Method, terminal device and network device for positioning

Abstract

The application provides a method, a terminal device and a network device for positioning. The method comprises: a terminal device obtaining first information in an initial access process, the first information being used for positioning the terminal device, and the first information being associated with direction information of the terminal device relative to a base station. Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can obtain the first information associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station in the initial access process, that is, the terminal device can obtain the first information before entering an RRC connected state, thereby reducing the time delay of the terminal device in obtaining the direction information and being beneficial to reducing the positioning time delay.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a method, terminal device, and network device for positioning. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, terminal devices can be located based on the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device (such as angle of arrival (AOA) information). However, obtaining the above location information requires the terminal device to enter the radio resource control (RRC) connected state, which is not conducive to reducing location latency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a method, terminal device, and network device for positioning. The various aspects involved in this application embodiment are described below.

[0004] In a first aspect, a method for positioning is provided, comprising: a terminal device acquiring first information during an initial access process, the first information being used to locate the terminal device, the first information being associated with directional information of the terminal device relative to a base station.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method for positioning is provided, comprising: a base station sending second information during an initial access process to a terminal device, the second information being used to determine first information, the first information being used to locate the terminal device, and the first information being associated with directional information of the terminal device relative to the base station.

[0006] Thirdly, a method for positioning is provided, comprising: a positioning device receiving an index of a first SSB sent by a terminal device, the first SSB index being an SSB index measured by the terminal device for a serving cell; the positioning device determining a first angle of the terminal device relative to a base station of the serving cell based on the first SSB index and a first correspondence, the first correspondence including a correspondence between the SSB index of the serving cell and the SSB beam direction; the positioning device receiving an index of a second SSB sent by the terminal device, the second SSB index being an SSB index measured by the terminal device for a neighboring cell, the second correspondence including a correspondence between the SSB index of the neighboring cell and the SSB beam direction; the positioning device determining a second angle of the terminal device relative to a base station of the neighboring cell based on the second SSB index and the second correspondence; and the positioning device determining location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, location information of the base station of the serving cell, and location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0007] Fourthly, a terminal device is provided, comprising: an acquisition unit, configured to acquire first information during an initial access process, the first information being used to locate the terminal device, the first information being associated with directional information of the terminal device relative to a base station.

[0008] Fifthly, a network device is provided, the network device being a base station, the network device comprising: a transmitting unit, configured to transmit second information during an initial access process to a terminal device, the second information being used to determine first information, the first information being used to locate the terminal device, and the first information being associated with directional information of the terminal device relative to the base station.

[0009] A sixth aspect provides a positioning device, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving an index of a first SSB (Service Level Bus) sent by a terminal device, the first SSB index being an SSB index measured by the terminal device for a serving cell; a determining unit for determining a first angle of the terminal device relative to a base station of the serving cell based on the first SSB index and a first correspondence, the first correspondence including a correspondence between the SSB index of the serving cell and the SSB beam direction; the receiving unit for receiving an index of a second SSB sent by the terminal device, the second SSB index being an SSB index measured by the terminal device for a neighboring cell, the second correspondence including a correspondence between the SSB index of the neighboring cell and the SSB beam direction; the determining unit for determining a second angle of the terminal device relative to a base station of the neighboring cell based on the second SSB index and the second correspondence; and the determining unit for determining location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, location information of the base station of the serving cell, and location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0011] Eighthly, a network device is provided, including a transceiver, a processor, and a memory, the memory for storing one or more computer programs, and the processor for invoking the computer programs in the memory to cause the network device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the second aspect.

[0012] A ninth aspect provides a positioning device, including a transceiver, a processor, and a memory, the memory for storing one or more computer programs, the processor for invoking the computer programs in the memory to cause the network device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the third aspect.

[0013] Tenthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including the aforementioned terminal device and / or network device. In another possible design, the system may further include other devices that interact with the terminal device or network device as described in the embodiments of this application.

[0014] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a terminal to perform some or all of the steps in the methods of any one of the first to third aspects described above.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a terminal to perform some or all of the steps of the methods of any one of the first to third aspects described above. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0016] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip including a memory and a processor, the processor being able to call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can obtain the first information associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station during the initial access process. In other words, the terminal device can obtain the first information before entering the RRC connection state, thereby reducing the latency of the terminal device in obtaining the direction information and helping to reduce the positioning latency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is the wireless communication system used in the embodiments of this application.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a competition-based random access process.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a non-contention-based random access process.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating another method for positioning provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a positioning device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0028] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 This is the wireless communication system 100 used in the embodiments of this application. The wireless communication system 100 may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120. The network device 110 may be a device that communicates with the terminal device 120. The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with the terminal device 120 located within that coverage area.

[0030] Figure 1 An exemplary network device and two terminals are shown. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other number of terminal devices within its coverage area. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0031] Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may also include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0032] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th generation mobile communication systems, satellite communication systems, etc.

[0033] The terminal device in this application embodiment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile internet device (MID), wearable device, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, or industrial control device.

[0034] Wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical surgery, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, and smart homes, etc. Optionally, the UE can be used as a base station.

[0035] It should also be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal may include, but is not limited to, terminal devices applied in the Internet of Things, such as terminal devices accessing NB-IoT (which may be referred to as "NB-IoT terminals"): smart meter reading devices, logistics tracking devices, environmental monitoring devices, etc.

[0036] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. This network device can also be called an access network device or a wireless access network device, such as a base station. In this application embodiment, the network device can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master MeNB, auxiliary SeNB, multi-mode radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar entities, or combinations thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. A base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device performing base station functions in future communication systems. Base stations can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network equipment.

[0037] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0038] In some deployments, the network device in this application embodiment may refer to a CU or a DU, or the network device may include both a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

[0039] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0040] It should be understood that the communication equipment involved in this application can be a network device or a terminal device. For example, the first communication device is a network device and the second communication device is a terminal device. Alternatively, the first communication device may be a terminal device and the second communication device may be a network device. Or, both the first and second communication devices may be network devices or both may be terminal devices.

[0041] It should also be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). In wireless communication, spectrum shifting can be accomplished through signal modulation. For example, if the signal generated by the terminal is a low-frequency signal, which is not suitable for transmission in a channel, signal modulation can convert the low-frequency signal into a high-frequency signal suitable for transmission in a channel.

[0042] For terminal devices in the radio resource control (RRC) idle state, the terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the base station through initial access. The initial access process may include cell search, uplink synchronization, etc.

[0043] Cell search refers to the process by which a terminal device achieves downlink time-frequency synchronization with the base station and obtains the serving cell identifier (ID). During cell search, the terminal device can detect the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SSS / PBCH) (SSB for short). For uplink synchronization, the terminal device can obtain uplink synchronization with the base station through random access.

[0044] There are two types of random access: contention-based random access and contention-free random access. The following section will discuss these methods. Figure 2 and Figure 3 These two random access methods are described.

[0045] Figure 2This is a flowchart of a contention-based random access method provided in an embodiment of this application, which includes steps S210 to S240.

[0046] In step S210, the terminal device sends message 1 (MSG1) during the random access process to the network device. Message 1 includes a preamble.

[0047] The terminal device can select a random access channel (RACH) resource and a preamble, and transmit the selected preamble on the selected resource. This RACH resource can also be called a physical random access channel (PRACH) resource.

[0048] Network devices can broadcast PRACH configuration information to terminal devices. This configuration information may include the time-frequency resource configuration and the configuration of the initial preamble root sequence. Based on the PRACH configuration information, the preamble or preamble set corresponding to the network device can be determined.

[0049] Network devices can configure a shared preamble pool for terminal devices. The preambles in this pool are shared by multiple terminal devices. Terminal devices can select a preamble based on a certain strategy. Because the preamble is shared by multiple terminal devices, conflicts may occur where multiple terminal devices select the same preamble. To resolve this conflict, the network device can use a subsequent resolution mechanism to handle it.

[0050] In step S220, the network device sends MSG2 to the terminal device. MSG2 can also be called a random access response (RAR). MSG2 can be carried through the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0051] After sending MSG1, the terminal device can open a random access response time window and monitor the PDCCH scrambled with the random access-radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) within this window. The RA-RNTI is related to the time-frequency resources of the RACH used by the terminal device to send MSG1. After receiving the PDCCH, the terminal device can use the RA-RNTI to decode it.

[0052] MSG2 may also include a preamble sent by the terminal device. If the terminal device receives a PDCCH scrambled with RA-RNTI and MSG2 contains its own preamble, the terminal device can consider that it has successfully received the random access response.

[0053] After successfully receiving the PDCCH, the terminal device obtains the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH, which contains the RAR. The RAR can contain multiple pieces of information. For example, the RAR subheader may contain a backoff indicator (BI), which indicates the backoff time for retransmitting MSG1; the RAR random access preamble identification (RAPID) indicates the index of the received preamble in the network device's response; the RAR payload may contain a timing advance group (TAG), which can be used to adjust uplink timing; the RAR may also include an uplink grant (UL grant), used to schedule uplink resources for MSG3; and the RAR may also include a cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), which the terminal device can use to decode the PDCCH of MSG4 for initial access.

[0054] If the terminal device does not receive a RAR within the random access response time window, or fails to verify it successfully, the response is considered a failure. In this case, if the number of random access attempts by the terminal device is less than the upper limit (e.g., 10 times), the terminal device can continue to attempt random access. If the number of attempts exceeds the upper limit, the random access is considered a failure.

[0055] Step S230: The terminal device sends MSG3 to the network device. The terminal device can send MSG3 on the uplink grant scheduled by the network device. This MSG3 can also be called an RRC connection establishment request message.

[0056] The MSG3 is primarily used to notify network devices of the event that triggered the random access procedure. The MSG3 includes the terminal device's C-RNTI. The MSG3 sent by the terminal device will differ in different scenarios. Examples of some scenarios are provided below.

[0057] For example, in an RRC connection establishment scenario, the terminal device can send an RRC connection establishment request message via MSG3. This RRC connection establishment request message can carry a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

[0058] UE_ID. This RRC connection establishment request message can be transmitted via the common control channel (CCCH) in the radio link control (RLC) layer transmission (TM). This message is not segmented.

[0059] For example, for an RRC connection rebuild request, the terminal device can send an RRC rebuild request message via MSG3. This RRC rebuild request message does not carry a NAS message and can be transmitted via TM through the CCCH of the RLC layer. This message is not segmented.

[0060] For example, in a cell handover scenario, if a terminal device accesses the target cell and there is no dedicated preamble during the handover process, contention-based random access can be triggered. The terminal device can send an RRC handover confirmation message and a C-RNTI via MSG3. The RRC handover confirmation message and C-RNTI can be transmitted via a dedicated control channel (DCCH). In some embodiments, MSG3 can also carry a buffer status report (BSR).

[0061] Step S240: The network device sends MSG4 to the terminal device.

[0062] MSG4 serves two purposes: contention resolution and sending RRC configuration messages to the terminal device. If the terminal device carries a C-RNTI in MSG3, such as during RRC reconstruction, MSG4 uses PDCCH scrambled with that C-RNTI for scheduling. The terminal device can then decode the PDCCH using the C-RNTI in MSG3 to obtain MSG4. If the terminal device does not carry a C-RNTI in MSG3, such as during initial access, MSG4 can use PDCCH scrambled with a temporary C-RNTI for scheduling. The terminal device can then decode the PDCCH using the temporary C-RNTI in MSG2 to obtain MSG4. After successfully decoding the PDCCH, the terminal device obtains the PDSCH carrying MSG4. The terminal device can compare the Common Control Channel (CCCH) Service Data Unit (SDU) in this PDSCH with the CCCH SDU in MSG3. If they are the same, the contention resolution is successful. After the competition is resolved, the temporary C-RNTI is promoted to a C-RNTI (the temporary C-RNTI is promoted to a C-RNTI for a UE that detects RA successfully and does not already have a C-RNTI; it is dropped by others).

[0063] For random access scenarios such as handover and data transmission in uplink / downlink out-of-sync states, since the terminal device has already been assigned a C-RNTI, it can notify the network device of the C-RNTI in the MAC CE of MSG3. Therefore, the base station can use the PDCCH scrambled with the C-RNTI to schedule MSG4, instead of using the MSG4 scheduled with the temporary C-RNTI (The C-RNTI on PDCCH for UE in RRC_CONNECTED). When the terminal device decodes the PDCCH scheduling command, it indicates that contention resolution is complete, and the specific content in MSG4 is no longer related to contention resolution. At this time, the TC-RNTI assigned by the base station in MSG2 becomes invalid and is subsequently assigned by the base station to other UEs (A UE which detects RA success and already has a C-RNTI resumes using its C-RNTI). Therefore, in this scenario, MSG4 does not include the UE contention resolution identifier.

[0064] Figure 3This is a flowchart of a non-contention-based random access method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes steps S310 to S330.

[0065] In step S310, the network device sends preamble configuration information to the terminal device. This configuration information includes the preamble and PRACH resources required during random access. The preamble is a dedicated preamble assigned to the terminal device by the network device. This dedicated preamble can be communicated to the terminal device via RRC signaling or physical layer (PHY) signaling (such as DCI in PDCCH). Using a dedicated preamble avoids conflicts with other terminal devices.

[0066] In step S320, the terminal device can send the MSGA to the network device according to the preamble configuration information. In other words, the terminal device can send the preamble to the network device on the RACH resource.

[0067] In step S330, the network device sends an MSGB to the terminal device, which may include a RAR. Upon receiving the RAR, the terminal device indicates that the random access procedure has ended.

[0068] In some application scenarios, it is necessary to locate the terminal device. For example, logistics monitoring, vehicle management, public safety, weather forecasting, and assisted navigation.

[0069] Depending on the required positioning accuracy, positioning methods can include coarse positioning and fine positioning. This application primarily describes coarse positioning. Common coarse positioning methods include positioning based on cell-id, also known as CID positioning. The implementation principle is as follows: the positioning platform sends signaling to the core network to query the ID of the cell where the terminal device is located. Then, the positioning platform can determine the approximate location of the terminal device based on data in the stored base station almanac (BSA) database. The positioning accuracy of this method depends on the size of the base station or cell, generally ranging from several hundred to several kilometers. Compared to high-precision positioning, coarse positioning has lower operational complexity.

[0070] Furthermore, cell-id-based positioning technology requires the terminal device to support positioning operations. During positioning, the terminal device needs to enter a positioning operation process, which requires it to be in RRC connected state. The terminal device can receive positioning service requests and report its positioning capabilities. Based on instructions from the positioning server, the terminal device can perform positioning measurements and send the results to the positioning server for location estimation. This positioning process is relatively complex and has high latency.

[0071] Cell-id-based positioning technology suffers from low positioning accuracy. To improve accuracy, enhanced CID (E-CID) positioning technology has emerged. E-CID refers to adding other information (such as angle of arrival (AOA) and timing advance (TA)) to the cell-id to assist in positioning, thereby improving accuracy. E-CID positioning technologies can include: cell-id+AOA, cell-id+TA, cell-id+AOA+TA, etc. The following mainly introduces the AOA-based positioning method.

[0072] In some wireless communication systems (such as NR and LTE), AOA-based positioning is supported. AOA represents the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device. This positioning method refers to determining the location of the terminal device by using the angle of incidence of the signal sent by the terminal device to the base station. For the base station to obtain AOA information, the terminal device needs to have positioning capabilities and initiate positioning-related operations and signaling. In addition, the terminal device needs to enter RRC connected state and perform positioning according to a process similar to CID positioning, which increases the complexity and latency of positioning.

[0073] As shown above, in order to obtain AOA information, the terminal device needs to enter the RRC connected state. Only terminal devices in the RRC connected state or the RRC inactive state can obtain the relevant configuration information of the positioning pilot (such as the sounding reference signal (SRS)), and thus be able to locate the terminal device.

[0074] As shown above, to improve positioning accuracy, the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device (such as AOA) can be further determined. However, the current methods for determining the above directional information have problems such as large time delays and complex processes, which are not conducive to reducing the positioning latency of the terminal device.

[0075] Based on this, this application provides a method for positioning. The terminal device can obtain first information associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station during the initial access process. That is, the terminal device can obtain the first information before entering the RRC connected state or the RRC inactive state, thereby reducing the latency of the terminal device in obtaining the direction information and helping to reduce the positioning latency.

[0076] The following is combined Figure 4 and Figure 5 The present application will now provide a detailed description of the solutions in its embodiments.

[0077] See Figure 4 In step S410, the terminal device obtains first information during the initial access process. The first information is used to locate the terminal device and is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station.

[0078] See Figure 5 In step S510, the base station sends second information during the initial access process to the terminal device. This second information is used to determine the first information, which is used to locate the terminal device. The first information is associated with the terminal device's direction information relative to the base station. The first information is determined based on the second information. In some embodiments, the second information is the same as the first information. In other embodiments, the second information and the first information may be different.

[0079] The method described below is for Figure 4 and Figure 5 The same applies.

[0080] In this application embodiment, the base station may refer to the base station corresponding to the cell selected by the terminal device during the initial access process. The terminal device in this application embodiment may be a terminal device in the RRC idle state, or it may be a terminal device performing the initial access.

[0081] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the content of the first information. As an example, the first information may include the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station. As another example, the first information may also include the direction information of the base station relative to the terminal device.

[0082] In some embodiments, the directional information of the terminal device relative to the base station corresponds to the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device. Knowing one directional information allows the other to be deduced. For example, if the directional information of the terminal device relative to the base station is known, the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device can also be determined. Similarly, if the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device is known, the directional information of the terminal device relative to the base station can also be determined. In some embodiments, when the system is a frequency duplex (FDD) system, it can be considered that the system has uplink and downlink reciprocity. For the uplink and downlink directional information, knowing one directional information allows the other to be deduced.

[0083] The directional information of a terminal device relative to a base station can be obtained by the base station sending a signal to the terminal device, and the terminal device determining the direction of that signal.

[0084] In some embodiments, the directional information of the base station relative to the terminal device may be, for example, AOA information. The terminal device may send a signal to the base station, and the base station may measure the signal to obtain the AOA information. In some embodiments, the second information may include AOA information. The base station may send the AOA information to the terminal device. That is, after obtaining the AOA information based on the signal sent by the terminal device, the base station may send the AOA information to the terminal device.

[0085] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send first indication information to the base station, which instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, or the first indication information instructs the base station to provide AOA feedback. The following description uses the example of the first indication information instructing the base station to perform AOA measurement to illustrate the scheme of this application embodiment.

[0086] This first indication information can be carried in the messages during the random access procedure. Through the random access procedure, the terminal device instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, which helps the terminal device obtain AOA information during the random access process, thereby reducing positioning latency.

[0087] This application does not specifically limit the method by which the base station performs AOA measurement. For example, the base station can perform AOA measurement based on a signal carrying first indication information. Alternatively, the base station can also perform AOA measurement based on other signals (such as signals that do not carry first indication information).

[0088] The random access method in this application embodiment can be a contention-based random access method (also known as four-step random access) or a non-contention-based random access method (also known as two-step random access).

[0089] This application does not specifically limit the indication method of the first indication information in its embodiments. As an example, taking contention-based random access as an example, the first indication information can be carried through MSG1 in the random access procedure, or it can be carried through MSG3 in the random access procedure. As another example, taking non-contention-based random access as an example, the first indication information can be carried through MSGA in the random access procedure.

[0090] In some embodiments, the first indication information in this application can be associated with a preamble. That is, the first indication information can be indicated by information associated with a preamble. The preamble can be a preamble in MSG1 or a preamble in MSGA. By reusing the preamble to indicate the first indication information, signaling overhead can be saved, which helps to reduce the complexity of positioning.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, the scrambling information of the preamble, and the preamble sequence. In some embodiments, the index of the preamble may also be referred to as the sequence number of the preamble.

[0092] In some embodiments, the first indication information can be associated with an index of a preamble; that is, the terminal device can indicate the first indication information using the index of the preamble. For example, the first indication information can be indicated using a specific preamble index. If the terminal device requires the base station to perform AOA measurement, the terminal device can send a preamble with that specific index to the base station.

[0093] After receiving the preamble sent by the terminal device, the base station can determine whether to perform AOA measurement based on the index of the preamble. If the index of the preamble is a specific index, the base station performs AOA measurement; if the index of the preamble is not a specific index, the base station may not perform AOA measurement.

[0094] The following describes the solution of this application embodiment, taking the first index requiring AOA measurement and the second index not requiring AOA measurement as an example.

[0095] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the value of the first index. For example, the value of the first index can be an even number. Another example is that the value of the first index can be an odd number. Yet another example is that the value of the first index can be a value within a certain range. For instance, the value of the first index can be greater than or equal to a first value, and / or, the value of the first index can be less than or equal to a second value.

[0096] This application does not specifically limit the numbering method of the preamble index. As an example, the preambles in the preamble set can be numbered sequentially, with different preambles having different indices. As another example, the preambles in the preamble set can be divided into multiple groups, with the preambles in each group numbered independently. For example, the preambles can be grouped according to the correspondence between SSBs and preambles, with the preambles corresponding to one SSB forming a preamble group, and the preambles in each preamble group can be numbered independently.

[0097] For example, during the initial access process, the terminal device can read higher-layer parameters to obtain the mapping relationship between SSBs and ROs, thus obtaining two parameters N and R. Here, N represents the number of SSBs associated with a random access opportunity (RO), and R represents the number of preambles corresponding to an SSB. If N ≥ 1, for the nth SSB, its preamble index starts from n*N. total Starting with / N, where N totalThis represents the total number of preambles used for random access. In this embodiment, the R preambles corresponding to one SSB can be numbered. Assuming the first preamble has an index of 0, subsequent preambles can be numbered sequentially.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first indication information can be associated with the scrambling information of the preamble; that is, the terminal device can indicate the first indication information through the scrambling information of the preamble. As an example, the terminal device can indicate the first indication information by whether or not the preamble is scrambled. If the terminal device requires the base station to perform AOA measurement, the terminal device can scramble the preamble, i.e., the terminal device sends the scrambled preamble to the base station; if the terminal device does not require the serving cell to perform AOA measurement, the terminal device can not scramble the preamble, i.e., the terminal device sends the unscrambled preamble to the base station.

[0099] After receiving the preamble, the base station can determine whether to perform AOA measurement based on whether the preamble is scrambled. If the received preamble is scrambled, the base station can determine that AOA measurement is necessary. If the received preamble is not scrambled, the base station can determine that AOA measurement is not necessary.

[0100] As another example, the terminal device can indicate the first indication information using specific scrambling information. If the terminal device requires the base station to perform AOA measurement, the terminal device can scramble the preamble using a specific scrambling code. If the terminal device does not require the base station to perform AOA measurement, the terminal device can scramble the preamble using other scrambling codes.

[0101] After receiving the preamble, the base station can determine whether to perform AOA measurement based on the scrambling code information of the preamble. If the received preamble is scrambled using a specific scrambling code, the base station determines that AOA measurement is necessary. If the received preamble is not scrambled using a specific scrambling code, the base station determines that AOA measurement is not necessary.

[0102] The following describes the scheme of this application embodiment, taking the first scrambling code as an example where AOA measurement is required and the second scrambling code is not required.

[0103] In some embodiments, the first scrambling code can be a Walsh code, and the second scrambling code can be a sequence of all 1s. If the scrambling code of the preamble is a Walsh code, the base station of the serving cell needs to perform AOA measurement. If the first scrambling code is a sequence of all 1s, the base station of the serving cell does not need to perform AOA measurement. In other embodiments, the first scrambling code can be a sequence of all 1s, and the second scrambling code can be a Walsh code. If the scrambling code of the preamble is a sequence of all 1s, the base station of the serving cell needs to perform AOA measurement. If the scrambling code of the preamble is a Walsh code, the base station of the serving cell does not need to perform AOA measurement.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be associated with a preamble sequence, meaning the terminal device can indicate the first indication information using the preamble sequence. For example, the terminal device can indicate the first indication information using a specific preamble sequence. If the terminal device requires the base station to perform AOA measurement, the terminal device can send a specific preamble sequence to the base station.

[0105] This specific preamble sequence can be a newly introduced preamble sequence or a dedicated preamble sequence. For example, some new preamble sequences can be added to the existing preamble set, and these preamble sequences can be used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurements. If the base station needs to perform AOA measurements, the terminal device can send a dedicated preamble sequence to the base station; if the base station of the serving cell does not need to perform AOA measurements, the terminal device can send other preamble sequences to the base station.

[0106] After receiving the preamble, the base station can determine whether to perform AOA measurement based on whether the preamble is a dedicated preamble sequence. If the received preamble is a dedicated preamble sequence, the base station determines that AOA measurement is necessary. If the received preamble is not a dedicated preamble sequence, the base station determines that AOA measurement is not necessary.

[0107] In some embodiments, the aforementioned dedicated preamble sequence may be a Zadoff-Chu sequence.

[0108] In some embodiments, the base station can also send AOA information to the terminal device through messages during the random access procedure, enabling the terminal device to obtain the AOA information through random access. For example, the base station can send AOA information to the terminal device, which is carried in the random access response message. By carrying AOA information in the random access response message, the terminal device can obtain the AOA information as quickly as possible, which helps to reduce positioning latency.

[0109] In some embodiments, as described above, the first information may include directional information of the terminal device relative to the base station. This application does not specifically limit the method for determining the first information. For example, the first information may be determined based on the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction. In some embodiments, the second information may include the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction; that is, the base station may send the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction to the terminal device.

[0110] In some embodiments, before performing random access, the terminal device detects the SSB (Secondary Support Bus) and its index information. Different SSB indices result in different SSB transmission directions. After detecting the SSB index information, the terminal device can determine the direction of the SSB beam based on the detected SSB index information and the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine its orientation relative to the base station based on the SSB beam direction.

[0111] In some embodiments, the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction can be sent from the base station to the terminal device. For example, the base station can send the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction to the terminal device via a broadcast message; that is, the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction is carried in the broadcast message.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal device can receive SSBs transmitted by the base station and determine the angle of the terminal device relative to the base station based on the SSB index information and the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction. Further, the terminal device can determine its location information based on this angle. For example, the terminal device can determine its location information based on this angle and the location information of the base station.

[0113] The base station described above can be a single base station or multiple base stations. For example, the base station mentioned above can be a base station of the serving cell or a base station of a neighboring cell. As another example, the base station mentioned above can include both the base station of the serving cell and the base station of a neighboring cell.

[0114] If the base stations include the base station of the serving cell and the base stations of neighboring cells, the first information can be determined based on a first correspondence and a second correspondence. The first correspondence may include the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the serving cell, and the second correspondence may include the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the neighboring cells. The first correspondence may be sent by the base station of the serving cell, and the second correspondence may be sent by the base station of the neighboring cells.

[0115] When a terminal device performs a downlink synchronization signal search, it will find SSB information for multiple cells. This means the SSB information found by the terminal device includes not only the SSB information of the serving cell but also the SSB information of neighboring cells. In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine its orientation relative to the serving cell and neighboring cells based on the correspondence between the SSB index and SSB beam direction of the serving cell, and the correspondence between the SSB index and SSB beam direction of the neighboring cells, respectively.

[0116] In some embodiments, the terminal device can detect SSB information of multiple cells. Taking the serving cell and neighboring cells as an example, the terminal device can receive a first SSB sent by the base station of the serving cell, and determine a first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and a first correspondence. The terminal device can receive a second SSB sent by the base station of the neighboring cell, and determine a second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and a second correspondence. The terminal device can determine its location information based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0117] The above describes a scheme where the terminal device determines its location information. Of course, the terminal device's location information can also be determined by a base station or positioning device. The terminal device can send the detected SSB information to the base station or positioning device, and then the base station or positioning device can determine the terminal device's location based on the SSB information.

[0118] The way base stations or positioning devices determine the location of terminal devices is similar to the way terminal devices determine their own location. For details not described in detail, please refer to the previous description.

[0119] As an example, the terminal device can send the detected SSB index information to the base station. The base station can determine the angle of the terminal device relative to the base station based on the SSB index and the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction. Furthermore, the base station can determine the location information of the terminal device based on this angle. For example, the base station can determine the location information of the terminal device based on this angle and the base station's location information.

[0120] The aforementioned SSB index may include the index of the first SSB and the index of the second SSB. A base station (such as the base station of the serving cell) can determine a first angle based on the index of the first SSB and a first correspondence; the base station can determine a second angle based on the index of the second SSB and a second correspondence. The base station can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base stations of neighboring cells.

[0121] For example, the base station can receive the index of a first SSB sent by the terminal device, and determine a first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and a first correspondence. The base station can receive the index of a second SSB sent by the terminal device, and determine a second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of a neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and a second correspondence. The base station can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0122] As another example, the terminal device can send the detected SSB index information to the positioning device. The positioning device can then determine the angle of the terminal device relative to the base station based on the SSB index and the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction. Furthermore, the positioning device can determine the location information of the terminal device based on this angle. For example, the positioning device can determine the location information of the terminal device based on this angle and the location information of the base station.

[0123] The aforementioned SSB index may include the index of the first SSB and the index of the second SSB. The positioning device can determine a first angle based on the index of the first SSB and a first correspondence; the positioning device can determine a second angle based on the index of the second SSB and a second correspondence. The positioning device can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base stations of neighboring cells.

[0124] For example, the positioning device can receive the index of a first SSB sent by the terminal device, and determine a first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and a first correspondence. The positioning device can receive the index of a second SSB sent by the terminal device, and determine a second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of a neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and a second correspondence. The positioning device can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0125] The following example illustrates a scheme for determining the location information of a terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base stations of neighboring cells.

[0126] Assuming the first angle is θ1, the second angle is θ2, and the location of the base station of the serving cell is (x... b1 y b1 The location of the base station in the neighboring cell is (x b1 y b1The location of the terminal device is (x, y), and the location of the terminal device can be represented as:

[0127]

[0128] The x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular. θ1 and θ2 can be angles in the xy coordinate system. For example, if the y-axis is due north and the x-axis is due east, θ1 and θ2 can be angles relative to due north.

[0129] The aforementioned neighboring cells can include multiple cells. For example, neighboring cells include a first neighboring cell and a second neighboring cell, and the location of the terminal device can be determined based on the angle of the terminal device relative to multiple neighboring cells. By jointly locating the terminal device using multiple cells, the positioning accuracy of the terminal device can be improved.

[0130] The location coordinates of the terminal device can be represented as:

[0131]

[0132] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station of the first neighboring cell. b3 y b3 θ1 is the location coordinate of the base station of the second neighboring cell, θ2 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the first neighboring cell, θ3 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the second neighboring cell, and α represents the weighting coefficient.

[0133] The aforementioned α value can be determined based on the signal measurement results of the terminal device for neighboring cells. For example, the α value can be determined based on the signal measurement results of the terminal device for the first neighboring cell and the signal measurement results of the terminal device for the second neighboring cell.

[0134] Taking the signal measurement results as an example, the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) can be used to determine the α value based on the following formula:

[0135]

[0136] RSRP1 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the first neighboring cell, and RSRP2 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the second neighboring cell.

[0137] Of course, it is understandable that RSRP in the above formula can be replaced with other values ​​in the signal measurement results, such as reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ).

[0138] It should be noted that the above example illustrates the formula for calculating the terminal device's position coordinates using the angle of the terminal device relative to the base station. It can be understood that the same formula applies to the angle of the base station relative to the terminal device. Since the angle of the terminal device relative to the base station and the angle of the base station relative to the terminal device are reciprocal, the position coordinates of the terminal device can also be determined based on the angle of the base station relative to the terminal device.

[0139] For example, the location information of the terminal device can be determined based on the angle of the serving cell's base station relative to the terminal device, the angle of the neighboring cell's base station relative to the terminal device, the location information of the serving cell's base station, and the location information of the neighboring cell's base station. The specific determination method can be found in the preceding description, and will not be repeated here for brevity. The aforementioned neighboring cells can include multiple cells, such as a first neighboring cell and a second neighboring cell. The location information of the base station relative to the terminal device can be obtained by measurement by the base station.

[0140] The solutions in this application embodiment can be used in conjunction with other positioning methods. For example, the direction information determined in this application embodiment can be combined with the cell ID to jointly locate the terminal device. As another example, the direction information determined in this application embodiment can be combined with the TA (Target Aspect Ratio) to jointly locate the terminal device. Yet another example, the direction information determined in this application embodiment can be combined with both the cell ID and the TA to jointly locate the terminal device.

[0141] In some embodiments, the positioning method of this application can be combined with other fine positioning methods to achieve fine positioning of the terminal device. Since the embodiments of this application can reduce the latency of acquiring direction information, fine positioning based on this positioning can reduce the complexity of acquiring fine positioning information.

[0142] The above text combined Figures 1 to 5 The method embodiments of this application are described in detail below, in conjunction with... Figures 6 to 9 The present application provides a detailed description of the apparatus embodiments. It should be understood that the descriptions of the method embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments; therefore, any parts not described in detail can be found in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0143] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6The terminal device 600 shown can be any of the terminal devices described above. The terminal device 600 may include an acquisition unit 610.

[0144] The acquisition unit 610 is used to acquire first information during the initial access process. The first information is used to locate the terminal device and is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station.

[0145] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first information includes Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, and the terminal device further includes: a sending unit 610, configured to send first indication information to the base station, the first indication information being used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the first indication information being carried in a message of the random access procedure.

[0146] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first indication information is associated with a preamble during the random access process.

[0147] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first indication information is associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, scrambling information of the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence.

[0148] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device further includes a receiving unit 630, configured to receive AOA information sent by the base station, wherein the AOA information is carried in a message of the random access procedure.

[0149] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AOA information is carried in a random access response message.

[0150] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first information includes the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station, and the first information is determined based on the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction.

[0151] Optionally, in some embodiments, the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction is carried in a broadcast message.

[0152] Optionally, in some embodiments, the base station includes a base station of the serving cell and base stations of neighboring cells. The first information is determined based on a first correspondence and a second correspondence. The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the serving cell, and the second correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the neighboring cell.

[0153] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device further includes: a receiving unit 630, configured to receive a first SSB sent by a base station of the serving cell; a determining unit, configured to determine a first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and the first correspondence; a receiving unit 630, configured to receive a second SSB sent by a base station of a neighboring cell; a determining unit, configured to determine a second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and the second correspondence; and a determining unit, configured to determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0154] Optionally, in some embodiments, the position coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are:

[0155]

[0156] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 θ1 represents the location coordinates of the base station in the neighboring cell, θ2 represents the first angle, and θ1 represents the second angle.

[0157] Optionally, in some embodiments, the neighboring cells include a first neighboring cell and a second neighboring cell, and the location coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are:

[0158]

[0159] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station of the first neighboring cell. b3 y b3 θ1 is the location coordinate of the base station of the second neighboring cell, θ2 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the first neighboring cell, θ3 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the second neighboring cell, and α represents the weighting coefficient.

[0160] Alternatively, in some embodiments, α is determined based on the following formula:

[0161]

[0162] Wherein, RSRP1 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the first neighboring cell, and RSRP2 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the second neighboring cell.

[0163] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 The network device 700 shown can be any of the network devices described above. The network device 700 may include a transmitting unit 710.

[0164] The sending unit 710 is used to send second information during the initial access process to the terminal device. The second information is used to determine the first information, and the first information is used to locate the terminal device. The first information is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station.

[0165] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first information includes Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, and the network device further includes: a receiving unit 720, configured to receive first indication information sent by the terminal device, the first indication information being used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the first indication information being carried in a message of the random access procedure.

[0166] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first indication information is associated with a preamble during the random access process.

[0167] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first indication information is associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, scrambling information of the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence.

[0168] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second information includes AOA information, which is carried in the messages of the random access procedure.

[0169] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AOA information is carried in a random access response message.

[0170] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first information includes the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station, and the second information includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction.

[0171] Optionally, in some embodiments, the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction is carried in a broadcast message.

[0172] Optionally, in some embodiments, the base station includes a base station of the serving cell and base stations of neighboring cells. The first information is determined based on a first correspondence and a second correspondence. The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the serving cell, and the second correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the neighboring cell.

[0173] Optionally, in some embodiments, the network device further includes: a receiving unit 720, configured to receive an index of a first SSB sent by the terminal device, wherein the index of the first SSB is an SSB index measured by the terminal device for the serving cell; a determining unit, configured to determine a first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and the first correspondence; a receiving unit 720, configured to receive an index of a second SSB sent by the terminal device, wherein the index of the second SSB is an SSB index measured by the terminal device for the neighboring cell; a determining unit, configured to determine a second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and the second correspondence; and a determining unit, configured to determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0174] Optionally, in some embodiments, the position coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are:

[0175]

[0176] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 θ1 represents the location coordinates of the base station in the neighboring cell, θ2 represents the first angle, and θ1 represents the second angle.

[0177] Optionally, in some embodiments, the neighboring cells include a first neighboring cell and a second neighboring cell, and the location coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are:

[0178]

[0179] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station of the first neighboring cell. b3 y b3θ1 is the location coordinate of the base station of the second neighboring cell, θ2 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the first neighboring cell, θ3 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the second neighboring cell, and α represents the weighting coefficient.

[0180] Alternatively, in some embodiments, α is determined based on the following formula:

[0181]

[0182] Wherein, RSRP1 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the first neighboring cell, and RSRP2 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the second neighboring cell.

[0183] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a positioning device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 The positioning device 800 shown can be any of the positioning devices described above. The positioning device 800 may include a receiving unit 810 and a determining unit 820.

[0184] The receiving unit 810 is used to receive the index of the first SSB sent by the terminal device, wherein the index of the first SSB is the SSB index measured by the terminal device for the serving cell.

[0185] The determining unit 820 is used to determine a first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and the first correspondence relationship, wherein the first correspondence relationship includes the correspondence between the SSB index of the serving cell and the SSB beam direction.

[0186] The receiving unit 810 is used to receive the index of the second SSB sent by the terminal device, wherein the index of the second SSB is the SSB index obtained by the terminal device for measuring neighboring cells.

[0187] The determining unit 820 is used to determine a second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and the second correspondence relationship, wherein the second correspondence relationship includes the correspondence between the SSB index of the neighboring cell and the SSB beam direction.

[0188] The determining unit 820 is used to determine the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

[0189] Optionally, in some embodiments, the position coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are:

[0190]

[0191] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 θ1 represents the location coordinates of the base station in the neighboring cell, θ2 represents the first angle, and θ1 represents the second angle.

[0192] Optionally, in some embodiments, the neighboring cells include a first neighboring cell and a second neighboring cell, and the location coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are:

[0193]

[0194] Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station of the first neighboring cell. b3 y b3 θ1 is the location coordinate of the base station of the second neighboring cell, θ2 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the first neighboring cell, θ3 is the angle of the terminal device relative to the second neighboring cell, and α represents the weighting coefficient.

[0195] Alternatively, in some embodiments, α is determined based on the following formula:

[0196]

[0197] Wherein, RSRP1 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the first neighboring cell, and RSRP2 represents the RSRP value measured by the terminal device for the base station of the second neighboring cell.

[0198] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 The dashed lines indicate that the unit or module is optional. The device 900 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The device 900 can be a chip, terminal device, network device, or positioning device. For example, the device 900 can be a base station.

[0199] The apparatus 900 may include one or more processors 910. The processor 910 may support the apparatus 900 in implementing the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The processor 910 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0200] The apparatus 900 may further include one or more memories 920. The memories 920 store a program that can be executed by the processor 910, causing the processor 910 to perform the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The memories 920 may be independent of the processor 910 or integrated within the processor 910.

[0201] The device 900 may also include a transceiver 930. The processor 910 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 930. For example, the processor 910 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 930.

[0202] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. This computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in this application, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0203] This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in this application embodiment, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0204] This application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0205] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the terminology used in this application is only for explaining specific embodiments of the application and is not intended to limit the application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0206] In the embodiments of this application, the term "instruction" can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0207] In the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0208] In the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" can indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or an association between two things, or a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0209] In this application embodiment, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0210] In this application embodiment, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, such as the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0211] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0212] In the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0213] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0214] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0215] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0216] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can read or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs, DVDs) or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs), etc.

[0217] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for positioning, characterized by, include: During the initial access process, the terminal device obtains first information, which is used to locate the terminal device. The first information is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station. The first information includes Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, and the method further includes: The terminal device sends a first indication information to the base station. The first indication information is used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement. The first indication information is carried in the message of the random access procedure. The first indication information is associated with the preamble in the random access process; The first indication information is associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, the scrambling information of the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence; Wherein, the first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or... The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or, The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a first scrambling code, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a second scrambling code, wherein the first scrambling code is different from the second scrambling code; The method further includes: The terminal device receives AOA information sent by the base station. The AOA information is carried in the random access procedure message and the random access response message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information includes the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station, and the first information is determined based on the correspondence between the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SSB) index and the SSB beam transmission direction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction is carried in the broadcast message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The base station includes the base station of the serving cell and the base station of the neighboring cell. The first information is determined based on a first correspondence and a second correspondence. The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the serving cell, and the second correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the neighboring cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The method further includes: The terminal device receives the first SSB sent by the base station of the serving cell; The terminal device determines a first angle relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and the first correspondence. The terminal device receives the second SSB sent by the base station of the neighboring cell; The terminal device determines a second angle relative to the base station of the neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and the second correspondence. The terminal device determines its location information based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The position coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are: Wherein, the x-axis and the y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 , y b1 ) is the position coordinate of the base station of the serving cell, (x b2 , y b2 ) is the position coordinate of the base station of the neighboring cell, is the first angle, is the second angle.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The neighboring cells include the first neighboring cell and the second neighboring cell, and the location coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are: Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station of the first neighboring cell. b3 y b3 ( ) represents the location coordinates of the base station in the second neighboring cell. From the first angle, The angle of the terminal device relative to the first neighboring cell. The angle of the terminal device relative to the second neighboring cell. This represents the weighting coefficient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, is determined based on the following equation: wherein, represents an RSRP value measured by the terminal device on the base station of the first neighbor cell, represents an RSRP value measured by the terminal device on the base station of the second neighbor cell.

9. A method for positioning, characterized by, include: The base station sends second information during the initial access process to the terminal device. The second information is used to determine the first information. The first information is used to locate the terminal device. The first information is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station. The first information includes Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, and the method further includes: The base station receives first indication information sent by the terminal device. The first indication information is used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement. The first indication information is carried in the message of the random access procedure. The first indication information is associated with the preamble in the random access process; The first indication information is associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, the scrambling information of the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence; Wherein, the first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or... The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or, The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a first scrambling code, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a second scrambling code, wherein the first scrambling code is different from the second scrambling code; The second information includes AOA information, which is carried in the random access procedure message and the random access response message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first information includes the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station, and the second information includes the correspondence between the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SSB) index and the SSB beam transmission direction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam transmission direction is carried in the broadcast message.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein, The base station includes the base station of the serving cell and the base station of the neighboring cell. The first information is determined based on a first correspondence and a second correspondence. The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the serving cell, and the second correspondence includes the correspondence between the SSB index and the SSB beam direction of the neighboring cell.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The method further includes: The base station receives the index of the first SSB sent by the terminal device, wherein the index of the first SSB is the SSB index measured by the terminal device for the serving cell; The base station determines the first angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the serving cell based on the index of the first SSB and the first correspondence. The base station receives the index of the second SSB sent by the terminal device, wherein the index of the second SSB is the SSB index measured by the terminal device for the neighboring cell; The base station determines the second angle of the terminal device relative to the base station of the neighboring cell based on the index of the second SSB and the second correspondence. The base station determines the location information of the terminal device based on the first angle, the second angle, the location information of the base station of the serving cell, and the location information of the base station of the neighboring cell.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The position coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are: wherein the x-axis and the y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 , y b1 ) are position coordinates of a base station of a serving cell, (x b2 , y b2 ) are position coordinates of a base station of a neighbor cell, is a first angle, is a second angle.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, The neighboring cells include the first neighboring cell and the second neighboring cell, and the location coordinates (x, y) of the terminal device are: Where the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular, (x b1 y b1 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station serving the cell. b2 y b2 (x) represents the location coordinates of the base station of the first neighboring cell. b3 y b3 ( ) represents the location coordinates of the base station in the second neighboring cell. From the first angle, The angle of the terminal device relative to the first neighboring cell. The angle of the terminal device relative to the second neighboring cell. This represents the weighting coefficient.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, is determined based on the following equation: wherein, represents an RSRP value measured by the terminal device on the base station of the first neighbor cell, represents an RSRP value measured by the terminal device on the base station of the second neighbor cell.

17. A terminal device, comprising: include: The acquisition unit is used to acquire first information during the initial access process. The first information is used to locate the terminal device and is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station. The first information includes Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, and the terminal device further includes a transmitting unit for: Send a first indication message to the base station. The first indication message is used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement. The first indication message is carried in the message of the random access procedure. The first indication information is associated with the preamble in the random access process; The first indication information is associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, the scrambling information of the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence; Wherein, the first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or... The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or, The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a first scrambling code, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a second scrambling code, wherein the first scrambling code is different from the second scrambling code; The sending unit is further configured to: receive AOA information sent by the base station, wherein the AOA information is carried in a message of the random access procedure and in a random access response message.

18. A network device, comprising: The network device is a base station, and the network device includes: The sending unit is used to send second information during the initial access process to the terminal device. The second information is used to determine the first information, and the first information is used to locate the terminal device. The first information is associated with the direction information of the terminal device relative to the base station. The first information includes Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, and the network device further includes a receiving unit for: The terminal device sends a first indication information, which is used to instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement. The first indication information is carried in a message of the random access procedure. The first indication information is associated with the preamble in the random access process; The first indication information is associated with one or more of the following: the index of the preamble, the scrambling information of the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence; Wherein, the first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or... The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a scrambled preamble, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is an unscrambled preamble; or, The first indication information includes a preamble, wherein, when the first indication information instructs the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a first scrambling code, and when the first indication information does not instruct the base station to perform AOA measurement, the preamble is a preamble scrambled with a second scrambling code, wherein the first scrambling code is different from the second scrambling code; The second information includes AOA information, which is carried in the random access procedure message and the random access response message.

19. A terminal device, comprising: It includes a memory and a processor, the memory being used to store a program, and the processor being used to invoke the program in the memory to cause the terminal to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

20. A network device, comprising: comprising a memory for storing a program and a processor for invoking the program in the memory to cause the network device to perform the method of any of claims 9-16.

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