Method, device, storage medium and program product for auxiliary positioning

Abstract

The present application provides a method, device, storage medium and program product for assisted positioning. The method is applied to a first network element, and the method includes: receiving auxiliary information sent by a second network element; determining the RRC state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process according to the auxiliary information, and / or configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation. Thus, the signaling overhead during the positioning process is reduced.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on May 11, 2021, with application number 202110512102.1 and application name “Assisted positioning method, device, storage medium and program product”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, device, storage medium and program product for auxiliary positioning. Background Art

[0003] Positioning service is a service technology that obtains terminal location information through wireless communication networks or other positioning systems, and then combines with geographic information systems to provide the terminal with various types of location-related information.

[0004] In the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5th-Generation, 5G) New Radio (New Radio, NR) system, when the terminal is in the Radio Resource Control (Radio Resource Control, RRC) connected state, the radio access network (Next Generation Radio Access Network, NG-RAN) network element or the Location Management Function (Location Management Function, LMF) entity provides the terminal (User Equipment, UE) with information such as the resource configuration and period of the Positioning Reference Signal (Positioning Reference Signal, PRS) and the Sounding Reference Signal (Sounding Reference Signal, SRS), and the operation trajectory of the Global Navigation Satellite System (Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS), so that the terminal can perform positioning-related measurements and\or calculate the position.

[0005] However, current positioning methods have large signaling overhead and low positioning efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application provides a method, device, storage medium and program product for auxiliary positioning to reduce signaling overhead and improve positioning efficiency.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for assisted positioning, applied to a first network element, including:

[0008] receiving auxiliary information sent by the second network element;

[0009] According to the auxiliary information, the radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process is determined, and / or the positioning information used for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation is configured.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0011] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0014] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0017] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0019] Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0021] Select a targeting method.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0023] Trigger the positioning process.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, before receiving the auxiliary information sent by the second network element, the method further includes:

[0025] A request message is sent to the second network element, where the request message is used to request the auxiliary information.

[0026] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an auxiliary positioning method, which is applied to a second network element, including:

[0027] Determine auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information is used to determine a radio resource control (RRC) state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation;

[0028] The auxiliary information is sent to the first network element.

[0029] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0030] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0031] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0033] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0036] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, and the current service cell of the terminal.

[0037] In a possible implementation manner, the configuring the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: configuring a positioning result reporting interval and / or a positioning measurement interval.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner, the configuration of the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: selecting a positioning method.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: triggering a positioning process.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner, the sending the auxiliary information to the first network element includes:

[0041] After determining a triggering event, sending the auxiliary information to the first network element.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner, the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

[0043] The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner, the trigger event is configured by the first network element.

[0045] In a third aspect, the present application provides an auxiliary positioning device, including: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0046] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0047] The transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor;

[0048] The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0049] receiving auxiliary information sent by the second network element;

[0050] According to the auxiliary information, the radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process is determined, and / or the positioning information used for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation is configured.

[0051] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0052] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0053] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0054] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0055] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0056] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0057] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0058] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

[0059] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0060] Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval.

[0061] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0062] Select a targeting method.

[0063] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0064] Trigger the positioning process.

[0065] In a possible implementation manner, before receiving the auxiliary information sent by the second network element, the method further includes:

[0066] A request message is sent to the second network element, where the request message is used to request the auxiliary information.

[0067] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides an auxiliary positioning device, comprising: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0068] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0069] The transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor;

[0070] The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0071] Determine auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information is used to determine a radio resource control (RRC) state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation;

[0072] The auxiliary information is sent to the first network element.

[0073] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0074] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0075] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0076] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0077] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0078] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0079] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0080] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, and the current service cell of the terminal.

[0081] In a possible implementation manner, the configuring the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: configuring a positioning result reporting interval and / or a positioning measurement interval.

[0082] In a possible implementation manner, the configuration of the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: selecting a positioning method.

[0083] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: triggering a positioning process.

[0084] In a possible implementation manner, the sending the auxiliary information to the first network element includes:

[0085] After determining a triggering event, sending the auxiliary information to the first network element.

[0086] In a possible implementation manner, the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

[0087] The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

[0088] In a possible implementation manner, the trigger event is configured by the first network element.

[0089] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a device for assisting positioning, including:

[0090] A receiving unit, configured to receive auxiliary information sent by the second network element;

[0091] The processing unit is used to determine the radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process according to the auxiliary information, and / or configure the positioning information used for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is used to:

[0093] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0094] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0095] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0096] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0097] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0098] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0099] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

[0100] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is used to:

[0101] Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is used to:

[0103] Select a targeting method.

[0104] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is used to:

[0105] Trigger the positioning process.

[0106] In a possible implementation, the device further includes:

[0107] A sending unit is used to send a request message to the second network element, where the request message is used to request the auxiliary information.

[0108] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a device for assisting positioning, including:

[0109] A processing unit, configured to determine auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information is used to determine a radio resource control RRC state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process, and / or to configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation;

[0110] A sending unit is used to send the auxiliary information to the first network element.

[0111] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is used to:

[0112] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0113] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0114] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0115] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0116] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0117] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0118] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, and the current service cell of the terminal.

[0119] In a possible implementation manner, the configuring the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: configuring a positioning result reporting interval and / or a positioning measurement interval.

[0120] In a possible implementation manner, the configuration of the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: selecting a positioning method.

[0121] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: triggering a positioning process.

[0122] In a possible implementation manner, the sending unit is used to:

[0123] After determining a triggering event, sending the auxiliary information to the first network element.

[0124] In a possible implementation manner, the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

[0125] The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

[0126] In a possible implementation manner, the trigger event is configured by the first network element.

[0127] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a processor-readable storage medium, wherein the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable the processor to execute the positioning method of the terminal device described in any one of the possible implementation modes above.

[0128] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the positioning method of a terminal device described in any possible implementation manner.

[0129] The method, device, storage medium and program product for assisted positioning provided by the present application, the first network element determines the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process based on the auxiliary information, avoiding the need for the terminal to remain in the RRC connection state during the positioning measurement process, thereby reducing signaling overhead, improving positioning efficiency, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal. The first network element configures positioning information for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation based on the auxiliary information, ensuring that the configured positioning information can meet the positioning measurement requirements, avoiding the signaling required for frequent interaction of positioning between the terminal and the first network element, thereby reducing signaling overhead, improving positioning efficiency, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0130] It should be understood that the contents described in the above summary of the invention are not intended to limit the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0131] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present application or the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0132] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a 5G communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0133] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the positioning process in the related technology;

[0134] Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of RRC state transition;

[0135] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of an auxiliary positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0139] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0140] The term "and / or" in this application describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects before and after the association are in an "or" relationship. In the embodiments of this application, the term "plurality" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0141] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0142] The embodiments of the present application provide a method and device for auxiliary positioning to reduce the signaling overhead of the terminal positioning process. The method and device are based on the same application concept. Since the method and device solve the problem in a similar principle, the embodiments of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0143] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to a variety of systems, especially 5G systems. For example, the applicable system can be a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) general packet radio service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, an advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system, a 5G new air interface (NR) system, etc. These various systems include terminal equipment and network equipment. The system may also include a core network part, such as an evolved packet system (EPS), a 5G system (5GS), etc.

[0144] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G communication system structure applicable to the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the 5G communication system consists of a 5G core network (5G Core, 5GC) network element 101 and a NG-RAN network element 102, and the 5GC network element 101 is connected to the NG-RAN network element 102 through an NG port.

[0145] Among them, the network elements that make up 5GC 101 include entities such as the access mobility management function (AMF) for supporting control plane functions such as access and mobility management, the core network location management function (CN LMF) for providing positioning services, and the user plane function (UPF) for supporting user plane functions (not shown in the figure).

[0146] The network elements that make up the NG-RAN include RAN nodes (as shown in 102a to 102d in the figure). RAN nodes include network equipment, such as gNBs that provide wireless network user plane and control plane protocols and functions for 5G networks, or ng-eNBs that provide wireless network user plane and control plane protocols and functions for 4G network users. On the access network side, gNBs are connected to ng-eNBs, gNBs to gNBs, and gNBs to gNBs through Xn ports, that is, the RAN nodes in the access network are connected through Xn ports. It should be noted that in the following description, the LMF entity is referred to as LMF.

[0147] Among them, the RAN node includes the service base station of the terminal device and the neighboring station of the terminal device. For example, if the terminal device is in the cell covered by gNB 102a, gNB 102a is the service base station of the terminal device, and gNB 102b is the neighboring station of the terminal device.

[0148] It should be noted that the above architecture is described using the 5G system architecture as an example. The embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to 5G evolution systems, or to other communication systems (such as 4G communication systems), or to system architectures for hybrid networking of 5G systems and other communication systems (such as 4G systems), etc., which are not listed one by one here. For example, in a 4G communication system or a system in which a 4G communication system and a 5G communication system are hybrid networked, mobility management may be implemented by a mobility management entity (MME).

[0149] Based on the above system structure, the LMF in the core network provides positioning services for the terminal through the RAN node with the cooperation of core network elements such as AMF or MME.

[0150] The terminal device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the name of the terminal device may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal device may be called a user equipment (UE). A wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) via a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal device may be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device. For example, it may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges language and / or data with a wireless access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other devices. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal device, an access terminal device, a user terminal device, a user agent, and a user device, but is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0151] The network device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services for the terminal. Depending on the specific application scenario, the base station may also be called an access point, or may be a device in the access network that communicates with the wireless terminal device through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. For example, the base station involved in the embodiment of the present application may be an evolutionary network device (evolutional Node B, eNB or e-NodeB) in the long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in the 5G network architecture (next generation system), or a home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a home base station (femto), a pico base station (pico), etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. In some network structures, the base station may include a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit may also be arranged geographically separately.

[0152] The base station and the terminal device can each use one or more antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. MIMO transmission can be single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Depending on the form and number of antenna combinations, MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO or massive-MIMO, or it can be diversity transmission, precoding transmission or beamforming transmission, etc.

[0153] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the positioning process in the related art. Figure 2As shown in, the positioning process may include: based on the location service (LCS) entity, or the internal positioning requirements of the AMF (for example, for emergency call positioning terminals), or the triggering of the terminal, the current serving AMF receives a positioning service request; the AMF sends the positioning service request to a certain LMF; the LMF may trigger a process related to positioning between NG-RAN network elements, such as obtaining information such as the resource configuration and period of the PRS / SRS required for positioning or the positioning measurement results, or the LMF may also trigger a process related to positioning between terminals, such as transmitting information such as the resource configuration and period of the PRS / SRS required for positioning or obtaining the positioning measurement results or location information reported by the terminal; then the LMF sends a positioning service response to the AMF; the AMF sends the positioning service response to the corresponding positioning service triggering end.

[0154] In addition, the 5G NR protocol designs three RRC states for terminals: idle (RRC_IDLE), connected (RRC_CONNECTED), and inactive (RRC_INACTIVE). When there is an RRC connection between the terminal and the network device, the terminal is in the connected state or inactive state, otherwise the terminal is in the idle state. RRC state transition Figure 3 As shown, at one time, the terminal can only be in one RRC state.

[0155] During the positioning process, the terminal generally needs to remain in the RRC connected state, and the terminal and LMF exchange signaling to obtain the information required for positioning and / or positioning results. In NR R17, in order to save signaling overhead and reduce terminal power consumption, the relevant processes for the terminal to perform positioning in the RRC inactive state are being discussed. As positioning services become more and more diverse, the duration of each positioning session varies greatly, the requirements of each positioning service are different, and the current characteristics of each terminal (such as other data service characteristics of the terminal, mobile speed, etc.) are different. How to select the RRC state involved in the positioning process, the parameter configuration involved in the positioning process, and other information to reduce the signaling overhead required in the entire positioning process, there is currently no relevant solution.

[0156] In view of the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for assisted positioning, in which auxiliary information can be exchanged between LMF or NG-RAN network elements, and the auxiliary information may include information such as the current characteristics of the terminal, and may also include information configured by the LMF or NG-RAN network element for the terminal. The auxiliary information is used to assist the LMF or NG-RAN network element in determining a more suitable RRC state for the positioning process for the terminal or configuring a more suitable positioning information for the terminal for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the positioning process and improving positioning efficiency.

[0157] The auxiliary positioning method provided by the present application will be described in detail below through specific embodiments. It is understandable that the following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described in detail in some embodiments.

[0158] Figure 4 The flowchart of a method for assisting positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. The execution subject of the method is a first network element. Figure 4 As shown, the method includes:

[0159] S401. Receive auxiliary information sent by a second network element.

[0160] S402: Determine, according to the auxiliary information, the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation.

[0161] The method of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the interaction between the NG-RAN network element and the LMF. When the first network element is the NG-RAN network element and the second network element is the LMF, the LMF determines the auxiliary information and sends the auxiliary information to the NG-RAN network element, so that the NG-RAN network element determines the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement according to the auxiliary information, and / or configures the positioning information for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; when the first network element is the LMF, the second network element is the NG-RAN network element, and the NG-RAN network element determines the auxiliary information and sends the auxiliary information to the LMF, so that the LMF determines the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement according to the auxiliary information, and / or configures the positioning information for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation. The following are respectively described.

[0162] When the first network element is a NG-RAN network element and the second network element is a LMF, the auxiliary information sent by the LMF includes at least one of the following:

[0163] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the LMF, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and whether the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0164] Among them, whether the terminal supports positioning in the RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state can be determined by the LMF based on the capabilities of the terminal, or based on the version information of the terminal, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The period and / or event for the terminal to perform positioning measurements may be that the LMF has configured for the terminal, or is about to configure for the terminal. The period and / or event for the terminal to report the positioning results may be the period and / or time for the terminal to report the positioning measurement information, or it may also be the period and / or event for the terminal to report the location information. The RRC state expected by the LMF is the state of the terminal expected by the LMF during the positioning measurement process. The termination indication can be used to indicate that there is no information that needs to be continued to be interacted in this positioning session, or that there is no information that needs to be interacted in a short time for this positioning session, or that there is less information that needs to be interacted, or that the positioning session is about to terminate, etc.

[0165] The auxiliary information sent by the above-mentioned LMF is used to assist the NG-RAN network element in determining the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or to assist the NG-RAN network element in configuring the positioning information for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation, wherein the positioning information configured for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation may include configuring PRS and / or SRS. It should be noted that configuring PRS and / or SRS may refer to determining or providing PRS and / or SRS, or may refer to configuring related resource configurations of PRS and / or SRS.

[0166] The following is an example.

[0167] For example, if the auxiliary information includes that the terminal does not support positioning in the RRC idle state and / or the RRC inactive state, the NG-RAN network element does not release the terminal to the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, that is, it determines that the terminal remains in the RRC connected state, thereby completing the measurements required for positioning, and\or completing the processes required for positioning.

[0168] For example, if the auxiliary information includes that the terminal supports positioning in the RRC idle state and / or the RRC inactive state, the NG-RAN network element can release the terminal into the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, that is, the measurement required for positioning and / or the signaling interaction required for positioning are completed in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, thereby reducing the signaling overhead. In addition, if the auxiliary information includes that the terminal supports positioning in the RRC idle state and / or the RRC inactive state, the NG-RAN network element can also further determine whether to change the RRC state of the terminal to or maintain it in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state in combination with the service state of the terminal, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurements and / or reporting positioning results. For example, if the NG-RAN network element determines that the terminal currently has no other services and the period of performing positioning measurements is long, the NG-RAN network element determines to release the terminal into the RRC inactive state to reduce the signaling overhead. Alternatively, when the terminal supports performing positioning measurements in the RRC idle state and / or the RRC inactive state, the NG-RAN network element configures the SRS resource configuration for the terminal for positioning in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, so that the terminal sends the positioning SRS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state based on the SRS resource configuration. For example, the NG-RAN network element configures the terminal with a dedicated positioning SRS signal with a longer period sent in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, and the terminal sends the positioning SRS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state based on this configuration, thereby avoiding frequent interaction of resource configurations between the terminal and NG-RAN network elements, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0169] For example, based on the period or event of performing positioning measurements in the auxiliary information, when the NG-RAN network element determines that the period or event interval for performing positioning measurements is long, the RRC state of the terminal can be changed to or maintained in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state to perform positioning measurements, and\or complete the signaling interaction required for positioning, thereby reducing signaling overhead; or, when the NG-RAN network element determines that the period or event interval for performing positioning measurements is short, the terminal is maintained in the RRC connected state; or, the NG-RAN network element can configure a matching periodic positioning SRS resource configuration for the terminal based on the periodic interval for performing positioning measurements, so that the terminal sends a positioning SRS based on this configuration, or provides a matching periodic downlink (DL) PRS for the terminal to perform DL positioning measurements, thereby avoiding frequent interaction of resource configurations between the terminal and NG-RAN network elements, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0170] For example, based on the period or event of reporting the positioning results, when the NG-RAN network element determines that the period or event interval of reporting the positioning results is long, the RRC state of the terminal can be changed to or maintained in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state to perform positioning measurements, and\or complete the signaling interaction required for positioning, thereby reducing signaling overhead; or, when the NG-RAN network element determines that the period or event interval of reporting the positioning results is short, the terminal is maintained in the RRC connected state; or, the NG-RAN network element can configure a matching periodic positioning SRS resource configuration for the terminal based on the periodic interval of reporting the positioning results, so that the terminal sends the positioning SRS based on this configuration, or provide a matching periodic DL PRS for the terminal to perform DL positioning measurements, thereby avoiding frequent interaction of resource configurations between the terminal and NG-RAN network elements, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0171] For example, based on the RRC state expected by the LMF, the NG-RAN network element can determine to change the RRC state of the terminal to or maintain it in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, thereby reducing signaling overhead; or based on the RRC state expected by the LMF, the NG-RAN network element can assist other information in the information, such as configuring a matching periodic positioning SRS resource configuration for the terminal in combination with the period or event for performing positioning measurements, so that the terminal sends a positioning SRS based on this configuration, or provides a matching periodic DL PRS for the terminal to perform DL positioning measurements, thereby avoiding frequent interaction of resource configurations between the terminal and NG-RAN network elements, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0172] For example, based on the LMF indication that there is a need to save power for this positioning, the NG-RAN network element can try to adopt power-saving methods, such as determining that the terminal enters the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state, or maintaining the RRC inactive state to perform signaling interaction with the terminal.

[0173] For example, based on the LMF indication that there is a need to reduce signaling overhead for this positioning, the NG-RAN network element can try to adopt methods to reduce signaling overhead, such as performing signaling interaction with the terminal in the RRC non-connected state.

[0174] For example, based on the LMF indication that the message transmission of this positioning is expected to adopt the RRC inactive state transmission of small data, the NG-RAN network element considers releasing the terminal into the RRC inactive state and configuring the RRC inactive state transmission small data function, so that the terminal can remain in the RRC inactive state when interacting with the network side, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0175] For example, based on the termination indication, the NG-RAN network element determines the RRC state of the terminal, or determines whether to keep the terminal in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state to interact with positioning-related information. For example, based on the termination indication, the NG-RAN network element determines to keep the terminal in the RRC inactive state, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0176] When the first network element is an LMF and the second network element is an NG-RAN network element, the auxiliary information sent by the NG-RAN network element includes at least one of the following:

[0177] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area (RAN Notification Area, RNA) information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area (Tracking Area, TA) information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current serving base station of the terminal, or the current serving cell of the terminal.

[0178] Among them, the mobile state of the terminal can be stationary, slow moving, high-speed moving, etc. The historical movement trajectory of the terminal is the historical residence information of the terminal, which may include the service cell and / or residence time passed by the terminal. The current serving base station (e.g., gNB) of the terminal is the gNB that directly interacts with the terminal through air interface information, which may be different from the gNB that stores the inactive context of the terminal. The current serving cell of the terminal is the cell that directly interacts with the terminal through air interface information, which may not belong to the gNB that stores the inactive context of the terminal.

[0179] In addition, it should be noted that the auxiliary information sent by the NG-RAN network element to the LMF may be based on a request message from the LMF, or may be actively sent based on an event trigger. That is, in one implementation, the LMF sends a request message to the NG-RAN network element, the request message is used to request the auxiliary information, and after receiving the request message, the NG-RAN network element sends the auxiliary information to the LMF.

[0180] In another implementation, the NG-RAN network element sends auxiliary information to the LMF after determining a triggering event. The triggering event includes at least one of the following:

[0181] The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

[0182] It should be noted that the trigger event can be configured by LMF.

[0183] The auxiliary information sent by the above-mentioned NG-RAN network element is used to assist the LMF in determining the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or to assist the LMF in configuring the positioning information for performing positioning measurements and / or positioning calculations, wherein the positioning information configured for performing positioning measurements and / or positioning calculations may include configuring PRS and / or SRS. It should be noted that configuring PRS and / or SRS may refer to determining or providing PRS and / or SRS, or may refer to configuring the relevant resource configuration of PRS and / or SRS. Alternatively, configuring the positioning information for performing positioning measurements and / or positioning calculations may include configuring the positioning result reporting interval and / or the positioning measurement interval. Alternatively, configuring the positioning information for performing positioning measurements and / or positioning calculations may include: selecting a positioning method. Alternatively, configuring the positioning information for performing positioning measurements and / or positioning calculations may include triggering a positioning process.

[0184] The following is an example.

[0185] For example, based on the mobility state of the terminal, the LMF determines that the terminal is moving slowly, and the period for performing positioning measurements and / or reporting positioning results configured by the LMF for the terminal is relatively long, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0186] For example, based on the mobile state of the terminal, LMF determines that the terminal is moving faster, then determines that the terminal is suitable for positioning in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, thereby reducing signaling overhead and reducing terminal power consumption; or based on the mobile state of the terminal, LMF determines that the terminal is moving slowly, then it can select a positioning method suitable for slow terminals, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0187] For example, based on the historical moving trajectory of the terminal, the moving trajectory of the terminal is predicted, so as to configure appropriate positioning information for the terminal. For example, LMF predicts that the terminal will pass through cell 1, cell 2 and cell 3 later, then LMF selects some DL-PRS resource configurations for the terminal. The sending and receiving points (TRP) or cells corresponding to these DL-PRS configurations are all under {cell 1, cell 2, cell 3}. In this way, the terminal can monitor these DL-PRS, thereby ensuring the validity of the positioning information, avoiding frequent interaction of resource configuration between the terminal and LMF, and reducing signaling overhead.

[0188] For example, based on the RNA information or TA information currently configured by the terminal, appropriate positioning information is configured or updated for the terminal. For example, the current RNA of the terminal is configured as {cell 3, cell 4, cell 5}. When the LMF configures the DL-PRS configuration in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state for the terminal, the DL-PRS configuration sent in these cells is selected to ensure the validity of the positioning information when the terminal in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state performs positioning measurement, avoid frequent exchange of positioning information between the terminal and the LMF, and reduce signaling overhead.

[0189] For example, based on the current RRC state of the terminal, the LMF can select an appropriate positioning method, such as selecting a method suitable for positioning the UE in an RRC inactive state, or triggering related positioning procedures, such as triggering an RRC connected state positioning procedure, or triggering a positioning procedure suitable for an RRC inactive state, to avoid the terminal from continuously maintaining positioning in the RRC connected state, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0190] For example, based on the current serving base station of the terminal (such as gNB), the current serving gNB of the terminal is the gNB that directly interacts with the terminal for air interface information, which may be different from the gNB that stores the inactive context of the terminal. The LMF can determine the approximate range in which the terminal can monitor the signal, thereby configuring the DL PRS that the terminal can monitor, thereby ensuring the validity of the positioning information, avoiding frequent resource configuration interactions between the terminal and the LMF, and reducing signaling overhead.

[0191] For example, based on the current serving cell of the terminal, the current serving cell of the terminal is a cell that directly interacts with the terminal for air interface information, and may not belong to the gNB that stores the inactive context of the terminal. The LMF can determine the approximate range in which the terminal can monitor the signal, thereby configuring the DL PRS that the terminal can monitor, thereby ensuring the validity of the positioning information, avoiding frequent resource configuration interactions between the terminal and the LMF, and reducing signaling overhead.

[0192] In the method for assisted positioning provided in the embodiment of the present application, the LMF or NG-RAN network element determines the RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process based on the auxiliary information, thereby avoiding the need for the terminal to remain in the RRC connection state during the positioning measurement process, thereby reducing signaling overhead, improving positioning efficiency, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal. The LMF or NG-RAN network element configures the positioning information based on the auxiliary information, ensuring that the configured positioning information can meet the positioning measurement requirements, avoiding the signaling required for frequent interaction of positioning between the terminal and the LMF or NG-RAN network element, thereby reducing signaling overhead, improving positioning efficiency, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0193] It should be noted that the interaction of the above auxiliary information between the NG-RAN network element and the LMF can be unidirectional or bidirectional. That is, only the NG-RAN network element can send the corresponding auxiliary information to the LMF, or only the LMF can send the corresponding auxiliary information to the NG-RAN network element, or, it can also be that the NG-RAN network element sends the corresponding auxiliary information to the LMF, and the LMF also sends the corresponding auxiliary information to the NG-RAN network element, and the operation performed by the NG-RAN network element or the LMF after receiving the corresponding auxiliary information is the same as the above embodiment.

[0194] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the device for assisting positioning includes a memory 501 , a transceiver 502 and a processor 503 .

[0195] The memory 501 is used to store computer programs. The transceiver 502 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 503. The processor 503 is used to read the computer program in the memory 501 and execute the method in the above embodiment.

[0196] Among them, Figure 5 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically one or more processors represented by processor 503 and various circuits of memory represented by memory 501 are linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 502 may be a plurality of components, namely, a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, which transmission medium may include a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, and other transmission media. The processor 503 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 501 may store data used by the processor 503 when performing operations.

[0197] The processor 503 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0198] The device for assisting positioning is applied to the first network element, and the processor 503 is used to read the computer program in the memory 501 and perform the following operations:

[0199] receiving auxiliary information sent by the second network element;

[0200] According to the auxiliary information, the radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process is determined, and / or the positioning information used for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation is configured.

[0201] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0202] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0203] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0204] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0205] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and whether the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0206] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0207] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0208] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

[0209] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0210] Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval.

[0211] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0212] Select a targeting method.

[0213] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0214] Trigger the positioning process.

[0215] In a possible implementation manner, before receiving the auxiliary information sent by the second network element, the method further includes:

[0216] A request message is sent to the second network element, where the request message is used to request auxiliary information.

[0217] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned device provided in the present application can implement all the method steps in the above-mentioned method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0218] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the device for assisting positioning includes a memory 601 , a transceiver 602 and a processor 603 .

[0219] The memory 601 is used to store computer programs. The transceiver 602 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 603. The processor 603 is used to read the computer program in the memory 601 and execute the method in the above embodiment.

[0220] Among them, Figure 6 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically one or more processors represented by processor 603 and various circuits of memory represented by memory 601 are linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 602 may be a plurality of components, namely, a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, which transmission medium may include a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, and other transmission media. The processor 603 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 601 may store data used by the processor 603 when performing operations.

[0221] The processor 603 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0222] The device for assisting positioning is applied to the second network element, and the processor 603 is used to read the computer program in the memory 601 and perform the following operations:

[0223] Determine auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information is used to determine the radio resource control (RRC) state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation;

[0224] Send auxiliary information to the first network element.

[0225] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes:

[0226] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0227] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0228] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0229] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and whether the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0230] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0231] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0232] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, and the current service cell of the terminal.

[0233] In a possible implementation manner, configuring the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: configuring a positioning result reporting interval and / or a positioning measurement interval.

[0234] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: selecting a positioning method.

[0235] In a possible implementation manner, configuring the positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: triggering a positioning process.

[0236] In a possible implementation manner, sending the auxiliary information to the first network element includes:

[0237] After determining the triggering event, the auxiliary information is sent to the first network element.

[0238] In a possible implementation manner, the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

[0239] The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

[0240] In a possible implementation manner, the trigger event is configured by the first network element.

[0241] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned device provided in the present application can implement all the method steps in the above-mentioned method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0242] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application, the device is applied to a first network element, such as Figure 7 As shown, the auxiliary positioning device 700 includes:

[0243] The receiving unit 701 is configured to receive auxiliary information sent by the second network element;

[0244] The processing unit 702 is used to determine the radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process according to the auxiliary information, and / or configure the positioning information used for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is configured to:

[0246] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0247] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0248] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0249] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and whether the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0250] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0251] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0252] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

[0253] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is configured to:

[0254] Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval.

[0255] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is configured to:

[0256] Select a targeting method.

[0257] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is configured to:

[0258] Trigger the positioning process.

[0259] In a possible implementation, the device further includes:

[0260] The sending unit is used to send a request message to the second network element, where the request message is used to request auxiliary information.

[0261] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned device provided in the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0262] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0263] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0264] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application, the device is applied to a second network element, such as Figure 8 As shown, the auxiliary positioning device 800 includes:

[0265] The processing unit 801 is configured to determine auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information is used to determine the radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation;

[0266] The sending unit 802 is configured to send auxiliary information to the first network element.

[0267] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 801 is configured to:

[0268] Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0269] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a radio access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity.

[0270] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0271] Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and whether the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

[0272] In a possible implementation manner, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a radio access network element.

[0273] In a possible implementation manner, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0274] The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, and the current service cell of the terminal.

[0275] In a possible implementation manner, configuring the positioning information used for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: configuring a positioning result reporting interval and / or a positioning measurement interval.

[0276] In a possible implementation manner, configuring positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: selecting a positioning method.

[0277] In a possible implementation manner, configuring the positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes: triggering a positioning process.

[0278] In a possible implementation manner, the sending unit 802 is configured to:

[0279] After determining the triggering event, the auxiliary information is sent to the first network element.

[0280] In a possible implementation manner, the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

[0281] The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

[0282] In a possible implementation manner, the trigger event is configured by the first network element.

[0283] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned device provided in the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0284] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0285] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0286] An embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable a processor to execute the auxiliary positioning method in any possible implementation manner described above.

[0287] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method for assisted positioning in any possible implementation manner.

[0288] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage and optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0289] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer executable instructions. These computer executable 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 processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. 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.

[0290] These processor executable instructions may also be stored in a processor readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the processor readable memory produce an article of manufacture including 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.

[0291] These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for executing on the computer or other programmable device to implement 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.

[0292] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for assisting positioning, applied to a first network element, characterized in that: include: Receiving auxiliary information sent by a second network element; wherein the first network element is a wireless access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity; or, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a wireless access network element; Determine, according to the auxiliary information, a radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; When the first network element is a wireless access network element and the second network element is a positioning management function entity, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the first network element is a positioning management function entity and the second network element is a radio access network element, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes at least one of the following: Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval; Optionally, select a positioning method; Alternatively, trigger the positioning process.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Before receiving the auxiliary information sent by the second network element, the method further includes: A request message is sent to the second network element, where the request message is used to request the auxiliary information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The configuration is used for positioning information for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation, including: Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

6. A method for auxiliary positioning, applied to a second network element, characterized in that: include: Determine auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information is used to determine a radio resource control (RRC) state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; Sending the auxiliary information to a first network element; wherein the first network element is a wireless access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity; or, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a wireless access network element; When the first network element is a wireless access network element and the second network element is a positioning management function entity, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the first network element is a positioning management function entity and the second network element is a radio access network element, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: The mobile status of the terminal, the historical movement trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, and the current service cell of the terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The positioning information configured to perform positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation includes at least one of the following: Configure the positioning result reporting interval and / or positioning measurement interval; Optionally, select a positioning method; Alternatively, trigger the positioning process.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sending the auxiliary information to the first network element includes: After determining a triggering event, sending the auxiliary information to the first network element.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The triggering event includes at least one of the following: The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The trigger event is configured by the first network element.

12. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that: The configuration is used for positioning information for positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation, including: Configure a positioning reference signal PRS and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

13. A positioning auxiliary device, applied to a first network element, characterized in that: include: Memory, transceiver, processor; The memory is used to store computer programs; The transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Receiving auxiliary information sent by a second network element; wherein the first network element is a wireless access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity; or, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a wireless access network element; Determine, according to the auxiliary information, a radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; When the first network element is a wireless access network element and the second network element is a positioning management function entity, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that When the first network element is a positioning management function entity and the second network element is a radio access network element, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: The mobile status of the terminal, the historical mobile trajectory of the terminal, the notification area RNA information of the wireless access network currently configured by the terminal, the tracking area TA information currently configured by the terminal, the current RRC state of the terminal, the current service base station of the terminal, or the current service cell of the terminal.

15. A positioning auxiliary device, applied to a second network element, characterized in that: include: Memory, transceiver, processor; The memory is used to store computer programs; The transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Determine auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information is used to determine a radio resource control (RRC) state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; Sending the auxiliary information to a first network element; wherein the first network element is a wireless access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity; or, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a wireless access network element; When the first network element is a wireless access network element and the second network element is a positioning management function entity, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that When the first network element is a positioning management function entity and the second network element is a wireless access network element, the sending the auxiliary information to the first network element includes: After determining a triggering event, sending the auxiliary information to the first network element.

17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that The triggering event includes at least one of the following: The terminal mobility state changes, the RNA information configured for the terminal changes, the TA information configured for the terminal changes, the current RRC state of the terminal changes, and the terminal updates the RNA.

18. A positioning assistance device, applied to a first network element, characterized in that: include: A receiving unit, configured to receive auxiliary information sent by a second network element; wherein the first network element is a wireless access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity; or, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a wireless access network element; A processing unit, configured to determine, according to the auxiliary information, a radio resource control RRC state of the terminal during the positioning measurement process, and / or configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; When the first network element is a wireless access network element and the second network element is a positioning management function entity, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

19. A positioning auxiliary device, applied to a second network element, characterized in that: include: A processing unit, configured to determine auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information is used to determine a radio resource control RRC state of a terminal during a positioning measurement process, and / or to configure positioning information for performing positioning measurement and / or positioning calculation; A sending unit, configured to send the auxiliary information to a first network element; wherein the first network element is a wireless access network element, and the second network element is a positioning management function entity; or, the first network element is a positioning management function entity, and the second network element is a wireless access network element; When the first network element is a wireless access network element and the second network element is a positioning management function entity, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Whether the terminal supports positioning in RRC idle state and / or RRC inactive state, the period and / or event of the terminal performing positioning measurement and / or reporting positioning results, the RRC state expected by the positioning management function entity, whether this positioning has power saving requirements, whether this positioning has signaling overhead reduction requirements, and the message transmission of this positioning expects to use RRC inactive state to transmit small data or termination indication.

20. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause the processor to execute the method of any one of claims 1-5 or 6-12.

21. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or 6 to 12 is implemented.

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