Positioning signal sending method and device

Abstract

The present application discloses a method and device for sending positioning signals, wherein the method includes: the terminal selects a first resource from a first resource pool, the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with a network device through the first cell; the terminal sends a sounding reference signal SRS to the network device through the first resource, and the SRS is used to locate the terminal; the network device receives the sounding reference signal SRS sent by the terminal through the first resource, and locates the terminal through the SRS. The embodiment of the present application provides the terminal with a first resource pool based on the service cell, so that the terminal selects a first resource from the first resource pool and sends an SRS to the network device, so that the network device locates the terminal through the SRS. This process simplifies the communication process in the positioning technology, reduces the resource consumption in the positioning process, and thereby reduces the positioning cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of positioning technology, and in particular to a method and device for sending positioning signals. Background Art

[0002] The 3GPP NR standard, in Release 16, standardized wireless positioning technology for both indoor and outdoor positioning scenarios. This standard covers six typical positioning technologies: uplink-time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), downlink-time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD), multi-round-trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification (E-CID). UL-TDOA is widely used in wireless products.

[0003] Industrial factory environments, such as those used to locate and track materials and valuable equipment, require terminals with high positioning accuracy, low power consumption, and low implementation costs. Existing technologies require multiple communications and signaling cycles to obtain positioning signals, resulting in high terminal overhead and high positioning costs. Therefore, new positioning technologies are needed to simplify air interface communication and signal transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning signal sending method and apparatus to improve and simplify the communication process in positioning technology, reduce resource consumption during the positioning process, and reduce positioning costs.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for sending a positioning signal is provided, the method comprising: a terminal selecting a first resource from a first resource pool, the first resource pool being a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicating with a network device through the first cell; the terminal sending a sounding reference signal SRS to the network device through the first resource, the SRS being used to locate the terminal.

[0006] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device divides resource pools into different serving cells. After the terminal establishes a communication connection with the network device through the serving cell, it selects resources from the resource pool for sending uplink SRS. This process omits the process of the network device allocating specific resources to the terminal, simplifies the communication process, and improves communication efficiency. At the same time, the terminal does not need to have the ability to conduct complex communications with the network device, which can reduce the terminal's communication costs.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal acquiring a second resource from a second resource pool according to the first resource, the second resource being used to send identification information of the terminal, and the identification information of the terminal being used by the network device to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal obtains a second resource corresponding to the first resource from the second resource pool based on the first resource, and is used to transmit its own identification information while transmitting an uplink SRS, so that the network device can determine the identity of the terminal corresponding to the received SRS based on the identification information, and then locate the terminal based on the SRS. This process allows the terminal to quickly determine the terminal device and locate the terminal even without previously communicating with the network device to know the terminal's identity, further improving positioning efficiency and reducing the communication cost of the positioning process.

[0009] In a possible implementation, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the corresponding relationship is a corresponding relationship in quantity and / or a corresponding relationship in position.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal receiving a first system message, and determining a first resource pool according to the first system message; and / or the terminal receiving a second system message, and determining a second resource pool according to the second system message.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the first system message and / or the second system message is obtained by the terminal through demodulation from a synchronization signal-broadcast channel resource block SSBP used for positioning.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the SRS is generated based on a cell identifier.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval; the second resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the second resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: after the terminal sends the SRS to the network device, the terminal switches from an active state to an inactive state or an idle state.

[0017] In one possible implementation, SRS is used for one or more of the following positioning processes: uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification number (E-CID).

[0018] In a second aspect, a positioning signal sending method is provided, which includes: a network device receives a sounding reference signal SRS sent by a terminal through a first resource in a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell; the network device locates the terminal through the SRS.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the network device is further configured to receive identification information of the terminal sent by the terminal through the second resource in the second resource pool, where the identification information of the terminal is used to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

[0020] In a possible implementation, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the corresponding relationship is a corresponding relationship in quantity and / or a corresponding relationship in position.

[0022] In a possible implementation, when there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the method further includes: when the network device receives the SRS and identification information of multiple terminals corresponding to the SRS, determining that the SRS is not sent successfully.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the network device sending a first system message, where the first system message is used by the terminal to determine the first resource pool; and / or the network device sending a second system message, where the second system message is used by the terminal to determine the second resource pool.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the network device sends the first system message and / or the second system message through a synchronization signal broadcast channel resource block SSBP used for positioning.

[0025] The above implementation process enables the network device to quickly solve the problem that the SRS signal sent by the terminal cannot accurately correspond to the terminal identification information without any other judgment mechanism. The terminal also does not need to perform redundant communication with the network device, reducing communication overhead and lowering positioning costs.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval; the second resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the second resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner, the first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame.

[0028] In one possible implementation, SRS is used for one or more of the following positioning processes: uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification number (E-CID).

[0029] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a terminal. The device includes a processing module and a sending module, wherein:

[0030] a processing module, configured to select a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell through which the terminal communicates with the network device;

[0031] The sending module is configured to send a sounding reference signal SRS to a network device through the first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to: obtain a second resource from a second resource pool according to the first resource, the second resource being used to send identification information of the terminal, and the identification information of the terminal being used by the network device to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

[0033] In a possible implementation, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the corresponding relationship is a corresponding relationship in quantity and / or a corresponding relationship in position.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a receiving module for receiving a first system message; a processing module for determining a first resource pool based on the first system message; and / or the receiving module for receiving a second system message, and the processing module for determining a second resource pool based on the second system message.

[0036] In a possible implementation manner, the first system message and / or the second system message is obtained by the terminal through demodulation from a synchronization signal-broadcast channel resource block SSBP used for positioning.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the SRS is generated based on a cell identifier.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the first resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval; the second resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the second resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, the first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to: after the sending module sends the SRS to the network device, switch the terminal from an active state to an inactive state or an idle state.

[0041] In one possible implementation, SRS is used for one or more of the following positioning processes: uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification number (E-CID).

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a network device. The device includes a receiving module and a processing module, wherein:

[0043] a receiving module, configured to receive a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by a terminal through a first resource in a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell;

[0044] The processing module is used to locate the terminal through the SRS.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive identification information of the terminal sent by the terminal through the second resource in the second resource pool, where the identification information of the terminal is used to determine the terminal sending the SRS.

[0046] In a possible implementation, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the corresponding relationship is a corresponding relationship in quantity and / or a corresponding relationship in position.

[0048] In a possible implementation, when there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the module is used to: when the network device receives the SRS and identification information of multiple terminals corresponding to the SRS, determine that the SRS is not sent successfully.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a sending module, configured to: send a first system message, where the first system message is used by the terminal to determine the first resource pool; and / or send a second system message, where the second system message is used by the terminal to determine the second resource pool.

[0050] In a possible implementation manner, the sending module sends the first system message and / or the second system message through a synchronization signal broadcast channel resource block SSBP used for positioning.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the first resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval; the second resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the second resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame.

[0053] In one possible implementation, SRS is used for one or more of the following positioning processes: uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification number (E-CID).

[0054] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device comprising a communication interface and a processor, wherein the communication interface is used for the device to communicate with other devices, such as for transmitting and receiving data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces, and the other devices may be network devices. The processor is used to call a set of programs, instructions, or data to execute the method described in the first aspect above. The device may further include a memory for storing programs, instructions, or data called by the processor. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions or data stored in the memory, the method described in the first aspect above can be implemented.

[0055] Exemplarily, the processor is configured to select a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell;

[0056] The communication interface is configured to send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to a network device via a first resource.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device comprising a communication interface and a processor, wherein the communication interface is used for the device to communicate with other devices, such as transmitting and receiving data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface, and the other device may be a terminal. The processor is used to call a set of programs, instructions or data to execute the method described in the second aspect above. The device may also include a memory for storing programs, instructions or data called by the processor. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions or data stored in the memory, the method described in the second aspect above can be implemented.

[0058] Exemplarily, the communication interface is configured to receive a sounding reference signal SRS sent by a terminal through a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell;

[0059] The processor is used to locate the terminal through the SRS.

[0060] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor, a transceiver, a memory, and computer execution instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the computer execution instructions are executed, the communication device executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0061] In the eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor, a transceiver, a memory, and computer execution instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the computer execution instructions are executed, the communication device executes the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0062] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0063] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0064] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a memory, for implementing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The chip system may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0065] Optionally, the chip system also includes a transceiver.

[0066] a processor, configured to select a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell;

[0067] The transceiver is configured to send a sounding reference signal SRS to a network device via a first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal.

[0068] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a memory, for implementing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The chip system may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0069] Optionally, the chip system also includes a transceiver.

[0070] Exemplarily, the transceiver is configured to receive a sounding reference signal SRS sent by a terminal through a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell;

[0071] The processor is used to locate the terminal through the SRS.

[0072] In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to execute a method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0073] In the fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a system, which includes the device provided in the third aspect or the fifth aspect, and the device provided in the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments.

[0075] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the architecture of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 1B Schematic diagram of the architecture of a positioning system in a 5G mobile communication system;

[0077] Figure 1C Schematic diagram of another positioning system architecture in a 5G mobile communication system;

[0078] Figure 1D FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 2A A flowchart of a positioning signal sending method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 2B A schematic diagram of an uplink positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Figure 2C A schematic diagram of SRS resource allocation provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 2D A schematic diagram of another uplink positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Figure 2E A schematic diagram of a first resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Figure 2F A first resource distribution diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Figure 2G A schematic diagram of another first resource distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 3A A flowchart of another positioning signal sending method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figure 3B A schematic diagram of the correspondence between a first resource and a second resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] Figure 3C Another schematic diagram of the correspondence between the first resource and the second resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] Figure 3D Another schematic diagram of the correspondence between the first resource and the second resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] Figure 3EA schematic diagram of a conflict process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] Figure 4 A communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] Figure 5 This is another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0094] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0095] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems. For example: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), or next generation communication system, such as 6G, etc. The 5G mobile communication system involved in this application includes a non-standalone (NSA) 5G mobile communication system or a standalone (SA) 5G mobile communication system. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system. The communication system can also be a public land mobile network (PLMN) network, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), a vehicle network communication system or other communication systems.

[0096] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1A As shown, the positioning system includes a terminal, one or more network devices ( Figure 1AA network device is used as an example for illustration) and a positioning device. The terminals, network devices, or positioning devices may communicate directly with each other or through forwarding by other devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. Although not shown, the positioning system may also include other network elements such as a mobility management network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0097] Optionally, the positioning device in the embodiment of the present application may be a positioning management function (LMF) network element or a positioning management component (LMC) network element, or may be a local location management function (LLMF) network element located in a network device.

[0098] Optionally, the positioning system provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the above-mentioned various communication systems. Taking the 5G mobile communication system as an example, Figure 1A The network element or entity corresponding to the network device in the embodiment may be a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) device in the 5G mobile communication system. The network element or entity corresponding to the above-mentioned mobility management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element in the 5G mobile communication system, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0099] For example, Figure 1B Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a positioning system in a 5G mobile communication system. Figure 1B As shown in the figure, in this positioning system, the terminal is connected to the radio access network via the next generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB) through LTE-Uu, or via the next generation node B (gNB) through the NR-Uu interface; the radio access network is connected to the core network via the AMF network element through the NG-C interface. Among them, NG-RAN includes one or more ng-eNB ( Figure 1B Take an ng-eNB as an example); NG-RAN may also include one or more gNBs ( Figure 1B(A gNB is used as an example for illustration); NG-RAN may also include one or more ng-eNBs and one or more gNBs. The ng-eNB is an LTE base station connected to the 5G core network, and the gNB is a 5G base station connected to the 5G core network. The core network includes the AMF network element and the LMF network element. The AMF network element implements functions such as access management, while the LMF network element implements functions such as positioning and positioning assistance. The AMF and LMF network elements are connected via the NLs interface.

[0100] For example, Figure 1C Schematic diagram of the architecture of another positioning system in a 5G mobile communication system. Figure 1C and Figure 1B The difference in the positioning system architecture is that Figure 1B The device or component of the positioning management function (such as LMF network element) is deployed in the core network. Figure 1C The device or component (such as LMC network element) that performs the positioning management function can be deployed in the NG-RAN equipment. Figure 1C As shown in Figure 1, the gNB includes the LMC network element. The LMC network element is a functional component of the LMF network element and can be integrated into the gNB of the NG-RAN device.

[0101] It should be understood that the above Figure 1B or Figure 1C The devices or functional nodes included in the positioning system are only described as examples and do not limit the embodiments of the present application. In fact, Figure 1B or Figure 1C The positioning system may also include other network elements or devices or functional nodes that have an interactive relationship with the devices or functional nodes illustrated in the figure, which are not specifically limited here.

[0102] Optionally, the terminal in the embodiment of the present application may refer to an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a relay station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal (user terminal), a user equipment (user equipment, UE), a terminal (terminal), a wireless communication device, a user agent, a user device, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, DA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal in a future 5G network or a terminal in a future evolved PLMN or a terminal in a future vehicle network, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0103] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality terminal, an augmented reality terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0104] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0105] Furthermore, in embodiments of the present application, the terminal may also be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its primary technical feature is connecting objects to the Internet through communication technologies, thereby enabling intelligent networks that interconnect humans and machines, and objects and things. In embodiments of the present application, IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and power-saving terminals through, for example, narrowband (NB) technology.

[0106] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the terminal may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Its main functions include collecting data (partial terminals), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0107] Optionally, the network device in the embodiment of the present application can be any communication device with wireless transceiver functions for communicating with a terminal. The network device includes but is not limited to: an evolved node B (eNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP) or a transmission reception point (TRP), etc. The network device can also be a gNB or TRP or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system. In addition, the network device can also be a network node constituting a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0108] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. Furthermore, the gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some gNB functions, while the DU implements some gNB functions. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical layer (PHY). The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and active antenna-related functions. Because RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is converted from PHY layer information, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by a combination of the DU and the AAU. It can be understood that the network device can be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node.

[0109] Optionally, the network device and the terminal in the embodiment of the present application can communicate through the authorized spectrum, or can communicate through the unlicensed spectrum, or can communicate through both the authorized spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum. The network device and the terminal can communicate through the spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or can communicate through the spectrum above 6 GHz, or can communicate through the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz at the same time. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the spectrum resources used between the network device and the terminal 101.

[0110] Optionally, the terminal, network device, or positioning device in the embodiments of the present application can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the surface of water; and can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the terminal, network device, or positioning device.

[0111] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, a terminal or network device or positioning device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU) and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system or a Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be a terminal or network device or positioning device, or a functional module in the terminal or network device or positioning device that can call a program and execute the program.

[0112] In other words, the relevant functions of the terminal, network device, or positioning device in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a single device, or by multiple devices, or by one or more functional modules within a single device, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0113] For example, the relevant functions of the terminal, network device or positioning device in the embodiment of the present application can be Figure 1D It is implemented by the communication device 100 in FIG. Figure 1D FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 100 includes one or more processors 101, a communication line 102, and at least one communication interface ( Figure 1D The example in which the communication interface 104 and a processor 101 are included is merely exemplary), and a memory 103 may also be included optionally.

[0114] The processor 101 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0115] The communication line 102 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0116] The communication interface 104 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, or wireless local area networks (WLAN). For example, the transceiver module may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 104 may be a transceiver circuit within the processor 101, configured to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0117] The memory 103 may be a device having a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via the communication line 102. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0118] The memory 103 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 101. The processor 101 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 103, thereby implementing the positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0119] Alternatively, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 101 may also perform processing-related functions in the positioning method provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and the communication interface 104 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0120] The computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0121] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 101 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 1D CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0122] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 100 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 1D The plurality of processors 101 in the embodiment of the present invention are shown. Each of these processors can be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0123] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication apparatus 100 may further include an output device 105 and an input device 106. The output device 105 communicates with the processor 101 and may display information in a variety of ways.

[0124] The communication device 100 can be a general purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 100 can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device or a computer with Figure 1D The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication device 100.

[0125] The following will be combined Figures 1A to 1D The terminal positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0126] See also Figure 2A , Figure 2A A flow chart of a positioning signal sending method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown as follows: Figure 2A As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0127] 201. A terminal selects a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with a network device through the first cell.

[0128] 202. The terminal sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the network device through the first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal.

[0129] 203. The network device receives a sounding reference signal SRS sent by the terminal through the first resource, and locates the terminal through the SRS.

[0130] The uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) is used for uplink and downlink positioning, such as uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) positioning in LTE, or UL-TDOA positioning, UL-AOA positioning, and Multi-RTT positioning in NR. The basic principle is that the base station allocates a semi-static SRS resource pool to each cell. After the terminal accesses the cell, the base station schedules and configures dedicated radio resources for the terminal to transmit uplink SRS. Specifically, taking the UTDOA positioning process as an example, the terminal first obtains the configuration information of the SRS resources corresponding to the serving cell through SIB2. The SRS resource pool allocated to each cell has the following characteristics:

[0131] It is semi-static and is configured by the system message SIB2. The configuration includes bandwidth, period, occupied uplink symbols, etc.

[0132] The uplink data channel PUSCH of this cell will not occupy resource elements (REs) in the SRS resource pool.

[0133] After the positioning device initiates positioning, the positioning process can be referred to Figure 2B , Figure 2B A schematic diagram of an uplink positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown as follows: Figure 2B As shown, taking UL-TDOA as an example, the network device first allocates the SRS resource pool corresponding to the serving cell. After the positioning device sends a new radio positioning protocol annex (NRPPa) positioning information request to the network device, the network device determines the SRS resources of the specific terminal (UE-specific), which belong to part of the resources in the SRS resource pool. Then, the network device sends radio resource control (RRC) configuration information to the terminal to generate the SRS resources corresponding to the terminal. Finally, the serving cell activates the terminal device to send SRS.

[0134] In this process, the base station allocates dedicated uplink SRS resources to each terminal, ensuring that different terminals occupy different wireless resources for sending SRS. Figure 2C , Figure 2C A schematic diagram of SRS resource allocation is provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 2C As shown, the SRS resource pool configured for the cell has a period of 10 milliseconds (ms), and the SRS resources occupy the last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the third subframe. The SRS period for user 1 and user 2 is 20 ms, with user 1 occupying OFDM symbols with system frame numbers SFN = 0, 2, 4, ...; and user 2 occupying OFDM symbols with SFN = 1, 3, 5, .... Alternatively, the SRS resources for user 1 and user 2 can each occupy the same time slot symbol corresponding to different frequency domains.

[0135] As can be seen from the positioning process described above, when a terminal device sends SRS for positioning, the physical layer must transmit relevant messages on both uplink and downlink data channels. Therefore, the terminal must have 5G uplink and downlink communication capabilities, such as all uplink and downlink physical layer channels, support for the initial access process, and support for message transmission in the RRC connected state, resulting in high terminal costs and power consumption.

[0136] In order to solve this problem, in the positioning signal sending method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device allocates a first resource pool to the terminal, and then the terminal selects a first resource from the first resource for sending SRS. For details, please refer to Figure 2D , Figure 2D Another uplink positioning process diagram provided in the embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 2D As shown, taking UL-TDOA as an example, the terminal obtains the first resource pool, which includes all first resources corresponding to the first cell that can be used to send SRS, where the first cell is the service cell for communication between the terminal and the network device. The terminal can select a first resource from the first resource pool to send SRS. Figure 2B For the hard uplink positioning process, the network device does not need to determine the SRS resources of the specific terminal device in step 2, nor does it need to communicate downlink with the terminal and send the SRS resource configuration to the terminal in step 2a, which reduces the communication dependence on PDCCH or PDSCH, reduces the resource consumption in the positioning process, and thus reduces the positioning cost.

[0137] A network device needs to send information about a first resource pool to a terminal so that the terminal can determine the first resource pool and select a first resource from the first resource pool. In one possible implementation, the terminal obtains first information and determines the first resource pool based on the first information. Optionally, the first information may be carried in a first message, and the terminal determines the first resource pool based on the received first message. The first message may be a system message, MAC signaling, RRC signaling, or other higher-layer or physical layer signaling. Optionally, the first message may be a newly added system message or an existing system message (referred to as a first system message), for example, by adding the first information to an existing master information block (MIB) message or system information block (SIB) message. The first information may be time-frequency information of the first resource pool, or time-frequency information of a third resource pool, as well as an index of part of the time-frequency information. Based on the index, the first resource pool can be determined from the third resource pool. The third resource pool may be the resource pool of the first cell and all neighboring cells. Alternatively, the first information may be a resource pool that changes at different times or periods, and the terminal determines the first resource pool based on the current time. Because after the terminal is turned on and synchronized with the network device, the network device will send the MIB and SIB to the terminal, and the information of the first resource pool is added to the MIB or SIB without adding any additional communication processes or steps between the access network and the terminal.

[0138] Optionally, the first system message sent by the network device to the first cell only includes information about the first resource pool corresponding to the first cell. After receiving the first system message, the network device directly parses and obtains the first resource pool information therein. Alternatively, the first system message sent by the network device to the first cell includes first resource pool information for all serving cells that can establish a wireless connection for the network device. After receiving the first system message, the terminal parses and obtains information about multiple first resource pools, and obtains the first resource pool information corresponding to the first cell based on matching with the currently connected first cell.

[0139] Optionally, the network device sends a first system message to the terminal at a period T to update the information of the first resource pool. Because the first cell can provide communication services between multiple terminals and the network device, the available resources in the first resource pool corresponding to the first cell also change in real time. Therefore, the network device updates the information of the first resource pool to the terminal at a period T, which can reduce the possibility that the first resource selected by the terminal from the first resource pool is occupied by other terminals, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal sending SRS through the first resource.

[0140] Optionally, the network device may send the first system message through the synchronization signal and PBCH block for positioning (SSBP). The resource block may be a resource block specifically used to send positioning information, which does not overlap with other resource blocks, and the resource block may be sent when the terminal accesses the network device. Optionally, the existing synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB) is used to send the first system message, but the information in the first system message changes. Taking the first system message as MIB as an example, when the reserved (spare) bit in the SSB is set to 1 (positioning), the positioning MIB information is sent near the SSB, with the time-frequency resources relative to the SSB fixed. The MIB information may be:

[0141]

[0142] Optionally, after the terminal obtains the first resource pool, it can first determine the correspondence between the first resource pool and the first cell. On the one hand, it can be determined based on the current communication situation. For example, when the terminal receives the first system message through the first cell, the first resource pool demodulated in the first system message can be defaulted to be the resource pool corresponding to the first cell. Alternatively, the correspondence between the first resource pool and the first cell can be indicated in the first system message. For example, the first system message may include one or more resource pools and the cell identifiers (cell-IDs) corresponding to these resource pools.

[0143] After receiving the first system message, the terminal demodulates and obtains the first resource pool. The first resource pool may be indicated by information such as period, time slot, number of OFDM symbols, start symbol or end symbol, bandwidth, etc. Figure 2E , Figure 2E A first resource diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 2E As shown in the figure, assuming a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of 30 kHz, a slot length of 0.5 ms, and 20 slots per radio frame, the first resource pool occupies slot 8, which is a physical resource block (PRB). The SSBP occupies the middle 20 PRBs (4 symbols) of slot 1.

[0144] The distribution of the first resource in the first resource pool can refer to Figure 2F , Figure 2F A first resource distribution diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 2F As shown, for a configuration where each first resource occupies two symbols and the frequency interval is four subcarriers, the padded portion in the figure represents one first resource. Because a time slot has 14 OFDM symbols, and every two symbols correspond to four different first resource arrangements, a time slot can correspond to a maximum of 28 different first resources.

[0145] Optionally, the first resource in the first resource pool may be configured by a network device. After receiving the first resource pool, the terminal may simultaneously obtain configuration information of multiple first resources in the first resource pool, for example Figure 2E In the example, each first resource occupies 2 symbols and the frequency interval is 4 subcarriers. Then, the terminal selects a first resource from the multiple first resources, including selecting the time-frequency information of the first resource or selecting the number of the first resource.

[0146] Optionally, the first resource pool received by the terminal does not include the configuration information of the first resource pool. After receiving the first resource pool, the terminal selects a first resource corresponding to the time-frequency information from the first resource pool as needed. Since different terminals have different communication conditions, the resources corresponding to sending SRS are also different, so the size of the first resource selected by each terminal may also be different. Figure 2G , Figure 2G Another schematic diagram of the first resource distribution provided in the embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 2G As shown, the first resource selected by the first terminal occupies 2 symbols and is spaced 4 subcarriers apart, and the first resource selected by the second terminal occupies 4 symbols and is spaced 4 subcarriers apart. In this case, the corresponding multiple first resources in the first resource pool are not of fixed size.

[0147] In addition, if there is no specific correspondence between the resources in the first resource pool and the terminal, the terminal can randomly select the first resource, for example, selecting a first resource from multiple first resources of the same size corresponding to the first resource pool. Alternatively, when the network device sends a system message, it carries the correspondence rules between the resources in the first resource pool and the terminal, and the terminal selects the first resource based on the correspondence rules; or when the terminal establishes a connection with the network device, the protocol stipulates the rules for the terminal to obtain the first resource in the first resource pool, and the terminal obtains the first resource in the first resource pool based on the protocol.

[0148] After the terminal obtains the first resource from the first resource pool, it can generate an SRS and send it to the network device via the first resource. During the SRS generation process, because the first resource is a cell-specific resource, not a terminal-specific resource, a cell-specific SRS signal can be generated based on the first resource. For example, a commonly used pseudo-random sequence such as an m-sequence, M-sequence, or Gold sequence can be generated based on the cell identifier. A ZC sequence is selected from the pseudo-random sequence and applied to the corresponding first resource. The signal is then transformed into a time-domain signal using OFDM.

[0149] Optionally, before generating a cell-specific SRS signal, a cell identifier needs to be obtained. The terminal can obtain the identifier information of the first cell based on the current communication situation. For example, if the network device determines that the current serving cell is the first cell, the corresponding cell identifier can be obtained. Alternatively, the first system message sent by the network device includes information about the first resource pool and the cell identifier corresponding to the first resource pool. The terminal obtains the identifier information of the first cell simultaneously with obtaining the information about the first resource pool.

[0150] As can be seen, in the embodiment of the present application, the network device divides resource pools for different serving cells. After the terminal establishes a communication connection with the network device through the serving cell, it selects resources from the resource pool for sending uplink SRS. This process omits the process of the network device allocating specific resources to the terminal, simplifies the communication process, and improves communication efficiency. At the same time, the terminal does not have the ability to conduct complex communications with the network device (transmitting PDCCH / PUCCH or PDSCH / PUSCH), which can reduce the communication cost of the terminal.

[0151] In the above embodiment, the terminal sends the SRS to the network device through the first resource, but because the first resource is selected by the terminal, if the network device does not communicate with the terminal before the terminal sends the SRS, then the network device may not be able to obtain the identity of the terminal that sends the SRS through the first resource, and thus cannot perform subsequent positioning of the network device based on the received SRS.

[0152] See also Figure 3A , Figure 3AA flowchart of another positioning signal sending method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising the following steps:

[0153] 301. A terminal selects a first resource from a first resource pool, and obtains a second resource from a second resource pool based on the first resource, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with a network device through the first cell.

[0154] 302. The terminal sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the network device through the first resource, and sends identification information of the terminal through the second resource;

[0155] 303. The network device receives a sounding reference signal SRS sent by the terminal through the first resource, receives identification information of the terminal sent by the terminal through the second resource, uses the identification information of the terminal to determine the terminal sending the SRS, and locates the terminal through the SRS.

[0156] According to the description in the above embodiment, the terminal can obtain the first resource in the first resource pool and use it to send SRS. If the method for the terminal to select the first resource is configured by the network device or agreed upon by the protocol between the network device and the terminal, then the network device may determine the identity of the terminal based on the first resource. If the first resource is randomly selected by the terminal, then the network device cannot obtain the identity information of the terminal sending the SRS, and cannot perform the terminal positioning process.

[0157] In one possible implementation, the terminal obtains first information and determines the first resource pool based on the first information; and / or the terminal obtains second information and determines the second resource pool based on the second information. Optionally, the first information may be carried in a first message, and the terminal determines the first resource pool based on the received first message. The first message may be a system message, MAC signaling, RRC signaling, other higher-layer or physical layer signaling, etc. Optionally, the first message may be a newly added system message or an existing system message (which may be referred to as a first system message), for example, by adding the first information to an existing MIB message. Similarly, the second information may be carried in a second message, and the terminal determines the second resource pool based on the received second message. The second message may be a system message, MAC signaling, RRC signaling, other higher-layer or physical layer signaling, etc. Optionally, the second message may be a newly added system message or an existing system message (which may be referred to as a second system message), for example, by adding the second information to an existing SIB2 message. This application does not limit the message type. In another possible implementation, the first information and the second information may be carried in the same message, for example, both the first information and the second information are carried in a first system message, and the first system message may be a newly added system message or an existing system message, for example, the first system message is an MIB message.

[0158] In this case, the terminal sends its own identification information through the second resource while transmitting the uplink SRS via the first resource. This allows the network device to determine the identity of the terminal corresponding to the received SRS based on this identification information and then locate the terminal based on the SRS. This process allows the terminal to quickly determine and locate the terminal even without having to communicate with the network device to know the terminal's identity in advance, further improving positioning efficiency and reducing the communication cost of the positioning process.

[0159] The second resource pool can be configured by the network device or obtained by the terminal from an existing resource pool. In the case where the second resource pool is configured by the network device, the second resource pool can be configured synchronously when the access network configures the first resource pool. The network device can send information about the second resource pool to the terminal so that the terminal selects the second resource from the second resource pool after determining the first resource. Optionally, after the terminal establishes a connection with the network device through the first cell, the network device sends a second system message to the terminal, including a second system message sent through the MIB or the system message block SIB, and the second system message includes the second information. The second information can be the time-frequency information of the second resource pool, or it can be the index of the time-frequency information and part of the time-frequency information of the fourth resource pool. The fourth resource pool is the resource pool of the first cell and all neighboring cells. The second resource pool can be determined from the fourth resource pool according to the index; or the second information can also be used to indicate a resource pool that changes at different times or different periods, and the terminal determines the second resource pool according to the current time. Because after the terminal is turned on and synchronized with the network device, the network device will send the MIB and SIB to the terminal, and the information of the first resource pool is added to the MIB or SIB without adding any additional communication processes or steps between the access network and the terminal.

[0160] Optionally, the network device may send the second system message via SSBP. The resource block may be a resource block specifically used for sending positioning information, which does not overlap with other resource blocks and may be sent when the terminal accesses the network device.

[0161] The first system message used to send information about the first resource pool and the second system message used to send information about the second resource pool can be the same system message or different system messages. When the first system message and the second system message are different system messages, their sending order is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0162] According to the content sent by the above second resource, the second resource can be named physical uplink positioning channel (PUPCH). The second resource pool includes multiple resources, which can also be indicated by information such as period, time slot, number of OFDM symbols, start symbol or end symbol, bandwidth, etc. Each resource in the second resource pool can correspond to a fixed size, such as a physical resource block (PRB); or each resource in the second resource pool can correspond to a non-fixed size, that is, different resources correspond to different occupied OFDM symbols and frequency domain subcarrier numbers. In addition, because the first resource is used to send SRS and the second resource is used to send identification information of the terminal corresponding to the SRS, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

[0163] When there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the terminal sends the SRS through the first resource, and then the second resource corresponding to the first resource can be scheduled to send the identification information of the terminal. Figure 3B , Figure 3B A schematic diagram of the correspondence between a first resource and a second resource provided in an embodiment of the present application, assuming that the first resource occupies 2 symbols, the frequency interval is 4 subcarriers, and the second resource occupies 1 / 2 PRB, Figure 3B The first resource on the left is Figure 3B There is a one-to-one correspondence between the second resource on the right.

[0164] When there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the terminal sends the SRS through the first resource, and then any one of the multiple second resources corresponding to the first resource can be scheduled to send the terminal's identification information. Figure 3C , Figure 3C Another schematic diagram of the correspondence between the first resource and the second resource provided in an embodiment of the present application, assuming that the first resource occupies 2 symbols, the frequency interval is 4 subcarriers, and the second resource occupies 1 / 2 PRB, Figure 3C The first resource on the left Figure 3C There is a corresponding relationship between the two second resources on the right (second resource a and second resource b).

[0165] The correspondence between the first resource and the second resource includes a quantity correspondence and a position correspondence. Assuming that the first resource pool occupies the 4th time slot, each resource in the first resource pool occupies 2 symbols, and the frequency interval is 4 subcarriers, when there is a one-to-one quantity correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, please refer to Figure 3D , Figure 3DAnother schematic diagram of the correspondence between the first resource and the second resource provided in the embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 3D As shown in (a), because the 4th time slot (in the first resource pool) can include 28 resources (each resource can be a first resource), the second resource pool correspondingly includes 28 resources (each resource can be a second resource). When each second resource occupies 1 / 2 PRB, the second resource pool can occupy time slots 5 to 18. When there is a one-to-one positional correspondence between first resources and second resources, the first first resource in the 4th time slot can correspond to the first second resource in the 5th time slot.

[0166] When there is a one-to-many quantity correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, such as Figure 3D As shown in (b) in the figure, assuming that one first resource corresponds to two second resources, because the fourth time slot (in the first resource pool) can include 28 first resources, correspondingly, the second resource pool includes 56 second resources. When each second resource occupies 2 symbols, one time slot can include 7 second resources, and the second resource pool occupies 8 time slots, corresponding to time slots 5 to 12 in the figure. When there is a one-to-many position correspondence between first resources and second resources, the first first resource in the fourth time slot can correspond to the first second resource and the second second resource in the fifth time slot.

[0167] Optionally, the first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame. As can be seen from the above description, the second resource is the resource corresponding to the first resource. After the network device receives the first resource and obtains the SRS, it needs to obtain the identification information of the corresponding terminal. The first resource and the second resource are in the same radio frame, which allows the network device to more conveniently and accurately obtain the terminal identification information corresponding to the SRS without incorrect correspondence. In addition, the efficiency of obtaining both in the same frame can be guaranteed without unnecessary waiting, thereby improving positioning efficiency.

[0168] In addition, the size of the second resource can also be non-fixed, that is, different terminals can obtain second resources of different sizes. For example, if the sizes of the first resources corresponding to different terminals are different, in order to make the second resource correspond to the first resource, the size of the second resource varies in a positive correlation with the size of the first resource.

[0169] In an embodiment of the present application, because the number of terminals communicating with the network device is large, the number of first resources is usually less than the number of terminals that can communicate with the network device. In this case, the terminals need to compete for the first resources. By configuring multiple second resources for the first resources, it is possible that the network device competes for the second resources but not the first resources. At this time, if the network device receives an SRS and the identification information of multiple terminals corresponding to it, it can be determined that the network resources are insufficient, and then adjustments can be made to the positioning process to timely improve the positioning quality.

[0170] Optionally, when the network device receives an SRS and the identification information of multiple terminals corresponding thereto, the SRS is discarded and it is determined that the SRS is not sent successfully. Figure 3E , Figure 3E A schematic diagram of a conflict process provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3E As shown, the network device receives the SRS1 corresponding to the first resource, as well as the identification information 1 in the second resource A and the identification information 2 in the second resource B. The network device cannot determine based on the received information whether the SRS was sent by the terminal corresponding to the identification information 1 or the terminal corresponding to the identification information 2. Therefore, the network device can discard the SRS1 or not process the SRS1 and determine that the SRS1 failed to be sent. The terminal can obtain the first resource and the second resource again after a certain period of time and perform the next positioning process.

[0171] The above implementation process enables the network device to quickly solve the problem that the SRS signal sent by the terminal cannot accurately correspond to the terminal identification information without any other judgment mechanism. The terminal also does not need to perform redundant communication with the network device, reducing communication overhead and lowering positioning costs.

[0172] The correspondence between the first resource and the second resource can be pre-set by the network device when configuring the first resource pool and the second resource pool, or can be agreed upon by the network device through a protocol. In the latter case, if the first resource is a resource whose time-frequency position is randomly selected by the terminal, the network device can agree on a rule for the terminal to obtain the second resource based on the communication sequence or communication time with the terminal.

[0173] Optionally, after completing the transmission of the SRS, the terminal automatically switches from an active state to an idle state or an inactive state, and stops sending the SRS to the network device so that the terminal no longer consumes unnecessary energy during the process of the network device and the positioning device positioning the terminal, thereby reducing the positioning cost.

[0174] Figure 4 A communication device 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application can be used to perform the above Figures 2A to 2G or Figures 3A to 3E The communication device includes a processing module 402 and a sending module 403.

[0175] The processing module 402 is configured to select a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell;

[0176] The sending module 403 is configured to send a sounding reference signal SRS to the network device through the first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal.

[0177] Optionally, the processing module 402 is further used to: obtain a second resource from a second resource pool according to the first resource, the second resource is used to send identification information of the terminal, and the identification information of the terminal is used by the network device to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

[0178] Optionally, the device also includes a receiving module 401 for receiving a first system message; the processing module is used to determine the first resource pool based on the first system message; and / or the receiving module is used to receive a second system message, and the processing module is used to determine the second resource pool based on the second system message.

[0179] Optionally, the processing module 402 is further configured to: after the sending module sends the SRS to the network device, switch the terminal from an active state to an inactive state or an idle state.

[0180] Optionally, the processing module 402 may be a chip, an encoder, an encoding circuit or other integrated circuits that can implement the method of the present application.

[0181] Optionally, the receiving module 401 and the sending module 403 may be interface circuits or transceivers. The receiving module 401 and the sending module 403 may be independent modules or integrated into a transceiver module (not shown). The transceiver module may implement the functions of the receiving module 401 and the sending module 403 described above.

[0182] Since the specific methods and embodiments have been introduced above, the device 400 is used to execute the positioning signal processing method corresponding to the terminal. Therefore, the specific description of the method, especially the functions of the receiving module 401 and the processing module 402, can refer to the relevant parts of the corresponding embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0183] Optionally, the apparatus 400 may further include a storage module (not shown in the figure), which may be used to store data and / or signaling. The storage module may be coupled to the processing module 402, or may be coupled to the receiving module 401 or the sending module 403. For example, the processing module 402 may be used to read the data and / or signaling in the storage module, so that the key acquisition method in the aforementioned method embodiment is executed.

[0184] Figure 5 Another communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application can be used to perform the above Figures 2A to 2G or Figures 3A to 3E The positioning signal sending method and specific embodiment applied to a network device can be a positioning device or a chip configured in a positioning device. In one possible implementation, Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 500 includes a receiving module 502 and a processing module 503 .

[0185] The receiving module 502 is configured to receive a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by the terminal through a first resource in a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, and the terminal communicates with a network device through the first cell;

[0186] The processing module 503 is configured to locate the terminal through the SRS.

[0187] Optionally, the receiving module 502 is further configured to receive identification information of the terminal sent by the terminal through the second resource in the second resource pool, where the identification information of the terminal is used to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

[0188] Optionally, the device further includes a sending module 501, configured to: send a first system message, where the first system message is used by the terminal to determine the first resource pool; and / or send a second system message, where the second system message is used by the terminal to determine the second resource pool.

[0189] Optionally, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

[0190] Optionally, when there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the processing module 503 is used to: determine that the SRS is unsuccessfully sent when the network device receives the SRS and identification information of multiple terminals corresponding to the SRS.

[0191] Optionally, the processing module 503 may be a chip, an encoder, an encoding circuit or other integrated circuits that can implement the method of the present application.

[0192] Optionally, the receiving module 502 and the sending module 501 may be interface circuits or transceivers. The receiving module 502 and the sending module 501 may be independent modules or integrated into a transceiver module (not shown). The transceiver module may implement the functions of the receiving module 502 and the sending module 501 described above. The receiving module 502 and the sending module 501 may be interface circuits or transceivers.

[0193] Since the specific methods and embodiments have been introduced above, the device 500 is used to execute the positioning signal processing method corresponding to the positioning device. Therefore, the specific description of the method, especially the functions of the receiving module 502 and the sending module 501, can refer to the relevant parts of the corresponding embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0194] Optionally, the apparatus 500 may further include a storage module (not shown in the figure), which may be used to store data and / or signaling. The storage module may be coupled to the processing module 503, or may be coupled to the receiving module 502 or the sending module 501. For example, the processing module 503 may be used to read the data and / or signaling in the storage module, so that the key acquisition method in the aforementioned method embodiment is executed.

[0195] like Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 The structure of a communication device in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 6 The communication device 900 includes: a processor 111 and a transceiver 112, wherein the processor 111 and the transceiver 112 are electrically coupled;

[0196] The processor 111 is configured to execute part or all of the computer program instructions in the memory. When the part or all of the computer program instructions are executed, the device executes the method described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0197] The transceiver 112 is configured to communicate with other devices; for example, it sends a sounding reference signal SRS to the network device through the first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal.

[0198] Optionally, a memory 113 is further included for storing computer program instructions. Optionally, the memory 113 (Memory#1) is located within the device, the memory 113 (Memory#2) is integrated with the processor 111, or the memory 113 (Memory#3) is located outside the device.

[0199] It should be understood that Figure 6The communication device 900 shown can be a chip or circuit. For example, the chip or circuit can be provided in a terminal device or a communication device. The transceiver 112 can also be a communication interface. A transceiver includes a receiver and a transmitter. Furthermore, the communication device 900 can also include a bus system.

[0200] Among them, the processor 111, the memory 113, and the transceiver 112 are connected via a bus system, and the processor 111 is used to execute instructions stored in the memory 113 to control the transceiver to receive and send signals, thereby completing the steps of the first device or the second device in the implementation method involved in this application. The memory 113 can be integrated into the processor 111 or set separately from the processor 111.

[0201] As an implementation method, the function of the transceiver 112 can be considered to be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip. The processor 111 can be considered to be implemented by a dedicated processing chip, a processing circuit, a processor or a general-purpose chip. The processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP) or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor can further include a hardware chip or other general-purpose processor. The above-mentioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) and other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0202] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM 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 link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0203] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program includes a method for executing the method corresponding to the terminal in the above embodiment.

[0204] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program includes a method for executing the method corresponding to the network device in the above embodiment.

[0205] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method corresponding to the terminal in the above embodiment.

[0206] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method corresponding to the network device in the above embodiment.

[0207] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0208] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0209] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0210] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0211] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and 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 these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0212] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0213] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0214] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A positioning signal sending method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The terminal selects a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, the terminal communicates with a network device through the first cell, and the first resource pool does not include resources of an uplink data channel (PUSCH); The terminal sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the network device through the first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal; The terminal obtains a second resource from a second resource pool according to the first resource, and the second resource is used to send identification information of the terminal, and the identification information of the terminal is used by the network device to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that There is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The corresponding relationship is a corresponding relationship in quantity and / or a corresponding relationship in position.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal receives a first system message, and determines the first resource pool according to the first system message; and / or The terminal receives a second system message, and determines the second resource pool according to the second system message.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first system message and / or the second system message is obtained by the terminal by demodulating from a synchronization signal-broadcast channel resource block SSBP used for positioning.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first system message and the second system message are the same system message.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The SRS is generated based on the cell identifier.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval; the second resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the second resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: After sending the SRS to the network device, the terminal switches from an active state to an inactive state or an idle state.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein The SRS is used for one or more of the following positioning processes: uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification number (E-CID).

12. A positioning signal sending method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The network device receives a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by a terminal through a first resource in a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell, and the first resource pool does not include resources of an uplink data channel (PUSCH); The network device locates the terminal through the SRS; The network device is further configured to receive identification information of the terminal sent by the terminal through the second resource in the second resource pool, where the identification information of the terminal is used to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that There is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The corresponding relationship is a corresponding relationship in quantity and / or a corresponding relationship in position.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that In a case where there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the method further includes: When the network device receives the SRS and identification information of a plurality of terminals corresponding to the SRS, it is determined that the SRS is not successfully transmitted.

16. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: The network device sends a first system message, where the first system message is used by the terminal to determine the first resource pool; and / or The network device sends a second system message, where the second system message is used by the terminal to determine the second resource pool.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The network device sends the first system message and / or the second system message through a synchronization signal-broadcast channel resource block SSBP used for positioning.

18. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval; the second resource is indicated by one or more of the following information: the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the second resource, the starting symbol, the frequency offset, and the frequency interval.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The first resource and the second resource are located in the same radio frame.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein The SRS is used for one or more of the following positioning processes: uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), and enhanced cell identification number (E-CID).

21. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal, the device includes a processing module and a sending module, wherein: The processing module is configured to select a first resource from a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, the terminal communicates with the network device through the first cell, and the first resource pool does not include resources of an uplink data channel (PUSCH); The sending module is configured to send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the network device through the first resource, where the SRS is used to locate the terminal; The processing module is further configured to: A second resource is acquired from a second resource pool according to the first resource, where the second resource is used to send identification information of the terminal, and the identification information of the terminal is used by the network device to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

22. The device according to claim 21, characterized in that The processing module is further configured to: After the sending module sends the SRS to the network device, the terminal is switched from an active state to an inactive state or an idle state.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the device includes a receiving module and a processing module, wherein: The receiving module is configured to receive a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by a terminal through a first resource in a first resource pool, where the first resource pool is a resource pool corresponding to a first cell, the terminal communicates with a network device through the first cell, and the first resource pool does not include resources of an uplink data channel (PUSCH); The processing module is configured to locate the terminal using the SRS; The receiving module is further configured to receive identification information of the terminal sent by the terminal through the second resource in the second resource pool, where the identification information of the terminal is used to determine the terminal that sends the SRS.

24. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that The device further includes a sending module, configured to: sending a first system message, where the first system message is used by the terminal to determine the first resource pool; and / or A second system message is sent, where the second system message is used by the terminal to determine the second resource pool.

25. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that There is a one-to-one correspondence between the first resource and the second resource; or there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that In a case where there is a one-to-many correspondence between the first resource and the second resource, the processing module is configured to: When the network device receives the SRS and identification information of a plurality of terminals corresponding to the SRS, it is determined that the SRS is not successfully transmitted.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to run the code instructions to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or run the code instructions to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 20.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor, a transceiver, a memory, and computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer-executable instructions are executed, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or executes the method according to any one of claims 12 to 20.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed on the communication device, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 12 to 20.

30. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises the communication device according to any one of claims 21 to 22, and / or the communication device according to any one of claims 23 to 26.

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