Positioning method of remote user terminal and related device and positioning system

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method and related equipment / system for locating a remote user terminal, relating to the field of communication technology. The method includes: broadcasting a message on a target communication interface to establish a communication link between a relay terminal and a remote user terminal; detecting the signal strength of the communication link to determine the target terminal; acquiring user information of the target terminal and sending a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to a positioning platform, so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal. This disclosure can solve the problems of low positioning accuracy and inability to meet business requirements in related technologies.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a method and related equipment and system for locating a remote user terminal. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, mobile cellular communication carrier frequencies are trending towards higher frequencies and wider bandwidths. However, higher frequencies significantly reduce the coverage area of ​​base stations, greatly increasing deployment costs. Currently, the connection between user equipment (UE) and the network is primarily achieved by extending the coverage of the radio access network (RAN) through relays, enabling remote user equipment (Remote UE) outside the base station's coverage area to access the network via relay terminals.

[0003] In related technologies, positioning methods based on existing network architecture can only locate cells, resulting in low positioning accuracy and failing to meet business needs.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a method and related equipment and system for locating remote user terminals, thereby solving to some extent the problems of low positioning accuracy and inability to meet business needs in related technologies.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a method for locating a remote user terminal is provided, applied to a relay terminal. The method includes: broadcasting a broadcast message including first relay terminal location identification information on a target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal; the first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network; detecting the signal strength of the communication link, and determining the remote user terminal as the target terminal when the signal strength is greater than a reference signal received power threshold; acquiring user information of the target terminal, and sending a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to a positioning platform, so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0007] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a registration request message including a relay terminal location information element to the core network, wherein the relay terminal location information element includes a relay terminal location capability and a terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal based on the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type; and receiving a registration response message sent by the core network when the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal; wherein the registration response message includes the first relay terminal location identification information and the reference signal received power threshold, wherein the first relay terminal location identification information is generated by the core network based on the relay terminal location information.

[0008] Optionally, the target communication interface is a PC5 interface. The step of broadcasting a broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal includes: periodically broadcasting the broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the PC5 interface to enable nearby terminals to discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning; when the nearby terminal uses the relay terminal for relay positioning, receiving a direct communication request message sent by the nearby terminal and sending a direct communication response message to the nearby terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the nearby terminal.

[0009] Optionally, obtaining the user information of the target terminal includes: sending a terminal information request message to the target terminal; the terminal information request message including an information type; and receiving a terminal information response message including user information sent by the target terminal, wherein the terminal information response message is generated according to the information type.

[0010] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method for locating a remote user terminal is provided, applied to a remote user terminal. The method includes: receiving a broadcast message broadcast by a relay terminal on a target communication interface, the broadcast message including first relay terminal location identification information, the first relay terminal location identification information being used to indicate identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network; determining, based on the first relay terminal location identification information, whether the relay terminal can be used for locating the remote user terminal; when the relay terminal can be used for locating the remote user terminal, initiating a communication link request to the relay terminal to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal; sending user information of a target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link, so that the relay terminal sends a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to a positioning platform, the positioning platform locating the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal; the target terminal detecting the signal strength of the communication link for the relay terminal, determined when the signal strength is greater than a reference signal received power threshold.

[0011] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a relay terminal is provided, the terminal comprising: a broadcast module, a detection module, and a first transmission module; the broadcast module broadcasts a broadcast message including first relay terminal location identification information on a target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and a remote user terminal; the first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network; the detection module detects the signal strength of the communication link, and when the signal strength is greater than a reference signal received power threshold, determines the remote user terminal as the target terminal; the first transmission module acquires user information of the target terminal and sends a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to a positioning platform, so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a remote user terminal is provided, the terminal comprising: a first receiving module, a determining module, a first sending module, and a second sending module; the first receiving module is configured to receive a broadcast message broadcast by a relay terminal on a target communication interface, the broadcast message including first relay terminal location identification information, the first relay terminal location identification information being used to indicate identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network; the determining module is configured to determine, based on the first relay terminal location identification information, whether the relay terminal can be used for locating the remote user terminal; the first sending module, when the relay terminal can be used for locating the remote user terminal, sends a communication link request to the relay terminal to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal; the second sending module sends user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link, so that the relay terminal sends a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to a positioning platform, and the positioning platform locates the user terminal based on the location of the relay terminal; the target terminal is determined by the relay terminal detecting the signal strength of the communication link, and the signal strength is greater than a reference signal received power threshold.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a positioning system is provided, the system comprising: a relay terminal, a remote user terminal, and a positioning platform, wherein: the relay terminal is configured to broadcast a broadcast message including first relay terminal location identification information on a target communication interface; the remote user terminal is configured to determine, based on the received broadcast message, whether the relay terminal can be used for positioning the remote user terminal; when the relay terminal can be used for positioning the remote user terminal, to initiate a communication link request to the relay terminal to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal; the remote user terminal is further configured to send user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link; the relay terminal is further configured to send a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform; and the positioning platform is configured to locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0014] According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of the above.

[0015] According to a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used for the communication device to interact with other communication devices, and when program instructions are executed in the at least one processor, the method described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0016] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may have some or all of the following beneficial effects:

[0017] In the remote user terminal positioning method provided in the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, on the one hand, by adding the location identification information of a first relay terminal to the broadcast message, a communication link is established between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal. Then, by detecting the signal strength of the communication link, the target terminal is determined. By reporting user information to the positioning platform, the positioning of the target terminal using the relay terminal is achieved, enabling the positioning accuracy of this disclosure to reach the meter level, which can greatly improve the positioning accuracy of the existing network. On the other hand, this disclosure can achieve precise positioning of the target terminal by adding the location identification information element of the first relay terminal to the original broadcast message and adding the user information element to the seed of the remote user terminal report message. It does not require the deployment of an end-to-end network or modification of the terminal, making it simple to implement. Furthermore, by adjusting the reference signal received power threshold, the positioning accuracy and positioning range can be flexibly adjusted, showing broad application prospects.

[0018] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0020] Figure 1 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario system architecture for a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 One of the schematic flowcharts of a remote user terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 3 The second schematic diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method for locating a remote user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4 The third schematic diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method for locating a remote user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of a relay terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 6A schematic block diagram of a remote user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a positioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 8 An exemplary communication device block diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a full understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced with one or more specific details omitted, or other methods, components, apparatus, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known technical solutions are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this disclosure.

[0029] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0030] refer to Figure 1 The remote user terminal positioning method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 In the system architecture shown. For example... Figure 1As shown, the system may include Remote User Terminals (UEs), relay terminals, a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network. Relay terminals are network devices that regenerate and restore signals, used to extend network transmission distance by retransmitting or forwarding data signals. The RAN includes devices such as base stations (e.g., gNodeBs) and radio network controllers; its main function is to control user access to the mobile communication network via the wireless network. The core network 103, as the top layer of the mobile communication network, is used to route and exchange data, ultimately establishing a channel between the user and the Internet.

[0031] Remote user terminals can refer to mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and any other wearable devices; this example does not limit this. Relay terminals can be fixed-location or have known location information, such as roadside units in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network. Communication links can be established between remote user terminals and relay terminals via the PC5 interface (direct communication interface). Communication between relay terminals and the RAN (Radio Network Array) can be established via the Uu interface (cellular network communication interface).

[0032] The number of remote user terminals and relay terminals in this example is exemplary. Depending on the actual situation, there can be any number of remote user terminals and relay terminals. This example does not limit this number.

[0033] refer to Figure 2 The remote user terminal positioning method provided in this disclosure can be applied to relay terminals and may specifically include the following steps S210-S230.

[0034] Step S210: Broadcast a broadcast message including the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal.

[0035] In this example implementation, the first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate the identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network, such as the Position Relay ID. The target communication interface can be a PC5 interface, where PC5 can be a resource configured by the network for relay communication, or it can be WLAN technology (Wi-Fi D2D). D2D refers to Device-to-Device Communication, a communication method in which two peer user nodes communicate directly. This example does not limit this. Exemplarily, the PC5 technology to be used can be negotiated with the network during relay terminal registration, and the registration process of the relay terminal can be the same as the relay communication process.

[0036] In this example implementation, the relay terminal establishes a communication link with a nearby remote user terminal by broadcasting a message.

[0037] Step S220: Detect the signal strength of the communication link. When the signal strength is greater than the reference signal received power threshold, determine the remote user terminal as the target terminal.

[0038] In this example implementation, the reference signal received power threshold can be a freely configurable parameter issued by the core network during the relay terminal registration phase. When the signal strength between the remote user terminal and the relay terminal is greater than the reference signal received power threshold, the remote user terminal can be considered a neighboring terminal of the relay terminal, and the neighboring terminal can be identified as the target terminal.

[0039] Step S230: Obtain user information of the target terminal and send a remote user terminal report message containing user information to the positioning platform so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0040] In this example implementation, user information may include user type information and user identification information. User type information may include user identification type, such as TMSI (Temporary Mobile Subscription Identifier) ​​or IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), or other user identifications. This example does not limit this. User identification information, i.e., User ID, may include specific user information (such as user location, user identifier, etc.).

[0041] In this example implementation, the positioning platform can assign the location of the relay terminal to the target terminal to achieve the positioning of the target terminal. Alternatively, it can determine the location of the target terminal by comprehensively considering the locations of multiple relay terminals. For example, the center point of the geometric shape formed by the locations of multiple relay terminals can be used as the location of the target terminal. This example does not limit this.

[0042] The remote user terminal positioning method provided in this disclosure, on the one hand, establishes a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal by adding a first relay terminal location identifier to the broadcast message. Then, by detecting the signal strength of the communication link, the target terminal is determined. By reporting user information to the positioning platform, the positioning of the target terminal using the relay terminal is achieved, enabling the positioning accuracy of this disclosure to reach the meter level, significantly improving the positioning accuracy of existing networks. On the other hand, this disclosure achieves precise positioning of the target terminal by adding a first relay terminal location identifier to the original broadcast message and adding a user information identifier to the remote user terminal report message seed. This eliminates the need for deploying an end-to-end network or modifying the terminal, making it simple to implement. Furthermore, the positioning accuracy and range can be flexibly adjusted by adjusting the reference signal received power threshold, demonstrating broad application prospects.

[0043] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0044] A registration request message including a relay terminal location information element is sent to the core network. The relay terminal location information element includes the relay terminal location capability and terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the location of remote user terminals based on the relay terminal location capability and terminal type.

[0045] In this example implementation, the relay terminal can first register with the core network to obtain authorization, preparing for the subsequent location of the target terminal. The registration and authorization of the relay terminal and remote user terminal can be performed through a registration process. The core network can determine whether the current relay terminal and / or remote user terminal can be located using the method disclosed herein by querying the configuration information in the terminal database. The registration process in this example can be the same as the corresponding process in existing 4G / 5G networks.

[0046] In this example implementation, the relay terminal location information element (Relay Position) may include relay terminal location capability (Relay Position Capability) and terminal type (User Type), and may also include other information; this example does not limit this. For example, the Relay Position Capability can be configured to have a value of 0 or 1, where a value of 0 indicates support for the positioning method disclosed herein, and a value of 1 indicates that the positioning method disclosed herein is not supported. The User Type can be configured to have a value of Relay UE or Remote UE, where Relay UE indicates that the request was initiated by a relay, and Remote UE indicates that the request was initiated by a remote user terminal.

[0047] When the relay terminal can be used for the location of remote user terminals, it receives a registration response message sent by the core network. The registration response message includes the location identification information of the first relay terminal and a reference signal received power threshold. The location identification information of the first relay terminal is generated by the core network based on the location information of the relay terminal.

[0048] In this example implementation, after querying the corresponding database configuration information and determining that the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of remote user terminals (e.g., Relay Position Capability is set to 1), the core network sends a corresponding registration response message to the registration requester. The registration response message may include the first relay terminal location identifier information (RelayPosition ID) and the Reference Signal Received Power Threshold (RSRP threshold). The first relay terminal location identifier information represents the ID assigned to the relay terminal by the core network.

[0049] In some embodiments, the target communication interface is a PC5 interface. A broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal is broadcast on the target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal, including:

[0050] Broadcast messages containing the location identifier of the first relay terminal are periodically broadcast on the PC5 interface so that nearby terminals can discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning.

[0051] In this example implementation, the PC5 interface can be a resource configured by the network for relay communication, or it can be WLAN technology (Wi-Fi D2D). The PC5 interface achieves low latency, high capacity, and high reliability communication through direct connection, broadcast, and network scheduling.

[0052] In this example implementation, an announcement message can be periodically broadcast on the PC5 interface to broadcast the location identifier information (Position Relay ID) of the first relay terminal to other terminals. The announcement message in this example can utilize existing relay communication messages; simply adding the Position Relay ID information element to the message makes implementation simple.

[0053] When a neighboring terminal uses a relay terminal for relay positioning, the relay terminal receives a direct communication request message from the neighboring terminal and sends a direct communication response message to the neighboring terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the neighboring terminal.

[0054] In this example implementation, a neighboring terminal refers to a terminal that is close to the relay terminal. For example, a terminal near a relay terminal capable of receiving broadcast messages can be identified as a neighboring terminal. In this example, the Position Relay ID issued by the core network can be used to determine whether a neighboring terminal uses the relay terminal for positioning. For example, it can be configured that if the Position Relay ID received by a neighboring terminal during the registration phase is the same as the Position Relay ID in the broadcast message, the neighboring terminal can be determined to use the relay terminal for positioning.

[0055] In some embodiments, obtaining user information of the target terminal includes:

[0056] Send a terminal information request message to the target terminal; the terminal information request message includes the information type.

[0057] In this example implementation, the UE Information Request message may include an information type, which may include TMSI, IMSI, etc.

[0058] Receive a terminal information response message sent by the target terminal, which includes user information. The terminal information response message is generated according to the information type.

[0059] In this example implementation, the target terminal generates a UE Information Response message based on the information type. The UE Information Response carries the user information of the target terminal, which may include user identification information, location information, user name, type, etc. This example does not limit this.

[0060] This disclosure also provides a method for locating a remote user terminal, which can be applied to a remote user terminal. The method includes the following steps S310-S340.

[0061] Step S310: Receive a broadcast message broadcast by the relay terminal on the target communication interface. The broadcast message includes the location identification information of the second relay terminal.

[0062] Step S320: Determine whether the relay terminal can be used for locating remote user terminals based on the location identification information of the second relay terminal.

[0063] Step S330: When the relay terminal can be used to locate the remote user terminal, a communication link request is initiated to the relay terminal to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal.

[0064] Step S340: Send the target terminal's user information to the relay terminal on the communication link, so that the relay terminal sends a remote user terminal report message containing user information to the positioning platform, and the positioning platform locates the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0065] In this example implementation, the target terminal is a relay terminal that detects the signal strength of the communication link, and the threshold is determined when the signal strength is greater than a reference signal received power threshold. The range of values ​​for the reference signal received power threshold (RSRP threshold) can be the same as in existing technologies or can be customized; this example does not limit this. For example, if PC5 uses network-allocated resources, the RSRP threshold can be defined using side-link RSRP; if PC5 uses WLAN, the RSRP threshold can use the signal strength definition in Wi-Fi D2D technology.

[0066] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0067] Send a registration request message containing user type information to the core network so that the core network can determine whether the remote user terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning based on the user type information.

[0068] In this example implementation, the remote user terminal also needs to register and authorize with the core network. User type information is used to distinguish between relay terminals and remote user terminals. The core network determines whether the remote user terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning by querying the corresponding database configuration information.

[0069] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0070] Once it is determined that the terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning, it receives a registration response message sent by the core network. The registration response message includes the location identification information of the second relay terminal.

[0071] In this example implementation, the second relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate a list of relay terminal identification information that can establish a communication link with the remote user terminal and is used for location assistance. This information can be issued by the core network to the corresponding remote user terminal during the registration phase. The registration process for the remote user terminal can be the same as the existing terminal registration process.

[0072] In some embodiments, in response to the comparison result of the first relay terminal location identification information and the second relay terminal location identification information, it is determined whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of a remote user terminal.

[0073] In this example implementation, when the location identification information of the first relay terminal is the same as that of the location identification information of the second relay terminal, it can be determined that the relay terminal can be used for the auxiliary positioning of the remote user terminal.

[0074] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4 The present disclosure discloses a method for locating a remote user terminal according to a specific embodiment, which may include the following steps.

[0075] Step S401: The relay terminal / remote user terminal sends a Registration Request, including the Relay Position information cell, to the core network.

[0076] In this example, the Relay Position information element may include Relay Position Capability and UserType. Relay Position Capability has values ​​of 0 and 1, where 0 indicates support for the positioning method disclosed herein, and 1 indicates no support. User Type has values ​​of Relay UE or Remote UE, where Relay UE indicates that the request was initiated by a relay, and Remote UE indicates that the request was initiated by another terminal.

[0077] In step S402, the core network determines whether the relay terminal / user remote terminal can use the positioning method disclosed herein based on the database configuration information.

[0078] In step S403, the core network sends a Registration Response to the relay terminal / user remote terminal.

[0079] In this example, the Registration Response message carries a newly added information element, Relay PositionID. For relay terminals, this Relay Position ID represents the ID assigned to the relay by the core network; for other remote user terminals, this Relay Position ID represents a list of relay IDs with which the terminal can establish a PC5 interface and be used for assisted positioning. The Registration Response message may also include an RSRP threshold to facilitate subsequent detection of nearby terminals.

[0080] The above steps S401-403 are the terminal registration and authorization process.

[0081] In step S404, the relay terminal broadcasts an announcement message on the PC5 interface, broadcasting its Position Relay ID to the remote user terminal. This step is the relay terminal's identity announcement process.

[0082] In step S405, the remote user terminal receives the announcement message and determines whether the remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning.

[0083] In this example, if the Position Relay ID of the relay terminal in the Announcement message is consistent with the Position Relay ID received by the remote user terminal in step S503, it means that the current remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning.

[0084] Step S406: When it is determined that the remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning, the remote user terminal initiates a Direct Communication Request to the relay terminal to request the establishment of a PC5 link.

[0085] In step S407, the relay terminal returns a Direct Communication Response to the remote user terminal.

[0086] In step S408, the relay terminal continuously detects the signal strength of the PC5 link to determine whether the terminal is a nearby terminal. If so, the remote user terminal is determined to be the target terminal.

[0087] In this example, if the detected signal strength is greater than the RSRP threshold, the terminal is considered to be adjacent to the relay terminal, i.e., a neighboring terminal of the relay terminal. This terminal can then be identified as the target terminal.

[0088] In step S409, the relay terminal sends a UE Information Request to the target terminal.

[0089] In this example, the UE Information Request message contains the information type of the information element. The information type can take the values ​​TMSI or IMSI.

[0090] In step S410, the target terminal returns a UE information Response to the relay terminal.

[0091] In this example, the UE information Response carries the corresponding user information.

[0092] The above steps S405-S410 are the process of establishing the PC5 link and detecting the target terminal.

[0093] Step S411: The relay terminal sends a Remote UE Report to the positioning platform.

[0094] In this example, a Relay Position User ID information element can be added to the original Remote UE Report. This information element can include User ID type and User ID. The User ID type can be TMSI or IMSI; the User ID can be the specific user information.

[0095] Step S412: The positioning platform locates the target terminal based on the Remote UE Report.

[0096] In this example, the relay terminal's location can be assigned to the target terminal. Steps S411 and S412 above describe the target terminal's information reporting and location process.

[0097] The order of the steps in the above embodiments is merely exemplary and can be adjusted as needed.

[0098] As positioning services demand ever higher positioning accuracy, traditional user cell-level positioning services based on the existing network architecture can no longer meet the needs of these services. While positioning methods introduced in 3GPP R16 (such as Enhanced Cell Identifier (E-CID) and Multi-RTT) can achieve higher positioning accuracy, they require the deployment of end-to-end networks and terminal support, making implementation complex, and the current industry chain is not yet mature.

[0099] To address the aforementioned issues, this disclosure, based on existing relay communication networks, utilizes the PC5 interface to detect and identify nearby terminals entering its coverage area, acquire terminal user information, and report it to the positioning platform. It can analyze the terminal's travel path, improving positioning accuracy. While maintaining positioning accuracy, it is simple to implement and can achieve precise positioning through simple deployment within the existing network architecture. Furthermore, this disclosure allows adjustment of the positioning range and accuracy by adjusting the reference signal received power threshold (detection threshold), without modifying the network, resulting in a simple overall implementation.

[0100] This disclosure can be applied to outdoor positioning in relay communication networks, providing operators with a low-complexity positioning method that can achieve high-precision terminal positioning without deploying a new network architecture.

[0101] See Figure 5This example embodiment also provides a relay terminal 500, which may include: a broadcast module 510, a detection module 520, and a first sending module 530. The broadcast module 510 can be used to broadcast a broadcast message including first relay terminal location identification information on the target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal. The first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate the identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network. The detection module 520 is used to detect the signal strength of the communication link. When the signal strength is greater than the reference signal received power threshold, the remote user terminal is determined to be the target terminal. The first sending module 530 is used to obtain the user information of the target terminal and send a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal according to the location of the relay terminal.

[0102] In one embodiment of this disclosure, terminal 500 further includes a second sending module and a first receiving module. The second sending module can be used to send a registration request message including relay terminal location information to the core network. The relay terminal location information includes relay terminal location capability and terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of remote user terminals based on the relay terminal location capability and terminal type. The first receiving module can be used to receive a registration response message sent by the core network when the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of remote user terminals. The registration response message includes first relay terminal location identification information and a reference signal received power threshold. The first relay terminal location identification information is generated by the core network based on the relay terminal location information.

[0103] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the broadcast module 510 can also be used to: periodically broadcast a broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the PC5 interface, so that the neighboring terminal can discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning; when the neighboring terminal uses the relay terminal for relay positioning, receive a direct communication request message sent by the neighboring terminal and send a direct communication response message to the neighboring terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the neighboring terminal.

[0104] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the first sending module may further include a sending submodule and a receiving submodule. The sending submodule is used to send a terminal information request message to the target terminal. The terminal information request message includes an information type. The receiving submodule is used to receive a terminal information response message including user information sent by the target terminal. The terminal information response message is generated according to the information type.

[0105] The specific details of each module / unit involved in the relay terminal in the above embodiments have been described in detail in the corresponding positioning methods, so they will not be repeated here.

[0106] See Figure 6 This example embodiment also provides a remote user terminal 600, which may include: a first receiving module 610, a determining module 620, a first sending module 630, and a second sending module 640. The first receiving module 610 is used to receive a broadcast message broadcast by a relay terminal on a target communication interface. The broadcast message includes first relay terminal location identification information. The first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate the identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network. The determining module 620 determines whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of the remote user terminal based on the first relay terminal location identification information. The first sending module 630 is used to initiate a communication link request to the relay terminal when the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of the remote user terminal, so as to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal. The second sending module 640 is used to send the user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link, so that the relay terminal sends a remote user terminal report message containing user information to the positioning platform. The positioning platform locates the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal. The target terminal is determined when the signal strength of the communication link detected by the relay terminal is greater than a reference signal received power threshold.

[0107] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal 600 further includes a third sending module, which can be used to send a registration request message including user type information to the core network, so that the core network can determine whether the remote user terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning based on the user type information.

[0108] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal 600 further includes a second receiving module, which can be used to receive a registration response message sent by the core network when it is determined that the terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning. The registration response message includes second relay terminal location identification information, which is used to indicate a list of relay terminal identification information that can establish a communication link with the remote user terminal and be used for assisted positioning.

[0109] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the determining module 620 can also be used to determine whether a relay terminal can be used for the location of a remote user terminal in response to the comparison result between the first relay terminal location identification information and the second relay terminal location identification information.

[0110] See Figure 7 This example embodiment also provides a positioning system 700, which may include: a relay terminal 710, a remote user terminal 720, and a positioning platform 730, wherein:

[0111] The relay terminal 710 can be used to broadcast a broadcast message including the location identification information of the first relay terminal on the target communication interface;

[0112] The remote user terminal 720 can be used to determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal based on the received broadcast message; when the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal, a communication link request is initiated to the relay terminal to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal.

[0113] The remote user terminal 720 can also be used to send user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link;

[0114] The relay terminal 710 can also be used to send a remote user terminal report message containing user information to the positioning platform;

[0115] The positioning platform 730 can be used to locate a target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0116] The specific details of each module / unit involved in the positioning system in the above embodiments have been described in detail in the corresponding positioning methods, so they will not be repeated here.

[0117] In another aspect, this application also provides a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device described in the above embodiments; or it may exist independently and not assembled into the device. The computer-readable medium carries one or more programs that, when executed by the device, cause the device to implement the methods as described in the following embodiments. For example, the device may implement... Figures 2-4 The various steps shown are as follows.

[0118] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium disclosed herein may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination thereof. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example,—but not limited to—an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In this disclosure, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable signal media can also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, which can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0119] Furthermore, in exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus capable of implementing the above-described methods is also provided. Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented as systems, methods, or program products. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be specifically implemented as entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or embodiments combining hardware and software aspects, collectively referred to herein as "circuit," "module," or "system."

[0120] See Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes a processor 810, a memory 820, a transceiver 830, and a communication bus 840. The processor 810 is connected to the memory 820 and the transceiver 830; for example, the processor 810 can be connected to the memory 820 and the transceiver 830 via the communication bus 840. The processor 810 is configured to support the execution of the communication device. Figures 2-4The processor 810 can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), a hardware chip, or any combination thereof. The aforementioned hardware chip can be an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD can be a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Generic Array Logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The memory 820 is used to store program code, etc. The memory 820 may include volatile memory (VM), such as random access memory (RAM); the memory 820 may also include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 820 may also include combinations of the above types of memory.

[0121] The transceiver 830 is used to send or receive data.

[0122] Processor 810 can call the above program code to perform the following operations:

[0123] A broadcast message including the location identification information of the first relay terminal is broadcast on the target communication interface to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal; the location identification information of the first relay terminal is used to indicate the identification information allocated to the relay terminal by the core network.

[0124] The signal strength of the communication link is detected, and when the signal strength is greater than the reference signal received power threshold, the remote user terminal is identified as the target terminal.

[0125] The system acquires user information from the target terminal and sends a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform, enabling the positioning platform to locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

[0126] Optionally, the processor 810 described above may also perform the following operations:

[0127] A registration request message including a relay terminal location information element is sent to the core network. The relay terminal location information element includes the relay terminal location capability and terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the location of remote user terminals based on the relay terminal location capability and terminal type.

[0128] When the relay terminal can be used for the location of remote user terminals, it receives a registration response message sent by the core network. The registration response message includes the location identification information of the first relay terminal and a reference signal received power threshold. The location identification information of the first relay terminal is generated by the core network based on the location information of the relay terminal.

[0129] Optionally, the processor 810 described above can also establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal, and perform the following operations:

[0130] Broadcast messages containing the location identifier of the first relay terminal are periodically broadcast on the PC5 interface so that nearby terminals can discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning.

[0131] When a neighboring terminal uses a relay terminal for relay positioning, the relay terminal receives a direct communication request message from the neighboring terminal and sends a direct communication response message to the neighboring terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the neighboring terminal.

[0132] Optionally, the processor 810 can also obtain user information from the target terminal and perform the following operations:

[0133] Send a terminal information request message to the target terminal; the terminal information request message includes the information type.

[0134] Receive a terminal information response message sent by the target terminal, which includes user information. The terminal information response message is generated according to the information type.

[0135] It should be noted that the implementation of each operation can also be referenced accordingly. Figures 2-4 The corresponding description of the method embodiment shown; the processor 810 described above can also cooperate with the transceiver 830 to perform other operations in the above method embodiment.

[0136] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to cause a device to execute the method according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0137] Furthermore, the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Additionally, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0138] It should be noted that although the steps of the method in this disclosure are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in that specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additional or alternative steps, such as omitting certain steps, combining multiple steps into one step, and / or breaking down one step into multiple steps, should all be considered part of this disclosure.

[0139] It should be understood that this disclosure, as disclosed and defined herein, extends to all alternative combinations of two or more individual features mentioned or apparent in the text and / or figures. All these different combinations constitute multiple alternative aspects of this disclosure. The embodiments described in this specification illustrate the best known mode for implementing this disclosure and will enable those skilled in the art to utilize it.

Claims

1. A method for locating a remote user terminal, applied to a relay terminal, characterized in that, The method includes: A registration request message including a relay terminal location information element is sent to the core network. The relay terminal location information element includes the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal based on the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type. When the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal, it receives a registration response message sent by the core network; the registration response message includes first relay terminal location identification information and reference signal received power threshold, wherein the first relay terminal location identification information is generated by the core network based on the relay terminal location information; The first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate the identification information allocated by the core network to the relay terminal; The remote user terminal includes a neighboring terminal, which periodically broadcasts a broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the PC5 interface, so that the neighboring terminal can discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning. When the neighboring terminal uses the relay terminal for relay positioning, it receives a direct communication request message sent by the neighboring terminal and sends a direct communication response message to the neighboring terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the neighboring terminal. The signal strength of the communication link is detected. When the signal strength is greater than the reference signal received power threshold, the remote user terminal is determined to be the target terminal. The user information of the target terminal is obtained, and a remote user terminal report message containing the user information is sent to the positioning platform so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

2. The positioning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acquisition of user information of the target terminal includes: Send a terminal information request message to the target terminal; the terminal information request message includes an information type; The system receives a terminal information response message, which includes user information, sent by the target terminal. The terminal information response message is generated based on the information type.

3. A method for locating a remote user terminal, applied to a remote user terminal, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a registration request message including user type information to the core network so that the core network can determine whether the remote user terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning based on the user type information; When it is determined that the remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning, the remote user terminal receives a broadcast message broadcast by the relay terminal on the target communication interface. The broadcast message includes first relay terminal location identification information. The first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate the identification information allocated by the core network to the relay terminal. The target communication interface is a PC5 interface. Based on the location identifier information of the first relay terminal, determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of the remote user terminal; When the relay terminal can be used to locate the remote user terminal, a direct communication request message is sent to the relay terminal, and in response to the direct communication response message sent by the relay terminal, a communication link is established between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal. The relay terminal sends user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link, so that the relay terminal sends a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform. The positioning platform locates the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal. The target terminal is determined by the relay terminal when the signal strength of the communication link is greater than the reference signal received power threshold.

4. The positioning method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: when it is determined that the remote user terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning, receiving a registration response message sent by the core network, wherein the registration response message includes second relay terminal location identification information, and the second relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate a list of relay terminal identification information that can establish a communication link with the remote user terminal and be used for assisted positioning.

5. The positioning method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the relay terminal can be used for locating the remote user terminal based on the location identifier information of the second relay terminal includes: Based on the comparison result between the first relay terminal location identification information and the second relay terminal location identification information, it is determined whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of the remote user terminal.

6. A relay terminal, characterized in that, The terminal includes: The second sending module is used to send a registration request message including a relay terminal location information element to the core network. The relay terminal location information element includes the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of remote user terminals based on the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type. The first receiving module is configured to receive a registration response message sent by the core network when the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal; the registration response message includes first relay terminal location identification information and a reference signal received power threshold, wherein the first relay terminal location identification information is generated by the core network based on the relay terminal location information; the first relay terminal location identification information is used to indicate the identification information allocated by the core network to the relay terminal; The remote user terminal includes a nearby terminal; The broadcast module is also used to periodically broadcast a broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the PC5 interface, so that nearby terminals can discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning. When the neighboring terminal uses the relay terminal for relay positioning, it receives a direct communication request message sent by the neighboring terminal and sends a direct communication response message to the neighboring terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the neighboring terminal. The detection module is used to detect the signal strength of the communication link, and when the signal strength is greater than the reference signal received power threshold, the remote user terminal is determined to be the target terminal. The first sending module is used to acquire user information of the target terminal and send a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform, so that the positioning platform can locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

7. A remote user terminal, characterized in that, The terminal includes: The third sending module is used to send a registration request message including user type information to the core network, so that the core network can determine whether the remote user terminal can use a relay terminal for assisted positioning based on the user type information. The first receiving module is configured to receive a broadcast message broadcast by the relay terminal on the target communication interface when it is determined that the remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning. The broadcast message includes the location identification information of the first relay terminal. The location identification information of the first relay terminal is used to indicate the identification information allocated by the core network to the relay terminal. The target communication interface is a PC5 interface. The determining module is used to determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the positioning of the remote user terminal based on the location identification information of the first relay terminal; The first sending module is configured to send a direct communication request message to the relay terminal when the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal, and to establish a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal in response to the direct communication response message sent by the relay terminal. The second sending module is used to send user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link, so that the relay terminal sends a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform, and the positioning platform locates the target terminal according to the location of the relay terminal; the target terminal is determined by the relay terminal detecting the signal strength of the communication link, and the signal strength is greater than the reference signal received power threshold.

8. A positioning system, characterized in that, The system includes: a relay terminal, a remote user terminal, and a positioning platform, wherein: The relay terminal is used to send a registration request message including a relay terminal location information element to the core network. The relay terminal location information element includes the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type, so that the core network can determine whether the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal based on the relay terminal location capability and the terminal type. When the relay terminal can be used for the location of the remote user terminal, it receives a registration response message sent by the core network; the registration response message includes first relay terminal location identification information and reference signal received power threshold, wherein the first relay terminal location identification information is generated by the core network based on the relay terminal location information; The remote user terminal includes a neighboring terminal; the relay terminal is further configured to periodically broadcast a broadcast message containing the location identifier information of the first relay terminal on the PC5 interface, so that the neighboring terminal can discover the relay terminal and determine whether to use the relay terminal for relay positioning; when the neighboring terminal uses the relay terminal for relay positioning, the relay terminal receives a direct communication request message sent by the neighboring terminal and sends a direct communication response message to the neighboring terminal to establish a PC5 communication link between the relay terminal and the neighboring terminal; The remote user terminal is configured to send a registration request message including user type information to the core network, so that the core network can determine whether the remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning based on the user type information; when it is determined that the remote user terminal can use the relay terminal for assisted positioning, the core network determines whether the relay terminal can be used for positioning of the remote user terminal based on the received broadcast message; when the relay terminal can be used for positioning of the remote user terminal, the core network sends a direct communication request message to the relay terminal, and in response to the direct communication response message sent by the relay terminal, establishes a communication link between the relay terminal and the remote user terminal. The remote user terminal is also used to send user information of the target terminal to the relay terminal on the communication link; The relay terminal is also used to send a remote user terminal report message containing the user information to the positioning platform; The positioning platform is used to locate the target terminal based on the location of the relay terminal.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; A communication interface is provided for the communication device to interact with other communication devices, and when program instructions are executed in the at least one processor, the method as described in any one of claims 1-5 is implemented.

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