Positioning method and system, positioning management function network element and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a positioning method and system, a positioning management function network element and a storage medium. The positioning method includes: determining a positioning strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by a network or a user terminal; determining at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtaining first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node; sending second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes a positioning strategy indication and array configuration information of each transmission receiving node; completing downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node. The present disclosure can make full use of the phase information and polarization information in the positioning reference signal in addition to the intensity by obtaining the array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, and can achieve high-precision direction finding and positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of information communication, and in particular to a positioning method and system, a positioning management function network element and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] As the cornerstone of many complex technologies, high-precision positioning technology has a wide range of applications in many aspects of production and life, and has been widely studied as an important topic in 5G wireless communication networks. The current 5G positioning technology standards cover a variety of positioning methods, which can be divided into two types from the physical dimension: time-based (TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) positioning, RTT (Round Trip Time) positioning) and angle-based (AOA (Angel of Arrival) positioning, AOD (Angel of Departure) positioning). Summary of the invention

[0003] The inventors have found through research that the related art DL (DownLink)-AOD positioning method depends on signal strength and beam direction, and has low direction finding accuracy and poor reliability.

[0004] In view of at least one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a positioning method and system, a positioning management function network element and a storage medium. By obtaining the array configuration information of TRP (Transmission-Reception Point), the phase information and polarization information in PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) in addition to the intensity can be fully utilized to achieve high-precision direction finding and positioning.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method is provided, including:

[0006] The location management function network element determines the location strategy in response to the location request initiated by the network or the user terminal;

[0007] The positioning management function network element determines at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtains first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node;

[0008] The positioning management function network element sends second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes a positioning strategy indication and array configuration information of each transmission and receiving node;

[0009] The positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning method further includes:

[0011] The location management function network element responds to the location request initiated by the network or the user terminal and determines the information feedback strategy;

[0012] The positioning management function network element sends information feedback strategy indication and positioning strategy indication to each transmission receiving node;

[0013] Wherein, the second positioning configuration information also includes an information feedback strategy indication.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node, including:

[0015] The positioning management function network element receives the positioning related information uploaded by the user terminal, wherein the user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, and calculates the positioning related information in combination with the second positioning configuration information;

[0016] The positioning management function network element processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node, including:

[0018] The positioning management function network element receives the positioning related information uploaded by each transmission and receiving node, wherein the user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission and receiving node, selects a signal processing method according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, and feeds back the processing result to the transmission and receiving node; each transmission and receiving node uploads the processing result as the positioning related information to the positioning management function network element, or each transmission and receiving node calculates the departure angle according to the processing result, and uploads the departure angle as the positioning related information to the positioning management function network element;

[0019] The positioning management function network element processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy is used to determine the information that the user terminal feeds back to the transmission receiving node after receiving the downlink positioning reference signal, and the feedback information is any one of the first feedback information, the second feedback information and the third feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is the time-frequency data of the received downlink positioning reference signal; the second feedback information is the channel estimation value, which is the channel estimation value calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information; the third feedback information is the channel correlation matrix, which is the autocorrelation matrix of the channel estimation calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy includes user terminal-based positioning and user terminal-assisted positioning, wherein, under the user terminal-assisted positioning strategy, the user terminal reports the measurement results, and the positioning management function network element completes the positioning calculation; under the user terminal-based positioning strategy, the user terminal performs signal measurement and carries out positioning calculation.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first positioning configuration information is used to determine the interaction details between the transmission receiving node and the user terminal and the parameters required for positioning.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first positioning configuration information includes at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, a geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information of the transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the array configuration information of the transmission and receiving node includes at least one of the number of antenna panel rows, the number of antenna panel columns, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the vertical spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the number of antenna rows on each panel, the number of antenna columns on each panel, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the vertical spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the antenna polarization type, and the antenna orientation angle.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information is used to notify the user terminal of the required positioning information.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information includes at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, a downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an information feedback strategy indication, a positioning strategy indication, a geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, an array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information relative to a reference transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and a beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy indication is used to enable the user terminal and surrounding transmission and receiving nodes to determine a subsequent data interaction mode.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy indication is used to determine a node that carries positioning calculation.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user terminal selects a signal processing mode according to a positioning strategy to process a downlink positioning reference signal, including:

[0030] If the positioning strategy is user terminal assisted positioning, the user terminal performs data preprocessing according to the information feedback strategy, calculates the feedback information and reports it to the corresponding transmission receiving node;

[0031] If the positioning strategy is based on user terminal positioning, the user terminal directly calculates the departure angle through the array parameter estimation algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal and the second positioning configuration information, and then completes the positioning by combining multiple departure angles and the transmission receiving node position information; or the user terminal completes the positioning through a direct positioning algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, solving the departure angle includes:

[0033] If the feedback information is the first feedback information, the solution method includes a first solution method or a second solution method, wherein the first solution method is: using an array parameter estimation algorithm that is independent of the specific form of the signal; the second solution method is: firstly performing channel estimation with the help of the received positioning reference signal feedback information and the locally recovered positioning reference signal, and then using a parameterized algorithm according to the channel matrix, wherein the channel matrix is ​​calculated on the transmission receiving node side;

[0034] If the feedback information is the second feedback information, channel estimation is first performed in the user terminal, and the solution method includes the first solution method or the second solution method;

[0035] If the feedback information is the third feedback information, the solution method is the third solution method, wherein the third solution method is an algorithm for estimating array parameters according to a channel or received data correlation matrix.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning method further includes:

[0037] The positioning management function network element or the user terminal notifies each transmission and receiving node of the positioning result.

[0038] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning management function network element is provided, including:

[0039] A measurement determination module, configured to determine a positioning strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by a network or a user terminal;

[0040] A transmission receiving node determination module, used to determine at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtain first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node;

[0041] A positioning configuration information sending module, used for the positioning management function network element to send second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes a positioning strategy indication and array configuration information of each transmission and receiving node;

[0042] The positioning completion module is used to complete the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

[0043] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning management function network element is used to perform operations to implement the positioning method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning management function network element is provided, including:

[0045] A memory for storing instructions;

[0046] The processor is used to execute the instruction so that the positioning management function network element performs operations to implement the positioning method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning system is provided, including a user terminal, a transmission receiving node, and a positioning management function network element as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0048] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the positioning method as described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0049] The present disclosure can fully utilize the phase information and polarization information in addition to the intensity in the positioning reference signal by acquiring the array configuration information of the transmission and reception nodes, and can achieve high-precision direction finding and positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0051] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the positioning method disclosed in the present invention.

[0052] Figure 2 Schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the positioning method disclosed herein.

[0053] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of some further embodiments of the positioning method disclosed herein.

[0054] Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of some further embodiments of the positioning method disclosed herein.

[0055] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of second positioning configuration information in some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] Figure 6 The present invention is a schematic diagram of some embodiments of the positioning management function network element.

[0057] Figure 7 The following is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the positioning management function network element disclosed in the present invention.

[0058] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the positioning system disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0060] Unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0062] Technologies, positioning methods and devices known to ordinary technicians in the relevant fields may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such technologies, positioning methods and devices should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0063] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0064] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0065] Through research, the inventors found that the DL-AOD angle positioning technology is very different from the UL (UpLink)-AOA because of the limited computing power of the UE (User Equipment) and the lack of base station array configuration information. The current DL-AOD solution is based on the measurement of the received signal strength of multiple beams in different directions.

[0066] On the one hand, beam scanning in related technologies requires multiple transmissions of DL PRS signals, which results in high transmission overhead. On the other hand, the beam direction resolution is limited, and the signal strength is greatly affected by environmental interference, so the direction finding accuracy is low and the robustness is poor. The fundamental shortcoming of related technical methods is that they only extract the position information in the amplitude, while ignoring the richer and more reliable position information contained in the phase or even polarization information. Therefore, in order to achieve high-precision downlink direction finding, a new solution needs to be designed to make it possible to fully mine the position information from the signal.

[0067] In view of at least one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a positioning method and system, a positioning management function network element and a storage medium. The present disclosure is described below through specific embodiments.

[0068] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the positioning method of the present disclosure. Preferably, this embodiment can be performed by the LMF (Location Management Function) of the present disclosure or the positioning system of the present disclosure. The positioning method may include at least one of steps 11 to 14, wherein:

[0069] Step 11: The positioning management function network element determines a positioning strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by the network or the user terminal.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 11 may include: the positioning management function network element determines the positioning strategy and the information feedback strategy in response to the positioning request initiated by the network or the user terminal.

[0071] Step 12: The positioning management function network element determines at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtains first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmission receiving node may be a base station such as a gNB.

[0073] Step 13: The positioning management function network element sends second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes a positioning strategy indication and array configuration information of each transmission and reception node.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information also includes an information feedback strategy indication.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 13 may include: the positioning management function network element sends the second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, and the positioning management function network element sends the information feedback strategy indication and the positioning strategy indication to each transmission receiving node.

[0076] Step 14: The positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

[0077] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 14 may include at least one of steps 141 to 143, wherein:

[0078] Step 141: The user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, calculates the positioning related information in combination with the second positioning configuration information, and uploads the positioning related information to the positioning management function network element.

[0079] Step 142: The positioning management function network element receives positioning related information uploaded by the user terminal.

[0080] Step 143: The positioning management function network element processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 14 may include at least one of steps 14a to 14d, wherein:

[0082] Step 14a: The user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, selects a signal processing method according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, and feeds back the processing result to the transmission receiving node.

[0083] In step 14b, each transmission receiving node uploads the processing result as positioning related information to the positioning management function network element, or each transmission receiving node calculates the departure angle according to the processing result and uploads the departure angle as positioning related information to the positioning management function network element.

[0084] Step 14c: The positioning management function network element receives the positioning related information uploaded by each transmission receiving node.

[0085] Step 14d: The positioning management function network element processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0086] Related technology The DL AOD method in the 5G standard relies on the signal strength measurement of multiple directional beams. Since the beam resolution is limited and the strength is susceptible to interference, the direction finding accuracy is low and the reliability is poor. In addition, beam scanning requires sending DLPRS signals multiple times, which results in large resource overhead.

[0087] The solution proposed in the above embodiment of the present disclosure can upload PRS feedback information through the UE, so that the base station can fully explore the amplitude, phase and polarization information in the signal in combination with the array configuration parameters to perform high-precision angle estimation; in addition, the above embodiment of the present disclosure only needs to perform one DL PRS transmission and one uplink information feedback to avoid repeated DL PRS transmission; in addition, the feedback information strategy of the above embodiment of the present disclosure is flexible and optional, and has wide adaptability to different algorithms and scenario requirements.

[0088] Figure 2 Schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the positioning method of the present disclosure. Preferably, this embodiment can be executed by the positioning system of the present disclosure. Figure 2 Steps 21 to 23 of the embodiment and Figure 1 Steps 11 to 13 of the embodiment are the same or similar. The positioning method may include at least one of steps 21 to 26, wherein:

[0089] Step 21: The network or UE initiates a DL-AOD request, and the LMF (location management function network element) responds to the DL-AOD request and determines an information feedback strategy and a positioning strategy.

[0090] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy is used to determine the information that the user terminal feeds back to the transmission receiving node after receiving the downlink positioning reference signal.

[0091] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy may include any one of a first feedback strategy, a second feedback strategy and a third feedback strategy, wherein the first feedback strategy is: receiving time-frequency data of DL PRS; the second feedback strategy is: utilizing the received signal and the channel estimate calculated based on the DL PRS resource configuration information; the third feedback strategy is: utilizing the received signal and the autocorrelation matrix of the channel estimate calculated based on the DL PRS resource configuration information.

[0092] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the strategy selection is determined by the initiator and responder of the DL-AOD request in the request response signaling, and is flexibly selected according to different scenarios and algorithm requirements.

[0093] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the feedback information is any one of first feedback information, second feedback information and third feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is time-frequency data of a received downlink positioning reference signal; the second feedback information is a channel estimation value, which is a channel estimation value calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and according to the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information; the third feedback information is a channel correlation matrix, which is an autocorrelation matrix of the channel estimation calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and according to the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information.

[0094] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy may include user terminal-based positioning and user terminal-assisted positioning, wherein, under the user terminal-assisted positioning strategy, the user terminal reports the measurement results, and the positioning management function network element completes the positioning calculation; under the user terminal-based positioning strategy, the user terminal performs signal measurement and carries out positioning calculation.

[0095] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy and positioning strategy selection are based on the UE and gNB positioning capabilities and latency and accuracy index requirements.

[0096] In step 22, LMF determines the TRP (Transmission-Reception Point) around the UE and obtains the first positioning configuration information of each TRP.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first positioning configuration information is used to determine the interaction details between the transmission receiving node and the user terminal and the parameters required for positioning.

[0098] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Table 1, the first positioning configuration information may include at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, a geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information of the transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource.

[0099] Table 1

[0100] information Options TRP IDs default TRP geographic location information default DL-PRS configuration information default TRP array configuration information Optional TRP Timing Information Optional TRP SSB Information Optional Physical cell identification Optional DL-PRS beam direction information Optional

[0101] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Table 1, the first positioning configuration information may include default TRP identifiers, geographic location information, and DL-PRS configuration information; optional TRP array configuration information, timing information, SSB (Synchronization Signal Block) information, physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of DL-PRS resources, wherein the synchronization signals PSS, SSS and PBCH channels together constitute SSB, wherein PSS represents primary synchronization signals (Primary Synchronization Signals), SSS represents secondary synchronization signals (Secondary Synchronization Signals), and PBCH represents physical broadcast channel (Physical Broadcast Channel).

[0102] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the array configuration information of the transmission receiving node may refer to the array configuration of the TRP and the polarization information of each antenna.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the array configuration information of the transmission and receiving node can be expressed in the form of a tuple as (Ng, Mg, Np, Mp, dg, H, dg, V, dH, dV, P, α), wherein each element represents the number of antenna panel rows, the number of antenna panel columns, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the vertical spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the number of antenna rows on each panel, the number of antenna columns on each panel, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the vertical spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the antenna polarization type (single polarization or dual polarization), and the antenna orientation angle.

[0104] Step 23, LMF sends the second positioning configuration information to the UE, and sends information feedback strategy indication and positioning strategy indication to each TRP.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information is used to notify the user terminal of the required positioning information.

[0106] Table 2

[0107]

[0108]

[0109] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Table 2, the second positioning configuration information includes a transmission receiving node identifier, a downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an information feedback strategy indication, a positioning strategy indication, a geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, an array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information relative to a reference transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and at least one of beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Table 2, the second positioning configuration information may include the default: each TRP identifier, PRS configuration information, information feedback strategy indication, positioning strategy indication; optional: each TRP geographic location information, array configuration information, timing information relative to a reference TRP, SSB information, physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of DL-PRS resources.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Table 2, the TRP geographic location information and TRP array configuration information are default items for UE-based positioning strategies, but are not required for UE-assisted positioning strategies.

[0112] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy indication is used to enable the user terminal and surrounding transmission and receiving nodes to determine a subsequent data interaction mode.

[0113] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy indication is used to determine a node that carries positioning calculation.

[0114] In step 24, the UE measures the DL-PRS signals of the surrounding TRPs, selects a signal processing method to process the downlink positioning reference signal according to the positioning strategy, and feeds back the processing results to the TRP.

[0115] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in step 24, the user terminal selects a signal processing mode according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, which may include at least one of steps 241-242, wherein:

[0116] Step 241: If the positioning strategy is user terminal assisted positioning, the user terminal performs data preprocessing according to the information feedback strategy, calculates the feedback information and reports it to the corresponding transmission and receiving node.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the data preprocessing includes a process from baseband sampling to solving the feedback information.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the feedback information includes three forms: first feedback information, second feedback information, and third feedback information, wherein:

[0119] The first feedback information is the received PRS time-frequency resource value, which corresponds one-to-one to the sent DL PRS time-frequency resource value. The process of UE reporting the received PRS time-frequency resource value is dual to the process of TRP sending PRS. Since the time-frequency position of the reported received PRS is exactly the same as the DL PRS resource, the resource configuration information is still used.

[0120] The second feedback information is a channel estimation value, which requires the UE to generate a reference signal according to the PRS configuration information and calculate it in combination with the received PRS signal. The specific channel estimation method is not limited. The time-frequency position of the reported channel estimation value is exactly the same as the DL PRS resource, so the resource configuration information can still be used.

[0121] The third feedback information is a channel correlation matrix or a received data correlation matrix, that is, an autocorrelation calculation is performed on the received DL PRS, or a channel estimation value is first calculated by the received PRS signal and the PRS reference signal, and then an autocorrelation calculation is performed on the channel estimation. The correlation matrix is ​​a square matrix with a dimension equal to the number of transmitting antennas, and the number of bits is significantly reduced compared to the first two feedback information, saving transmission overhead.

[0122] Step 242, if the positioning strategy is based on user terminal positioning, the user terminal directly calculates the departure angle through the array parameter estimation algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal and the second positioning configuration information, and then completes the positioning by combining multiple departure angles and the transmission receiving node position information; or the user terminal completes the positioning through a direct positioning algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal.

[0123] Step 25: Each TRP calculates AOD based on UE feedback information and reports it to LMF, which completes positioning; or directly reports feedback information to LMF, which calculates AOD to complete positioning.

[0124] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, calculating the departure angle may include at least one of steps 251 to 253, wherein:

[0125] Step 251, if the feedback information is the first feedback information, the solution method includes the first solution method or the second solution method, wherein the first solution method is: using an array parameter estimation algorithm that is independent of the specific form of the signal, such as the MUSIC (Multiple Signal Classification) algorithm, the ESPRIT (Estimating Signal Parameter via Rotational Invariance Techniques) algorithm, etc. The algorithm of the first solution method only focuses on the spatial phase difference of each array element of the array, so there is no need to restore the reference signal, and only the reported PRS feedback information is sufficient; the second solution method is: first use the received positioning reference signal feedback information and the locally restored positioning reference signal to perform channel estimation, and then use ML (Machine Learning), SAGE and other parameterized algorithms based on the channel matrix, wherein the channel matrix is ​​calculated on the transmission and receiving node side. The difference between the first feedback information and the second feedback information is that the channel matrix is ​​calculated on the base station side, saving UE computing resources.

[0126] Step 252: If the feedback information is the second feedback information, channel estimation is first performed in the user terminal, and the solution method includes the first solution method or the second solution method. At this time, the two types of algorithms applicable to the first feedback information are still applicable. Only when the UE side computing power is sufficient to carry the channel estimation and the array parameter estimation algorithm based on the channel estimation is adopted, it is recommended to adopt the second information feedback strategy, otherwise the first feedback information can better avoid unnecessary computing power consumption.

[0127] Step 253: If the feedback information is the third feedback information, the solution method is the third solution method, wherein the third solution method is an algorithm for estimating array parameters according to a channel correlation matrix or a received data correlation matrix.

[0128] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the third solution method is applicable to algorithms that rely only on the channel (or received data) correlation matrix for array parameter estimation. The array signal processing algorithm includes MUSIC, polarization ML, etc. The most significant advantage of the third information feedback strategy of the present disclosure over the first two is that it saves transmission resources. Whether reporting received PRS signals or channels, symbols need to be transmitted at each PRS time-frequency point, and the number increases with the increase of bandwidth. In contrast, the size of the correlation matrix depends only on the number of transmitting antennas and does not change with the increase of the number of symbols or bandwidth.

[0129] Step 26: According to the positioning strategy, the UE or LMF notifies each node of the positioning result.

[0130] The above embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to propose an improved DL-AOD positioning method, through which high-precision angle measurement and positioning can be achieved. The key to the method of this patent is to preserve the complete location information in the DL PRS signal.

[0131] In the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE uploads data containing complete location information to the base station, so that the algorithm design can be performed based on the signal itself.

[0132] The above embodiments of the present disclosure do not require beam scanning and only require one DL PRS resource transmission, which greatly saves time and frequency resources.

[0133] In addition, the base station in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure can fully exploit the amplitude, phase and polarization information in the signal by combining its own array configuration information, thereby greatly improving the direction finding accuracy and robustness.

[0134] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of some further embodiments of the positioning method disclosed herein. Figure 4 Schematic diagram of some other embodiments of the positioning method of the present disclosure. Preferably, this embodiment can be executed by the positioning system of the present disclosure. Figure 3 Steps 31 to 33 of the embodiment and Figure 2 Steps 21 to 23 of the embodiment and Figure 1 Steps 11 to 13 of the embodiment are the same or similar. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the positioning method disclosed herein may include at least one of steps 31 to 35, wherein:

[0135] Step 31: One of the network and the UE sends a DL-AOD request to the other, and the LMF responds to the DL-AOD request and determines a positioning strategy.

[0136] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, Figure 3 Step 31 of the embodiment may include at least one of steps 311-312, wherein:

[0137] Step 311: One of the network and the UE sends a DL-AOD request to the other. For example: Figure 4 In an embodiment, step 311 may include: the LMF receives a DL-AOD request sent by the user terminal to the network.

[0138] Step 312: LMF responds to the DL-AOD request.

[0139] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy refers to the distribution of calculation load, and the positioning strategy includes three types, a first positioning strategy, a second positioning strategy and a third positioning strategy, wherein the first positioning strategy: only the UE side performs positioning; the second positioning strategy: only the LMF performs positioning; the third positioning strategy: the UE side solves the AOD and the LMF side solves the position.

[0140] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the strategy selection is determined by the initiator and the responder in the request response signaling, and varies according to the computing power of the UE.

[0141] In step 32, LMF determines a single or multiple TRPs around the UE and obtains first positioning configuration information, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes the geographic coordinates and array configuration information of each TRP.

[0142] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, Figure 3 Step 32 of the embodiment may include at least one of steps 321-322, wherein:

[0143] Step 321, LMF sends a message to at least one TRP (e.g. Figure 4 TRP1 and TRP2 of the embodiment) request first positioning configuration information.

[0144] Step 322: TRP reports the first positioning configuration information to LMF.

[0145] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information.

[0146] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the array configuration information refers to the array configuration and polarization characteristics of the TRP.

[0147] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of array elements, the relative position of each array element and the polarization mode should be able to be inferred from the array configuration information. The configuration mode includes but is not limited to: for general situations, explicitly specifying the number of array elements, the x-coordinates, y-coordinates, z-coordinates, orientation angles, and polarization modes of all array elements; for panel arrays, specifying the number of vertical and horizontal antennas of one polarization in a panel, the number of polarizations, the number of vertical and horizontal panels, the vertical and horizontal spacing of panels, the spacing between antenna units, and the panel inclination.

[0148] Step 33: LMF sends the second positioning configuration information to the UE according to the positioning strategy.

[0149] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information may include DL PRS configuration information, array configuration information, and geographic location information of TRPs around the UE, wherein the array configuration information and geographic location information of the TPR are optional, and the DL PRS configuration information is a mandatory option. The configuration method is determined according to the positioning strategy. When the positioning strategy is the first positioning strategy, the positioning configuration information includes all mandatory and optional options; when the positioning strategy is the second positioning strategy, the positioning configuration information only includes mandatory options and does not include optional options; when the positioning strategy is the third positioning strategy, the positioning configuration information includes array configuration information in the mandatory and optional options.

[0150] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of second positioning configuration information in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the second positioning configuration information may include DL PRS configuration information of TRPs around the UE, array configuration information of TRPs, and geographic location information of TRPs.

[0151] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 5 As shown, in the DL PRS configuration information, the PRS positioning frequency layer may include multiple PRS resource sets, such as PRS resource set #1, PRS resource set #2, ... and PRS resource set #N, wherein each PRS resource set includes a plurality of PRS resources.

[0152] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 5 As shown, the array configuration information includes the x-coordinate, y-coordinate, z-coordinate, polarization auxiliary angle, polarization phase difference and array element orientation angle of each array element, where the units of the x-coordinate, y-coordinate and z-coordinate are cm. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the x-coordinate, y-coordinate, z-coordinate, polarization auxiliary angle, polarization phase difference and array element orientation angle of array element 1 are 0, 0, 0, 0, π / 2, 0, respectively; the x-coordinate, y-coordinate, z-coordinate, polarization auxiliary angle, polarization phase difference and array element orientation angle of array element 2 are X2, Y2, Z2, 0, π / 2, π / 2, respectively.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 5 As shown, the geographic location information of the TRP may include the TRP identification number, the X coordinate, the Y coordinate and the Z coordinate of the TRP, wherein the units of the X coordinate, the Y coordinate and the Z coordinate of the TRP are meters.

[0154] In step 34, the UE measures the DL PRS signals of the surrounding TRPs, calculates the positioning-related information in combination with the positioning configuration information, and uploads it to the LMF.

[0155] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, Figure 3Step 34 of the embodiment may include at least one of steps 341-342, wherein:

[0156] Step 341: The UE measures the DL PRS signal of the surrounding TRP, and calculates the positioning-related information in combination with the second positioning configuration information.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 Step 341 of the embodiment may include at least one of steps 4-1 to 4-3, wherein:

[0158] Step 4-1, when the positioning strategy is the first positioning strategy, the positioning configuration information includes all mandatory and optional items, and all calculations are completed by the UE. The UE positioning method can be distributed, that is, according to the DL PRS signal and the array configuration information, the AOD is estimated by means of an array direction finding algorithm, and then the positioning is completed in combination with the geographic location information of multiple TRPs; it can also be direct positioning, that is, according to the geographic location information of multiple TRPs, the DL PRS signal and the array configuration information, the positioning is completed with the help of an array direct positioning algorithm, and the positioning related information is AOD and positioning results.

[0159] Step 4-2, when the positioning strategy is the second positioning strategy, the positioning configuration information only includes DL PRS configuration information, the UE samples the received PRS signal and calculates the channel matrix or the autocorrelation matrix, and the positioning related information is the channel matrix or the received data autocorrelation matrix.

[0160] Step 4-3, when the positioning strategy is the third positioning strategy, the positioning configuration information includes DL PRS configuration information and array configuration information, and the UE calculates the AOD corresponding to each TRP according to the positioning configuration information, and the positioning related information is the AOD corresponding to all TRPs.

[0161] Step 342: The UE uploads positioning related information to the LMF.

[0162] Step 35: LMF processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning with the help of the positioning configuration information.

[0163] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 and Figure 4 Step 35 of the embodiment may include at least one of steps 351 to 352, wherein:

[0164] Step 351: When the positioning strategy is the first positioning strategy, no processing is required, and the positioning-related result includes the positioning result.

[0165] Step 352: When the positioning strategy is the second positioning strategy, LMF applies an array positioning algorithm to the channel matrix or the sample data autocorrelation matrix.

[0166] Step 353: When the positioning strategy is the third positioning strategy, LMF combines the geographic location information of all TRPs and the corresponding AOD to complete the positioning.

[0167] Different from the coarse direction finding method based on signal strength and beam direction in the related art, the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure introduces array configuration information, which can make full use of the phase and polarization information of the PRS signal and is compatible with various array parameter estimation algorithms.

[0168] The above embodiments of the present disclosure aim to propose a new DL-AOD positioning method. Through the method of the above embodiments of the present disclosure, high-precision angle measurement and positioning can be achieved.

[0169] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the positioning management function network element disclosed in the present invention. Figure 6 As shown, the positioning management function network element of the present disclosure may include a measurement determination module 61, a transmission receiving node determination module 62, a positioning configuration information delivery module 63 and a positioning completion module 64, wherein:

[0170] The measurement determination module 61 is configured to determine a positioning strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by a network or a user terminal.

[0171] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy includes user terminal-based positioning and user terminal-assisted positioning, wherein, under the user terminal-assisted positioning strategy, the user terminal reports the measurement results, and the positioning management function network element completes the positioning calculation; under the user terminal-based positioning strategy, the user terminal performs signal measurement and carries out positioning calculation.

[0172] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement determination module 61 is used to determine an information feedback strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by a network or a user terminal.

[0173] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy is used to determine the information that the user terminal feeds back to the transmission receiving node after receiving the downlink positioning reference signal, and the feedback information is any one of the first feedback information, the second feedback information and the third feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is the time-frequency data of the received downlink positioning reference signal; the second feedback information is the channel estimation value, which is the channel estimation value calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information; the third feedback information is the channel correlation matrix, which is the autocorrelation matrix of the channel estimation calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information.

[0174] The transmission receiving node determination module 62 is used to determine at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal and obtain first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node.

[0175] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first positioning configuration information is used to determine the interaction details between the transmission receiving node and the user terminal and the parameters required for positioning.

[0176] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first positioning configuration information includes at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, a geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information of the transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource.

[0177] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the array configuration information of the transmission and receiving node includes at least one of the number of antenna panel rows, the number of antenna panel columns, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the vertical spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the number of antenna rows on each panel, the number of antenna columns on each panel, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the vertical spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the antenna polarization type, and the antenna orientation angle.

[0178] The positioning configuration information sending module 63 is used for the positioning management function network element to send the second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes the positioning strategy indication and the array configuration information of each transmission and receiving node.

[0179] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information also includes an information feedback strategy indication.

[0180] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning configuration information sending module 63 is used to send information feedback strategy indication and positioning strategy indication to each transmission receiving node.

[0181] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information is used to notify the user terminal of the required positioning information.

[0182] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second positioning configuration information may include at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, a downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an information feedback strategy indication, a positioning strategy indication, a geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, an array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information relative to a reference transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and a beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource.

[0183] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information feedback strategy indication is used to enable the user terminal and surrounding transmission and receiving nodes to determine a subsequent data interaction mode.

[0184] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning strategy indication is used to determine a node that carries positioning calculation.

[0185] The positioning completion module 64 is used to complete the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning completion module 64 can be used to receive positioning-related information uploaded by a user terminal, wherein the user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, and calculates the positioning-related information in combination with the second positioning configuration information; processes the positioning-related information according to the positioning strategy, and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning completion module 64 can be used to receive positioning-related information uploaded by each transmission and receiving node, wherein the user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission and receiving node, selects a signal processing method according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, and feeds back the processing result to the transmission and receiving node; each transmission and receiving node uploads the processing result as positioning-related information to the positioning management function network element, or each transmission and receiving node calculates the departure angle according to the processing result, and uploads the departure angle as positioning-related information to the positioning management function network element; the positioning-related information is processed according to the positioning strategy, and the positioning is completed according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0188] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the operation of a user terminal selecting a signal processing method to process a downlink positioning reference signal according to a positioning strategy includes: if the positioning strategy is user terminal assisted positioning, the user terminal performs data preprocessing according to the information feedback strategy, calculates feedback information and reports it to the corresponding transmission and receiving node; if the positioning strategy is user terminal-based positioning, the user terminal directly calculates the departure angle through an array parameter estimation algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal in combination with the second positioning configuration information, and then completes the positioning in combination with multiple departure angles and the transmission and receiving node position information; or the user terminal completes the positioning through a direct positioning algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal.

[0189] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, solving the departure angle includes: if the feedback information is the first feedback information, the solving method includes the first solving method or the second solving method, wherein the first solving method is: using an array parameter estimation algorithm that is independent of the specific form of the signal; the second solving method is: firstly performing channel estimation with the help of the received positioning reference signal feedback information and the locally recovered positioning reference signal, and then using a parameterized algorithm based on the channel matrix, wherein the channel matrix is ​​calculated on the transmitting and receiving node side; if the feedback information is the second feedback information, channel estimation is firstly performed on the user terminal, and the solving method includes the first solving method or the second solving method; if the feedback information is the third feedback information, the solving method is the third solving method, wherein the third solving method is an algorithm for performing array parameter estimation based on a channel or received data correlation matrix.

[0190] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning management function network element is used to notify each transmission receiving node of the positioning result.

[0191] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning management function network element is used to implement any of the above embodiments (for example Figure 1-Figure 4 The operation of the positioning method described in any embodiment).

[0192] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of wireless communication technology, in particular to the field of wireless signal positioning, and are oriented to 6G systems.

[0193] The above embodiments of the present disclosure introduce feedback information, which can be directly compatible with various high-precision array parameter estimation algorithms.

[0194] The key to the above embodiments of the present disclosure is to obtain the array configuration information at the base station end, so that it is possible to fully utilize the position contained in the signal, and positioning can rely on more stable array phase or even polarization information rather than rough amplitude and beam.

[0195] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the positioning management function network element disclosed in the present invention. Figure 7 As shown, the positioning management function network element includes a memory 71 and a processor 72.

[0196] The memory 71 is used to store instructions. The processor 72 is coupled to the memory 71. The processor 72 is configured to execute any of the above embodiments (for example, Figure 1-Figure 4 Any embodiment) involves a positioning method.

[0197] like Figure 7As shown, the location management function network element also includes a communication interface 73 for information exchange with other devices. At the same time, the location management function network element also includes a bus 74, through which the processor 72, the communication interface 73, and the memory 71 communicate with each other.

[0198] The memory 71 may include a high-speed RAM memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk memory. The memory 71 may also be a memory array. The memory 71 may also be divided into blocks, and the blocks may be combined into virtual volumes according to certain rules.

[0199] In addition, the processor 72 may be a central processing unit CPU, or may be an application specific integrated circuit ASIC, or may be configured to implement one or more integrated circuits of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0200] Related Technology The DL-AOD positioning method in the 5G standard relies on signal strength and beam direction, and has low direction finding accuracy and poor reliability.

[0201] The solution proposed in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure can fully utilize the phase information and polarization information in addition to the intensity in the PRS signal by acquiring the array configuration information of the TRP, and can be coordinated with various array parameter estimation algorithms to achieve high-precision direction finding and positioning.

[0202] The solution of the above embodiment of the present disclosure also takes into account that the UE computing power varies, and the calculation steps can be performed in a centralized or distributed manner. By specifying different positioning strategies and positioning configuration information, when the UE computing power is sufficient, all calculations are carried out by the UE; when the UE computing power is limited, the UE only carries data preprocessing, and the LMF carries the positioning algorithm; when the UE does not have the computing power conditions, the LMF carries all calculations.

[0203] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the positioning system disclosed in the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, the positioning management function network element of the present disclosure may include a user terminal 81, a transmission receiving node 82 and a positioning management function network element 83, wherein:

[0204] The positioning management function network element 83 is used to determine the positioning strategy and information feedback strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by the network or the user terminal; determine at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtain the first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes the array configuration information of each transmission receiving node; send the second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes the information feedback strategy indication, the positioning strategy indication and the array configuration information of each transmission receiving node; and complete the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

[0205] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the location management function network element 83 may be any one of the above embodiments (for example Figure 6 or Figure 7 The positioning management function network element described in the embodiment).

[0206] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user terminal 81 is used to measure the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, combine the second positioning configuration information, solve the positioning related information, and upload the positioning related information to the positioning management function network element. The positioning management function network element 83 is used to receive the positioning related information uploaded by the user terminal; process the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy, and complete the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0207] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user terminal 81 is used to measure the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, select a signal processing method according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, and feed back the processing result to the transmission receiving node. Each transmission receiving node 82 is used to upload the processing result as positioning related information to the positioning management function network element, or each transmission receiving node calculates the departure angle according to the processing result, and uploads the departure angle as positioning related information to the positioning management function network element. The positioning management function network element 83 is used to receive the positioning related information uploaded by each transmission receiving node; process the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy, and complete the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

[0208] Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the positioning system are also provided. Figure 4 As shown, the positioning management function network element of the present disclosure may include a user terminal (UE), a positioning management function network element (LMF) and two transmission receiving nodes (TRP1, TRP2).

[0209] The solution proposed in the above embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, follows the existing 5G downlink AOD positioning framework, and only needs to add a transmission mechanism for array configuration information to achieve high-precision direction finding and positioning, without significantly increasing communication and computing overhead.

[0210] On the other hand, the array configuration information and TRP coordinate information required by the above embodiments of the present invention are clearly defined and easy to obtain, and the overall solution is theoretically and engineering feasible.

[0211] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, any of the above embodiments (for example Figure 1-Figure 4 The positioning method described in any embodiment).

[0212] The various positioning strategies proposed in the above embodiments of the present disclosure take into account the different computing powers of UEs and can flexibly adapt to terminals with different capabilities.

[0213] Since the above embodiments of the present disclosure introduce array configuration information, they are widely compatible with various array parameter estimation algorithms.

[0214] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as positioning methods, devices, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0215] The present disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of positioning methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the process in the flowchart. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0216] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0217] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0218] The positioning management function network element described above can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application.

[0219] So far, the present disclosure has been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0220] A person skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or may be accomplished by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, and the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0221] The description of the present disclosure is given for the purpose of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure, and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present disclosure and thereby design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific uses.

Claims

1. A positioning method, comprising: The positioning management function network element determines the information feedback strategy and the positioning strategy in response to the positioning request initiated by the network or the user terminal, wherein the positioning strategy includes positioning based on the user terminal and user terminal assisted positioning. Under the user terminal assisted positioning strategy, the user terminal reports the measurement result, and the positioning management function network element completes the positioning calculation; under the positioning strategy based on the user terminal, the user terminal performs signal measurement and carries out positioning calculation; The positioning management function network element determines at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtains first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node; The positioning management function network element sends second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes a positioning strategy indication, an information feedback strategy indication, and array configuration information of each transmission and receiving node, the information feedback strategy is used to determine information fed back to the transmission and receiving node by the user terminal after receiving the downlink positioning reference signal, the feedback information is any one of the first feedback information, the second feedback information, and the third feedback information, the first feedback information is the time-frequency data of the received downlink positioning reference signal, the second feedback information is a channel estimation value, the channel estimation value is a channel estimation value calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information, and the third feedback information is a channel correlation matrix, which is an autocorrelation matrix of the channel estimation calculated using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information; The positioning management function network element sends information feedback strategy indication and positioning strategy indication to each transmission receiving node; The positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

2. According to the positioning method of claim 1, the positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node, comprising: The positioning management function network element receives the positioning related information uploaded by the user terminal, wherein the user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission receiving node, and calculates the positioning related information in combination with the second positioning configuration information; The positioning management function network element processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

3. The positioning method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning management function network element completes the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node, comprising: The positioning management function network element receives the positioning related information uploaded by each transmission and receiving node, wherein the user terminal measures the downlink positioning reference signal of the transmission and receiving node, selects a signal processing method according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, and feeds back the processing result to the transmission and receiving node; each transmission and receiving node uploads the processing result as the positioning related information to the positioning management function network element, or each transmission and receiving node calculates the departure angle according to the processing result, and uploads the departure angle as the positioning related information to the positioning management function network element; The positioning management function network element processes the positioning related information according to the positioning strategy and completes the positioning according to the first positioning configuration information.

4. The positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first positioning configuration information is used to determine the interaction details between the transmission receiving node and the user terminal and the parameters required for positioning; The first positioning configuration information includes at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information of the transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource; The array configuration information of the transmission and receiving node includes at least one of the number of antenna panel rows, the number of antenna panel columns, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the vertical spacing between adjacent antenna panels, the number of antenna rows on each panel, the number of antenna columns on each panel, the horizontal spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the vertical spacing between adjacent antennas on the panel, the antenna polarization type and the antenna orientation angle.

5. The positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The second positioning configuration information is used to notify the user terminal of the positioning information required; The second positioning configuration information includes at least one of a transmission receiving node identifier, downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, an information feedback strategy indication, a positioning strategy indication, geographic location information of the transmission receiving node, array configuration information of the transmission receiving node, timing information relative to a reference transmission receiving node, synchronization signal block information of the transmission receiving node, a physical cell identifier, and beam direction information of a downlink positioning reference signal resource; The information feedback strategy indication is used to enable the user terminal and surrounding transmission and receiving nodes to determine a subsequent data interaction mode; The positioning strategy indication is used to determine the node that carries the positioning calculation.

6. The positioning method according to claim 3, wherein: The user terminal selects a signal processing mode according to the positioning strategy to process the downlink positioning reference signal, including: If the positioning strategy is user terminal assisted positioning, the user terminal performs data preprocessing according to the information feedback strategy, calculates the feedback information and reports it to the corresponding transmission receiving node; If the positioning strategy is based on user terminal positioning, the user terminal directly calculates the departure angle through the array parameter estimation algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal and the second positioning configuration information, and then completes the positioning by combining multiple departure angles and the transmission receiving node position information; or the user terminal completes the positioning through a direct positioning algorithm based on the received downlink positioning reference signal.

7. The positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Solving for departure angles includes: If the feedback information is the first feedback information, the solution method includes a first solution method or a second solution method, wherein the first solution method is: using an array parameter estimation algorithm that is independent of the specific form of the signal; the second solution method is: firstly performing channel estimation with the help of the received positioning reference signal feedback information and the locally recovered positioning reference signal, and then using a parameterized algorithm according to the channel matrix, wherein the channel matrix is ​​calculated on the transmission receiving node side; If the feedback information is the second feedback information, channel estimation is first performed in the user terminal, and the solution method includes the first solution method or the second solution method; If the feedback information is the third feedback information, the solution method is the third solution method, wherein the third solution method is an algorithm for estimating array parameters according to a channel or received data correlation matrix.

8. The positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The positioning management function network element or the user terminal notifies each transmission and receiving node of the positioning result.

9. A positioning management function network element, comprising: A measurement determination module, configured to determine an information feedback strategy and a positioning strategy in response to a positioning request initiated by a network or a user terminal, wherein the positioning strategy includes positioning based on a user terminal and user terminal assisted positioning. Under the user terminal assisted positioning strategy, the user terminal reports the measurement result, and the positioning management function network element completes the positioning calculation; under the positioning strategy based on the user terminal, the user terminal performs signal measurement and carries out positioning calculation; A transmission receiving node determination module, used to determine at least one transmission receiving node around the user terminal, and obtain first positioning configuration information of each transmission receiving node, wherein the first positioning configuration information includes array configuration information of each transmission receiving node; A positioning configuration information sending module, used for the positioning management function network element to send second positioning configuration information to the user terminal, wherein the second positioning configuration information includes a positioning strategy indication, an information feedback strategy indication and array configuration information of each transmission receiving node, the information feedback strategy is used to determine the information fed back to the transmission receiving node by the user terminal after receiving the downlink positioning reference signal, the feedback information is any one of the first feedback information, the second feedback information and the third feedback information, the first feedback information is the time-frequency data of the received downlink positioning reference signal, the second feedback information is the channel estimation value, the channel estimation value is the channel estimation value calculated by using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information, the third feedback information is the channel correlation matrix, the channel correlation matrix is ​​the autocorrelation matrix of the channel estimation calculated by using the received downlink positioning reference signal and the downlink positioning reference signal resource configuration information; and send the information feedback strategy indication and the positioning strategy indication to each transmission receiving node; The positioning completion module is used to complete the downlink departure angle positioning by interacting with the user terminal and each transmission receiving node.

10. The positioning management function network element according to claim 9, wherein: The positioning management function network element is used to execute operations to implement the positioning method as described in any one of claims 2-8.

11. A positioning management function network element, comprising: A memory for storing instructions; The processor is used to execute the instruction so that the positioning management function network element performs the operation of implementing the positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A positioning system, comprising a user terminal, a transmission receiving node and a positioning management function network element as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

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