at one or more time points.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The location service network element receives MDT measurement information messages sent by the base station, including: When the location service network element is a separate network element, the location service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station through its interface with the base station; Alternatively, when the location service network element is a network element within the base station, the location service network element receives the MDT measurement information message sent by the base station through an interface within the base station.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The location service network element determines the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period based on the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE, including: The location service network element determines the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period based on the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE and the current location of the at least one UE.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The predicted location information includes at least one of the following: The tracking information includes latitude and longitude coordinates, cell identifier, altitude information, connecting beam identifier of the connected cells, and tracking area information. A tracking area can consist of one or more cells.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, The location service network element sends the predicted location information to the base station, including: When the location service network element is a separate network element, the location service network element sends the predicted location information to the base station through its interface with the base station; Alternatively, when the location service network element is a network element within the base station, the location service network element sends the predicted location information to the control plane of the base station through an interface within the base station.

6. A location prediction method, characterized in that, include: The base station sends Minimum Drive Test (MDT) measurement activation information to at least one user equipment (UE), the MDT measurement activation information being used to instruct the at least one UE to perform location measurement; The base station receives an MDT measurement report sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information. The MDT measurement report contains the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE. The historical location measurement information of the at least one UE includes at least one of the following: pilot fingerprint measurement values ​​at one or more time points, wireless local area network identifiers recorded at one or more time points, positioning reference signal arrival time differences of multiple cells at one or more time points, and connection beam identifiers of connected cells at one or more time points. The base station sends the historical location measurement information of at least one UE to the location service network element via MDT measurement information messages; The location service network element is either a separate network element or a network element within the base station, and the UE does not support GPS or has not enabled GPS functionality. The base station receives predicted location information of at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period, sent by the location service network element based on the historical location measurement information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The base station identifies at least one UE, including: The base station receives a first message sent by the core network, the first message carrying an indication of whether at least one UE supports MDT predictive location measurement; The base station receives a second message sent by the Operation Management and Maintenance (OAM) node, the second message carrying effective area information of the predicted location; The base station determines at least one UE that supports the MDT predicted location within the effective area based on the effective area information of the predicted location.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The base station identifies at least one UE, including: The base station receives a third message sent by the core network, the third message carrying an indication to activate the corresponding UE MDT predicted location measurement; The base station determines at least one UE based on the third message.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The effective area information may include at least one of the following: The list of cells and the list of tracking areas, where a tracking area can consist of one or more cells.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, The base station sends minimized drive test (MDT) measurement activation information to at least one identified user equipment (UE), including: The base station sends MDT measurement activation information to at least one determined UE via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) establishment message or an RRC reconfiguration message.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The MDT measurement activation information carries MDT location prediction measurement configuration information, which includes at least one of the following: Location measurement cycle, location prediction measurement configuration validity time, whether latitude and longitude coordinates are measured, whether the connected cell identifier is measured and recorded, whether pilot fingerprint is measured, whether wireless LAN identifier is measured and recorded, whether the positioning reference signal arrival time difference is measured, positioning reference signal measurement auxiliary data, and whether the connection beam of the connected cell is measured and recorded.

12. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The base station sends the historical location measurement information of at least one UE to the location service network element via MDT measurement information messages, including: When the location service network element is a separate network element, the base station sends the MDT measurement information message to the location service network element through its interface with the location service network element; Alternatively, when the location service network element is a network element within the base station, the base station sends the MDT measurement information message to the location service network element through its own internal interface.

13. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The predicted location information includes at least one of the following: The tracking information includes latitude and longitude coordinates, cell identifier, altitude information, connecting beam identifier of the connected cells, and tracking area information. A tracking area can consist of one or more cells.

14. A location prediction device, characterized in that, include: The receiving module is used to receive the minimized roadside MDT measurement information message sent by the base station; The location prediction device can be a standalone device or a device within the base station. The MDT measurement information message carries historical location measurement information of at least one user equipment (UE). The UE does not support GPS or has not enabled GPS functionality. The determination module is used to determine the predicted location information of the at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period based on the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE; wherein the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE includes at least one of the following: pilot fingerprint measurement values ​​at one or more time points, wireless local area network identifiers recorded at one or more time points, time difference of arrival of positioning reference signals of multiple cells at one or more time points, and connection beam identifiers of connected cells at one or more time points. The transmitting module is used to transmit the predicted location information to the base station.

15. A location prediction device, characterized in that, include: The sending module is configured to send Minimum Drive Test (MDT) measurement activation information to at least one determined User Equipment (UE), wherein the MDT measurement activation information is used to instruct the at least one UE to perform location measurement; The receiving module is configured to receive an MDT measurement report sent by the at least one UE according to the MDT measurement activation information, wherein the MDT measurement report contains historical location measurement information of the at least one UE; wherein the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE includes at least one of the following: pilot fingerprint measurement values ​​at one or more time points, wireless local area network identifiers recorded at one or more time points, positioning reference signal arrival time differences of multiple cells at one or more time points, and connection beam identifiers of connected cells at one or more time points; The sending module is also used to send the historical location measurement information of the at least one UE to the location service network element via an MDT measurement information message; The location service network element is either a separate network element or a network element within the location prediction device, and the UE does not support GPS or has not enabled GPS functionality. The receiving module is further configured to receive predicted location information of at least one UE at a first time point or a first time period, sent by the location service network element based on the historical location measurement information.

16. A network element, characterized in that, include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the location prediction method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

17. A base station, characterized in that, include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the location prediction method as described in any one of claims 6-13.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the location prediction method according to any one of claims 1-5.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the location prediction method according to any one of claims 6-13.

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