Mechanisms for enhanced positioning solutions for devices

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an enhanced positioning scheme for a device. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for an enhanced positioning scheme for a device is proposed. A first device receives a signal from a second device and receives a further signal from a third device. The first device determines a distance between the first device and the second device based on a TOA of the signal and determines a further distance between the first device and the third device based on a propagation loss of the second signal. Position information of the first device is determined based on the distance, the further distance and position information of the second device and the third device. In this way, the position of the first device can be determined more accurately. The first device does not need to be equipped with a positioning function, such as GNSS, etc. Furthermore, this approach has strong robustness and self-adaptability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, particularly in non-terrestrial networks, and specifically to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for enhanced positioning schemes for devices. Background Technology

[0002] Resources and infrastructure are typically limited in remote areas. Therefore, terrestrial networks often struggle to provide adequate coverage. The main benefit of introducing non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) is the ability to provide ubiquitous service to end devices by extending connectivity in sparsely populated areas with extremely low device density, and the overall deployment cost can be significantly lower than providing permanent terrestrial infrastructure. A new radio (NR) solution has been proposed to support NTNs. However, it also introduces other challenges, such as accuracy and efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Overall, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for an enhanced positioning scheme for a device.

[0004] In a first aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a first signal from a second device at a first device. The method further includes determining a first distance between the first device and the second device based on the arrival time of the first signal. The method further includes receiving a second signal from a third device. The method further includes determining a second distance between the first device and the third device based on the power of the second signal. The method further includes determining first location information of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and second location information of the second and third devices.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method is provided. The method includes sending a first signal from a second device to a first device. The method also includes sending location-related information associated with the first device to the first device. The method further sends location information of the second device to the first device for determining the location of the first device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to receive a first signal from a second device. The first device is also caused to determine a first distance between the first device and the second device based on the arrival time of the first signal. The first device is also caused to receive a second signal from a third device. The first device is also caused to determine a second distance between the first device and the third device based on the power of the second signal. The first device is also caused to determine first position information of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and second position information of the second and third devices.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to send a first signal to a first device. The second device is also caused to send information to the first device associated with locating the first device. The second device is further caused to send location information of the second device to the first device for determining the location of the first device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for receiving a first signal from a second device at a first device; components for determining a first distance between the first device and the second device at the first device based on the arrival time of the first signal; components for receiving a second signal from a third device; components for determining a second distance between the first device and the third device based on the power of the second signal; and components for determining first position information of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and second position information of the second and third devices.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for transmitting a first signal from a second device to a first device; components for transmitting information associated with locating the first device to the first device; and components for transmitting location information of the second device to the first device for determining the location of the first device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the method according to either the first or second aspect described above.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between communication devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 3A and Figure 3B A schematic diagram of a positioning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0019] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described merely for illustration and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways besides those described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0023] In this disclosure, references to "an embodiment," "embodiment," and "example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that, whether explicitly described or not, combining it with other embodiments to affect such a feature, structure, or characteristic is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0024] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used herein also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further understanding, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0027] (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation using only analog and / or digital circuit systems), and

[0028] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0029] (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0030] (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s) having software, including (multiple) digital signal processors(s), software, and (multiple) memories(s), working together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and

[0031] (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may not exist when operation is not required.

[0032] The definition of "circuit system" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit system" also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit system" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0033] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-a), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), New Radio (NR), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.85G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or future protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, future types of communication technologies and systems may also embody this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the systems described above.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. A network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Header End (RRH), a relay, or a low-power node (such as a femtosecond, picosecond, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0035] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop in-vehicle devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0036] As mentioned above, NTN also presents some problems in other aspects. As is customary, the New Research Project (SI) solution evaluation for NR has been approved to support NTN. Within the objectives of SI, UE location has been determined in TR 38.811 and 38.821, indicating that relevant location information in NTN is beneficial for initial synchronization, uplink timing advance, random access, and mobility in terms of delay compensation, Doppler compensation, location country identification, and mobility triggering. Other studies have also raised the issue of location to determine the country where the NTN UE is located. The NTN requirements for UE location will be discussed from the following scenarios:

[0037] (1) Delay compensation:

[0038] Knowing the location is beneficial because timing advance can be largely predicted from the satellite positions and movements at a given location on Earth. In NTN, a UE's timing advance (TA) can be divided into satellite-specific common delay and UE-specific differential delay, where the satellite-specific common delay is known due to predictable satellite movements and can be broadcast to the UE. The UE-specific differential delay can be estimated based on random access preambles and / or based on UE positioning information. UE positioning information can be derived at the UE side using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning and / or other positioning solutions, and / or at the network side. Therefore, it is recommended to investigate an uplink timing advance mechanism based on UE positioning information in this SI for NTN. A UE's uplink timing advance may change due to the relative motion of the UE and its serving satellites, where the UE's speed is approximately up to 1000 km / h and the serving satellite's orbital speed is up to 27000 km / h. Therefore, uplink timing advance adjustment based on UE positioning information due to the relative motion of the UE and satellites can also be investigated.

[0039] (2) Frequency compensation:

[0040] If the network knows the UE's location, the Doppler frequency shift acquisition time can be reduced. Therefore, a study on UE positioning for Doppler pre-compensation in NTN is proposed.

[0041] (3) Country identifier:

[0042] NTN is expected to provide global or at least multi-country coverage. This presents new challenges compared to national terrestrial networks. This has been discussed, and it has been concluded that knowing the location of the UE at the national level is important.

[0043] (4) Mobility trigger

[0044] There is a significant delay between the satellite and the UE because they are rapidly moving and not relatively stationary. Therefore, for a given UE, the duration of its stay within a given point beam is very short, leading to frequent handovers from a serving point beam or satellite to a new target point beam or satellite. The individual timing advance of the UE must also be updated dynamically and rapidly, requiring appropriate TA index values.

[0045] In RAN2#105, it was agreed that, in the case of NTN, UE location and satellite ephemeris information are beneficial as additional inputs for the accuracy of mobility triggering. Particularly in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) scenario, as stated above, the relative motion of the UE and its serving satellites, UE and / or satellite velocities, the impact of large and varying propagation delays on measurement effectiveness, and dynamic neighboring cell changes are identified as some of the key issues that NTN needs to address.

[0046] Traditionally, GNSS positioning utilizes a UE equipped with a radio receiver capable of receiving GNSS signals for UE location. Traditional GNSS systems include the Global Positioning System (GPS), modernized GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. Different GNSS systems can be used individually or in combination to determine the UE's location. However, not all UEs have GNSS enabled. The system should also function in the absence of GNSS.

[0047] Several conventional geolocation techniques exist, including Time of Arrival (TOA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) methods. For TOA-based schemes, the distance from the UE to the gNB is proportional to the propagation time. In TOA-based systems, the UE and gNB must be precisely synchronized. TDOA-based systems utilize the measured time difference of arrival of downlink signals received from multiple gNBs at the UE, rather than the absolute time of arrival of the TOA. Synchronization between gNBs is also required for TDOA-based systems. Furthermore, conventional TDOA methods require a sufficient number of gNBs within a time window, which may not be sufficient for many visible gNBs. Therefore, TDOA does not work well for NTN networks. AOA measurement can be performed without synchronization. The UE's location can be found by the intersection of several pairs of angular direction lines. However, it is also sensitive to the lack of a line-of-sight (LOS) path. Additionally, work on geolocation is underway in NR SI, but with a different scope, as highly precise geolocation is targeted, and the solutions investigated are post-network access. Therefore, a solution for initial UE-based positioning is expected no later than the initial access process.

[0048] According to embodiments of this disclosure, an enhanced positioning scheme for a device is proposed. A first device receives a signal from a second device and another signal from a third device. The first device determines the distance between itself and the second device based on the TOA (Time of Arrival) of the signals, and determines the additional distance between itself and the third device based on the propagation loss of the second signal. The location information of the first device is determined based on the aforementioned distances, the additional distances, and the location information of the second and third devices. In this way, the location of the first device can be determined more accurately. The first device does not need to be equipped with positioning functions, such as GNSS. Furthermore, this method has strong robustness and adaptability.

[0049] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a communication environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication environment 100, as part of a communication network, also includes devices 110-1, 110-2, ..., 110-N, which may be collectively referred to as "(a plurality of) first devices 110". The communication environment 100 includes devices 120-1, ..., 120-M, which may be collectively referred to as "(a plurality of) second devices 120". The communication environment 100 also includes devices 130-1, ..., 130-P, which may be collectively referred to as "(a plurality of) third devices 130". The numbers N, M, and P can be any suitable integer. The first devices 110 and the second devices 120 can communicate with each other, and the first devices 110 can also communicate with the third devices 130. For illustrative purposes only, the second devices 120 are described as non-terrestrial devices (e.g., satellites), and the third devices 130 are described as terrestrial devices (e.g., terrestrial wireless local area network (WLAN) access points).

[0050] The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and cells. In the communication environment 100, the first device 110 and the second device 120 can transmit data and control information to each other. When the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is called a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is called an uplink (UL). The second device 120 and the first device 110 are interchangeable.

[0051] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of first devices and cells and their connections shown are given for illustrative purposes and do not impose any limitations. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and networks appropriate for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0052] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring now to... Figure 2 , Figure 2 Signaling flow 200 for the positioning device is shown. For ease of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe signaling flow 200. Signaling flow 200 may involve first device 110-1, second device 120-1 and third device 130-1.

[0053] The second device 120-1 sends a 2005 first signal to the first device 110-1. For example, the second device 120-1 may send a pilot signal to the first device 110-1. Alternatively, the first signal may be a reference signal. In some example embodiments, the second device 120-1 may send 2010 synchronization information to the first device 110-1. For example, the first device 110-1 may detect the synchronization signal to complete synchronization. In some embodiments, the synchronization information may be sent in a synchronization signal block (SSB). The first device 110-1 may obtain a 2015 identifier from the synchronization information. For example, the SSB may carry a flag, such as a single bit of information. This single bit of information may indicate that the second device 120-1 is a non-terrestrial network device, such as a satellite. In this case, due to excessive delay of the NTN in the frequency domain, the first device 110-1 may employ an interference compensation scheme to improve CSI accuracy.

[0054] First device 110-1 determines the first distance between first device 110-1 and second device 120-1 based on the arrival time of the first signal. For illustrative purposes only, transmitted signals from all candidate APs, including second device 120 and third device 130, can be affected by channel effects. The channel model can be described as follows:

[0055] S r =γHS t +N (1)

[0056] Where S t The transmitted signal is represented as S, and the received signal is represented as S. r The channel response is denoted as H, the attenuation factor as γ, and the additional noise as N.

[0057] If the attenuation factor γ is considered accurate, then the distance d between AP (e.g., the second device 120-1) and the first device 110-1 can be calculated according to the Friis transmission equation, which is defined as follows:

[0058]

[0059] Where P t P represents the power of the transmitted signal. r λ represents the power of the received signal; d is the distance between the AP (e.g., the second device 120-1) and the first device 110-1; λ represents the wavelength; and the antenna gains of the transmitting and receiving antennas are respectively expressed as G. t and G r .

[0060] In some embodiments, as described above, the synchronization information may indicate that the second device 120-1 is a non-terrestrial network device. In this case, the first device 110-1 may determine the arrival time of the first signal.

[0061] The first device 110-1 can determine the quality of the channel between the first device 110-1 and the second device 120-1. For example, the channel quality can be determined based on a first signal. Alternatively, a null signal can be used to replace a portion of the pilot signal for channel estimation and compensation.

[0062] If the channel quality is below a threshold quality, the first device 110-1 can notify the second device 120-1 of the poor channel quality. For example, the first device can send a 2030 preamble to the second device 120-1 in message 1. This preamble may include an indication that the second device 120-1 needs to perform interference compensation in the next few symbols until the channel quality exceeds the threshold quality. Alternatively or additionally, the preamble may also indicate that the channel state information (CSI) accuracy is increased in the next few symbols until the channel quality exceeds the threshold quality.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may receive information indicating that the estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance. In this case, the first device 110-1 may determine the first distance based on the arrival time.

[0064] The first device 110-1 can receive other signals from other devices (e.g., devices 120-2, 120-3, ..., 120-i (not shown)). The set of non-ground information sources can be represented as:

[0065] {i,||RSSI i -RSSI α |≤κ} (3)

[0066] RSSI i Indicates adjacent device 120-i, RSSI α The maximum RSSI of a non-terrestrial device that could potentially be selected as the first device 110-1 is κ, which represents the threshold RSSI.

[0067] The third device 130-1 sends a second signal (2035) to the first device 110-1. For example, the third device 130-1 may send a pilot signal to the first device 110-1. Alternatively, the second signal may be a reference signal. In some example embodiments, the third device 130-1 may send synchronization information to the first device 110-1. For example, the first device 110-1 may detect the synchronization signal to complete synchronization. In some embodiments, the synchronization information may be sent in a synchronization signal block (SSB). If the first device 110-1 does not obtain a non-terrestrial network device identifier from the synchronization information, it indicates that the third device 130-1 is a terrestrial network device. In this case, the channel between the first device 110-1 and the third device 130-1 can almost follow a Rayleigh distribution, and the channel response varies around 1. Therefore, power averaging and maximum path selection schemes can be used to estimate the attenuation factor γ and perform distance estimation.

[0068] The first device 110-1 determines a second distance between the first device 110-1 and the second device 120-1 based on the power of the second signal. For example, the first device 110-1 may determine the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the second signal. In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may measure the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of the second signal. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may measure the Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) of the second signal.

[0069] It should be noted that the first device 110-1 can receive the second signal before the first signal. In other words, the above process can be performed in a different order.

[0070] In some embodiments, to keep the estimation error below a threshold (e.g., 30m), the maximum distance between the first device and the AP (e.g., the second device 120-1 and the third device 130-1) is approximately 500m in terms of the Cramer Rao lower bound (CRLB), while TOA-based schemes perform well in long-distance positioning. Therefore, RSSI schemes may be more suitable for ground-based APs.

[0071] In some embodiments, a first threshold distance may be introduced to optimize and balance the CRLB of RSSI and TOA. The first threshold distance may be expressed as:

[0072]

[0073] Where c represents the speed of light, and for a typical outdoor geolocation scenario, ε = 4, η = 8, SNR = 0 dB, and W represents the signal bandwidth. i <d ref When the time frame is right, RSSI can outperform the TOA method, and vice versa.

[0074] As described above, if the information indicates that the estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance (i.e., d), i >d ref If the first device 110-1 determines the first distance based on the arrival time, then in some embodiments, prior information d i >d ref This information can be known during the deployment of the second device 120-1, and can be sent via signaling when sending the SSB, enabling the first device 110-1 to use the TOA scheme.

[0075] Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may determine the second threshold distance based on a first threshold distance and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between the first device 110-1 and the third device 130-1. For example, the first device 110-1 may calculate the modified value d based on the current SNR. ref (i.e., the second threshold distance). If the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance, the second distance needs to be recalculated.

[0076] The first device 110-1 can receive other signals from other devices (e.g., devices 130-2, 130-3, ..., 130-n (not shown)). The set of ground information sources can be represented as:

[0077] {n,||RSSI n -RSSI β |≤μ} (5)

[0078] RSSI n Indicates adjacent devices 130-n, RSSI β The maximum RSSI for ground equipment is represented by μ, and the threshold RSSI is represented by μ.

[0079] The first device 110-1 determines its location information based on a first distance, a second distance, and additional location information from the second device 120-1 and the third device 130-1. In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may obtain the location information and ephemeris of the second device 120-1 from system information transmitted by the second device 120-1. In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may determine a first reliability factor for the second device 120-1 based on the received power of a first signal. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may determine a second reliability factor for the third device 130-1 based on the received power of a second signal. For example, the reliability factor may be determined as:

[0080] η i =P ri / |P′ ri-P ri | (6)

[0081] Where the parameter "i" represents the i-th device, P′ ri P represents the received signal power of the i-th device through the actual channel. ri This represents the received signal power through a perfect channel. P′ ri It can be determined as follows:

[0082]

[0083] Where the parameter "i" represents the i-th device, P′ ri Let P represent the received signal power of the i-th device through the actual channel, H represent the channel response, and P represent the signal power received by the i-th device through the channel. i λ is the power of the transmitted signal, d is the distance between the AP (e.g., the second device 120-1) and the first device 110-1, λ represents the wavelength, and the antenna gains of the transmitting and receiving antennas are expressed as G. t and G r N represents the noise in the channel.

[0084] Figure 3A and Figure 3B A schematic diagram 300 of a positioning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. (As...) Figure 3A As shown, there are 7 APs, including four non-ground devices (e.g., second devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3, and 120-4) and three ground devices (e.g., third devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3). It should be noted that... Figure 3A The number of access points shown is just an example. Figure 3B An example of adaptive ground AP selection and UE location is shown. Figure 3B As shown, there are three access points (APs), for example, the second device 120-1, the third device 130-1, and the third device 1301-2. It should be noted that... Figure 3B The number of access points shown is just an example. The location information of the first device 110-1 can be determined as follows:

[0085]

[0086] Where (X) UE Y UE Z UE ) indicates the position of the first device 110-1, D i η represents the estimated distance to the i-th AP (e.g., the first distance and the second distance). i It is a weighting factor indicating the reliability of the i-th AP, (a i b i c i) represents the position of the i-th AP.

[0087] Table 1 below shows a performance analysis according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The system operates in the S-band (2 GHz) and the attenuation model is Friis with a Rayleigh fading channel model. The transmitted signal strength from the AP is 23 dBm. The white noise is -90 dBm. The first device 110-1 can transmit from the center point AP1 (in... Figure 3A and Figure 3B The third device (130-1) moves outward as shown in the diagram, with a maximum d1 of 400m.

[0088] Table 1

[0089]

[0090]

[0091] According to embodiments of this disclosure, to achieve low complexity, the distance between the terminal device and the ground access point (AP) is determined in the time domain using a power averaging scheme based on RSSI or a maximum path selection scheme. In the case of a non-ground AP, an interference compensation scheme is applied to improve CSI accuracy due to excessive delay in the NTN in the frequency domain. In this way, CSI quality is improved, and the location of the terminal device can be determined more accurately. Furthermore, this method has strong robustness and adaptability.

[0092] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 400 can be implemented at any suitable device. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 400 is described from the perspective of the first device 110-1.

[0093] In block 410, first device 110-1 receives a first signal from second device 120-1. For example, first device 110-1 may receive a pilot signal from second device 120-1. Alternatively, the first signal may be a reference signal. In some example embodiments, first device 110-1 may receive synchronization information from second device 120-1. For example, first device 110-1 may detect a synchronization signal to complete synchronization. In some embodiments, the synchronization information may be transmitted in a synchronization signal block (SSB). First device 110-1 may obtain a 2015 identifier from the synchronization information. For example, the SSB may carry a flag, such as a single bit of information. This single bit of information may indicate that second device 120-1 is a non-terrestrial network device, such as a satellite. In this case, due to excessive delay of NTN in the frequency domain, first device 110-1 may employ an interference compensation scheme to improve CSI accuracy.

[0094] In block 420, the first device 110-1 determines a first distance between itself and the second device 120-1 based on the arrival time of a first signal. In some embodiments, as described above, synchronization information may indicate that the second device 120-1 is a non-terrestrial network device. In this case, the first device 110-1 can determine the arrival time of the first signal.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 can determine the quality of the channel between the first device 110-1 and the second device 120-1. For example, the channel quality can be determined based on a first signal. Alternatively, a null signal can be used to replace a portion of the pilot signal for channel estimation and compensation.

[0096] If the channel quality is below a threshold quality, the first device 110-1 can notify the second device 120-1 of the poor channel quality. For example, the first device can send a preamble to the second device 120-1 in message 1, which may include an indication that the second device 120-1 needs to perform interference compensation in the next few symbols until the channel quality exceeds the threshold quality. Alternatively or additionally, the preamble may also indicate that the channel state information (CSI) accuracy is increased in the next few symbols until the channel quality exceeds the threshold quality.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may receive information indicating that the estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance. In this case, the first device 110-1 may determine the first distance based on the arrival time.

[0098] In block 430, first device 110-1 receives a second signal from third device 130-1. For example, first device 110-1 may receive a pilot signal from third device 130-1. Alternatively, the second signal may be a reference signal. In some example embodiments, first device 110-1 may send synchronization information from third device 130-1. For example, first device 110-1 may detect a synchronization signal to complete synchronization. In some embodiments, the synchronization information may be sent in a synchronization signal block (SSB). If first device 110-1 does not obtain a non-terrestrial network device identifier from the synchronization information, it indicates that third device 130-1 is a terrestrial network device. In this case, the channel between first device 110-1 and third device 130-1 can almost follow a Rayleigh distribution, and the channel response varies around 1. Therefore, power averaging and maximum path selection schemes can be used to estimate the attenuation factor γ and perform distance estimation.

[0099] In block 440, the first device 110-1 determines a second distance between itself and the second device 120-1 based on the power of the second signal. For example, the first device 110-1 may determine the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the second signal. In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may measure the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of the second signal. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may measure the Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) of the second signal.

[0100] In some embodiments, to keep the estimation error below a threshold (e.g., 30m), the maximum distance between the first device and the AP (e.g., the second device 120-1 and the third device 130-1) is approximately 500m in terms of the Cramer Rao lower bound (CRLB), while TOA-based schemes perform well in long-distance positioning. Therefore, RSSI schemes may be more suitable for ground-based APs.

[0101] In some embodiments, a first threshold distance may be introduced to optimize and balance the CRLB of RSSI and TOA. As described above, if the information indicates that the estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds the first threshold distance (i.e., d...), i >d ref If the first device 110-1 determines the first distance based on the arrival time, then in some embodiments, prior information d i >d ref This information can be known during the deployment of the second device 120-1, and can be sent via signaling when sending the SSB, enabling the first device 110-1 to use the TOA scheme.

[0102] Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may determine the second threshold distance based on a first threshold distance and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between the first device 110-1 and the third device 130-1. For example, the first device 110-1 may calculate the modified value d based on the current SNR. ref (i.e., the second threshold distance). If the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance, the second distance needs to be recalculated.

[0103] It should be noted that blocks 410-440 can occur in any suitable order. For example, the first device 110-1 may receive the second signal before the first signal. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may receive the first and second signals simultaneously. The first distance may be determined before or after receiving the second signal. The embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0104] In block 450, the first device 110-1 determines its location information based on a first distance, a second distance, and additional location information of the second device 120-1 and the third device 130-1. In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 may determine a first reliability factor for the second device 120-1 based on the received power of a first signal. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 110-1 may determine a second reliability factor for the third device 130-1 based on the received power of a second signal.

[0105] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 500 can be implemented at any suitable device. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 500 is described from the perspective of the second device 120-1. It should be noted that method 500 can also be implemented at the third device 130-1.

[0106] In block 510, the second device 120-1 sends a first signal to the first device 110-1. For example, the second device 120-1 may send a pilot signal to the first device 110-1. Alternatively, the first signal may be a reference signal.

[0107] In block 520, the second device 120-1 sends information associated with locating the first device. In some embodiments, if the second device 120-1 is a non-terrestrial network device, the information may include an indication that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device. For example, this indication may be in an SSB (Security Service Block). Alternatively, the information may include an indication that the estimated distance between the first and second devices exceeds a first threshold distance.

[0108] In some embodiments, this information may be sent in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Alternatively, the information may be broadcast. In other embodiments, downlink control information may include the information described above.

[0109] For illustrative purposes only, in the case where the second device is a satellite, the information may include one or more of the following: (1) satellite identification information; (2) defining UE behavior when the UE does not receive a satellite identification in the SSB, where the signal is considered to originate from a terrestrial AP signal; (3) the UE triggering an interference compensation scheme to improve CSI quality due to the long propagation delay of the NTN. For example, if the quality of the channel between the first device 110-1 and the second device 120-1 is below a threshold quality, the second device 120-1 may receive a preamble from the first device 110-1 in message 1. The preamble may include an indication of interference compensation on the channel. The second device 120-1 may perform interference compensation based on the preamble.

[0110] In box 530, the second device 120-1 can send its location information to the first device 110-1. For example, the location information can be sent in system information.

[0111] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 400 (e.g., first device 110-1) may include corresponding components for performing corresponding steps in the method. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0112] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving a first signal from a second device at a first device; components for determining a first distance between the first device and the second device based on the arrival time of the first signal at the first device; components for receiving a second signal from a third device; components for determining a second distance between the first device and the third device based on the power of the second signal; and components for determining first location information of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and second location information of the second and third devices.

[0113] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for determining the quality of a channel between the first device and the second device; and components for sending a preamble to the second device for accessing the channel between the first device and the second device, the preamble including an indication of interference compensation on the channel, based on the determination that the quality of the channel is below a threshold quality.

[0114] In some embodiments, the components for determining the first distance include: components for receiving synchronization information from the second device; components for determining the arrival time of the first signal based on determining that the synchronization information includes an indication that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device; and components for determining the first distance based on the arrival time.

[0115] In some embodiments, the components for determining the second distance include: components for receiving synchronization information from a third device; components for determining the power of a second signal based on the determination that the synchronization information does not indicate that the third device is a non-terrestrial network device; and components for determining the second distance based on the power.

[0116] In some embodiments, the components for determining the first distance include: components for receiving information from the second device indicating that the estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance; components for determining the arrival time of the first signal; and components for determining the first distance based on the arrival time.

[0117] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for determining a second threshold distance based on a first threshold distance and a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and the third device; components for comparing the second distance with the second threshold distance; and components for recalculating the second distance based on the determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance.

[0118] In some embodiments, the components for determining first location information of a first device include: components for determining a first reliability factor of a second device based on the received power of a first signal; components for determining a second reliability factor of a third device based on the power of a second signal; and components for determining the first location information based on a first distance, a second distance, a first reliability factor, a second reliability factor, and the second location information of the second and third devices.

[0119] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 500 (e.g., second device 120-1) may include corresponding components for performing corresponding steps in the method. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0120] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for transmitting a first signal from a second device to a first device; components for transmitting information associated with locating the first device to the first device; and components for transmitting location information of the second device to the first device to determine the location of the first device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for receiving a preamble from the first device for accessing the channel between the first device and the second device based on determining that the quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is below a threshold quality, the preamble including an indication of interference compensation on the channel.

[0122] In some embodiments, the information includes: an indication that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device, or an indication that the estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance.

[0123] Figure 6 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 can be provided to implement a communication device, for example, as... Figure 1 The first device 110-1, the second device 120-1, or the third device 130-1 are shown. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processor 610, and one or more communication modules (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX)) 640 coupled to processor 610.

[0124] Communication module 640 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0125] Processor 610 can be any type suitable for a local technology network, and by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0126] Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0127] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. Program 630 may be stored in ROM 624. Processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

[0128] The embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented via program 630, enabling device 600 to execute reference... Figures 2 to 5 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0129] In some embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 600 (such as memory 620) or other storage device accessible to device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700, which may be in the form of a CD or DVD, is shown. A program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0130] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented using hardware, while others can be implemented using firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0131] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which execute in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced... Figures 2-5 Methods 200-400 are described. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0132] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0133] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0134] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0135] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or to perform all of the shown operations to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0136] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: receive a first signal from a second device; determine a first distance between the first device and the second device based on a time of arrival of the first signal; receive a second signal from a third device; determine a second distance between the first device and the third device based on a power of the second signal; and determine a location of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and locations of the second device and the third device; wherein the first device is further caused to: receive information from the second device indicating that an estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance; determine the time of arrival of the first signal; determine a second threshold distance based on the first threshold distance and a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and the third device; and recompute the second distance in accordance with a determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: transmit, to the second device, a preamble for accessing a channel between the first device and the second device in accordance with a determination that a quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is below a threshold quality, the preamble including an indication to trigger interference compensation on the channel.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: receive synchronization information from the second device; and determine the time of arrival of the first signal in accordance with a determination from the received synchronization information that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: receive synchronization information from the third device; and determine the power of the second signal in accordance with a determination from the received synchronization information that the third device is a terrestrial network device.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to determine the location of the first device by: determining a first reliability factor of the second device based on a received power of the first signal; determining a second reliability factor of the third device based on the power of the second signal; and determining the location of the first device based on the first distance, the second distance, the first reliability factor, the second reliability factor, and the locations of the second device and the third device.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a non-terrestrial network device, and the third device comprises a terrestrial network device.

7. A second device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; ​ The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: transmit a first signal to a first device; transmit, to the first device, information associated with positioning of the first device, wherein the information comprises an indication that an estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance, wherein the first threshold distance is used by the first device to determine a second threshold distance together with a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and a third device, and to recompute the second distance by the first device in accordance with a determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance, wherein the second distance is a distance between the first device and the third device; and transmit, to the first device, location information of the second device for use in determining a location of the first device.

8. The second device of claim 7, wherein the second device is further caused to: receive, from the first device, a preamble for accessing a channel between the first device and the second device in accordance with a determination that a quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is below a threshold quality, the preamble comprising an indication to trigger interference compensation on the channel.

9. The second device of claim 7, wherein the information comprises: an indication that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device.

10. The second device of claim 7, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a non-terrestrial network device or a terrestrial network device.

11. A method comprising: receiving, at a first device, a first signal from a second device; determining a first distance between the first device and the second device based on a time of arrival of the first signal; receiving a second signal from a third device; determining a second distance between the first device and the third device based on a power of the second signal; and and determining a location of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and locations of the second device and the third device; the method further comprising: receiving, from the second device, information indicating that an estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance; determining the time of arrival of the first signal; determining a second threshold distance based on the first threshold distance and a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and the third device; and recomputing the second distance in accordance with a determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, to the second device, a preamble for accessing a channel between the first device and the second device in accordance with a determination that a quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is below a threshold quality, the preamble comprising an indication to trigger interference compensation on the channel.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving, from the second device, synchronization information; and ​ determining the time of arrival of the first signal in accordance with a determination, from the received synchronization information, that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving synchronization information from the third device; and determining the power of the second signal in accordance with a determination, from the received synchronization information, that the third device is a terrestrial network device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the position of the first device comprises: determining a first reliability factor of the second device based on a received power of the first signal; determining a second reliability factor of the third device based on the power of the second signal; and determining the position of the first device based on the first distance, the second distance, the first reliability factor, the second reliability factor, and the positions of the second device and the third device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a non-terrestrial network device, and the third device comprises a terrestrial network device.

17. A method comprising: transmitting, at a second device, a first signal to a first device; transmitting, to the first device, information associated with positioning of the first device, wherein the information comprises an indication that an estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance, wherein the first threshold distance is used by the first device to determine, together with a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and a third device, a second threshold distance, and to re-compute, by the first device, a second distance between the first device and the third device in accordance with a determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance, wherein the second distance is a distance between the first device and the third device; and transmitting, to the first device, position information of the second device for use in determining a position of the first device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: receiving, from the first device, a preamble for accessing a channel between the first device and the second device in accordance with a determination that a quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is below a threshold quality, the preamble comprising an indication for interference compensation on the channel.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information comprises: an indication that the second device is a non-terrestrial network device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a non-terrestrial network device or a terrestrial network device.

21. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by at least one processing unit of a machine, causing the machine to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 16, or the method of any one of claims 17 to 20.

22. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at a first device, a first signal from a second device; means for determining, at the first device, a first distance between the first device and the second device based on a time of arrival of the first signal; means for receiving a second signal from a third device; means for determining a second distance between the first device and the third device based on a power of the second signal; and means for determining a location of the first device based at least in part on the first distance, the second distance, and locations of the second device and the third device; the apparatus further comprising: means for receiving information from the second device indicating that an estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance; means for determining the time of arrival of the first signal; means for determining a second threshold distance based on the first threshold distance and a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and the third device; and means for recalculating the second distance in accordance with a determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance.

23. An apparatus comprising: means for transmitting, at a second device, a first signal to a first device; means for transmitting information associated with positioning of the first device to the first device; and means for transmitting location information of the second device to the first device for use in determining a location of the first device, wherein the information includes an indication that an estimated distance between the first device and the second device exceeds a first threshold distance, wherein the first threshold distance is for use by the first device in determining a second threshold distance together with a signal-to-noise ratio between the first device and a third device, and recalculating the second distance by the first device in accordance with a determination that the second distance exceeds the second threshold distance, wherein the second distance is a distance between the first device and the third device.

Images