Lateral positioning methods and communication devices

Abstract

A lateral positioning method and a communication device are provided. The method includes: a first device sending first information, the first information being used to determine the round-trip time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponding to a first time period, the first time period including a first time difference, the first time difference being determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Round trip time (RTT) positioning is an effective method. However, reducing the positioning error of RTT in lateral positioning is a problem that needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a lateral positioning method and a communication device. The various aspects involved in this application embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0004] In a first aspect, a lateral positioning method is provided, comprising: a first device sending first information, the first information being used to determine the round-trip time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponding to a first time period, the first time period including a first time difference, the first time difference being determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0005] In a second aspect, a lateral positioning method is provided, comprising: a second device receiving first information, the first information being used to determine the round-trip time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponding to a first time period, the first time period including a first time difference, the first time difference being determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0006] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, the communication device being a first device, the communication device comprising: a communication module for transmitting first information, the first information being used to determine the round-trip time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponding to a first time period, the first time period including a first time difference, the first time difference being determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning transmitted by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning transmitted by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0007] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, the communication device being a second device, the communication device comprising: a communication module for receiving first information, the first information being used to determine the round-trip time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponding to a first time period, the first time period including a first time difference, the first time difference being determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0008] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to invoke the program in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or transmit signals, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0009] A sixth aspect provides an apparatus including a processor for calling a program from a memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0010] A seventh aspect provides a chip including a processor for calling a program from a memory, causing a device on which the chip is mounted to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0011] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a program stored thereon that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0012] Ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including a program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0014] By taking into account the synchronization time difference between two terminal devices during RTT positioning, the RTT positioning error can be reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a system architecture example diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of this application can be applied.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the timing relationship between the two communicating parties in downlink communication.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the timing relationship between the two communicating parties in side-by-side communication.

[0018] Figure 4 This is an example diagram of the RTT positioning method in an air interface.

[0019] Figure 5A This is a flowchart illustrating the lateral positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 5B An example diagram illustrating the method for determining propagation delay provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 5C An example diagram illustrating the method for determining propagation delay provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 6 An example diagram illustrating a method for determining the synchronization time difference according to an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 7 An example diagram illustrating a method for determining the synchronization time difference provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus that can be used in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Communication system architecture

[0029] Figure 1 This is an example system architecture diagram of a wireless communication system 100 to which embodiments of this application can be applied. 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 a terminal device are shown. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network devices 110 and / or one or more terminal devices 120. For a network device 110, the one or more terminal devices 120 may all be located within the network coverage area of ​​the network device 110, or all may be located outside the network coverage area of ​​the network device 110, or some may be located within the coverage area of ​​the network device 110 and others outside the network 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 a handheld device with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal devices in the embodiments of this application can be mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical surgery, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, and smart homes, etc. Optionally, the UE can act as a base station. For example, the UE can act as a scheduling entity, providing sidelink signals between UEs in V2X or D2D, etc. For example, cellular phones and cars communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Cellular phones and smart home devices communicate without relaying communication signals through a base station.

[0034] 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, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. Base stations can also be mobile switching centers, devices that perform base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, network-side devices in 6G networks, and devices that perform 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0039] In side-by-side communication, synchronization mechanisms help terminal devices maintain time consistency, enabling accurate communication and positioning. A common synchronization method is timestamp-based synchronization. When sending a data packet, the sending device includes a timestamp in the packet, indicating the time of transmission. Upon receiving the data packet, the receiving device reads the timestamp and records the time of reception. By combining the timestamps of the data packet sent by the sending device and the timestamps of the data packet received by the receiving device, the signal propagation delay between the two devices can be calculated.

[0040] Besides timestamp-based synchronization methods, other synchronization methods can be used in lateral positioning. For example, two devices can synchronize using satellite signals. The two devices can receive time signals from the satellites and use these signals to calibrate their own clocks. In this way, the two devices can remain synchronized, enabling communication and positioning.

[0041] Side-going communication typically supports three potential synchronization sources: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), base stations, and synchronization reference terminal equipment (RPE). A RPE refers to a terminal device that can directly synchronize with a GNSS or base station. Alternatively, a RPE can refer to a terminal device capable of synchronizing with other RPEs. If no side-going carrier resources are allocated to a terminal device, it can typically only use a GNSS or base station as its synchronization source.

[0042] In side-channel communication, the synchronization method differs from that in air interface (Uu interface) communication. In air interface-based communication, the terminal device performs downlink synchronization with the base station. Therefore, the difference between the downlink signal frame header (e.g., the subframe header) received by the terminal device and the downlink signal frame header sent by the base station typically only includes signal transmission delay (e.g., ...). Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 In this context, T represents the signal transmission delay.

[0043] In sidelink communication, when the base station or GNSS acts as the synchronization source, the time difference between the frame headers (such as the frame headers of subframes) between the terminal devices that act as transceivers includes not only the transmission delay of the signal on the sidelink, but also the time difference caused by other factors. Figure 3 An example of the synchronization between the two communicating parties in side-by-side communication is given. Figure 3 In the diagram, terminal device 1 is the transmitting device, and terminal device 2 is the receiving device. Reference numeral 32 indicates the timing of terminal device 2 receiving signals from terminal device 1. Reference numeral 34 indicates the timing of terminal device 1 itself. Figure 3 It can be seen that the frame headers of the subframes of terminal device 2 and terminal device 1 are not aligned, which means that there is a synchronization time difference between terminal device 2 and terminal device 1.

[0044] In side-by-side communication, the reason why there is a synchronization time difference between the transmitting and receiving ends is that the transmitting and receiving ends may be synchronized through a third party (such as a base station or GNSS), and the clocks of the transmitting and receiving ends are not consistent.

[0045] Differences in synchronization between the transmitter and receiver in side-by-side communication do not significantly affect ordinary side-by-side communication processes (such as side-by-side data transmission). This is because as long as the symbol offset between the two communicating parties does not exceed the length of the cyclic prefix (CP), they can communicate normally. However, for positioning, a synchronization error of 1 microsecond can lead to a positioning error of about 300 meters. The transmission delay corresponding to the CP length corresponds to a distance of approximately 1500 meters. If the positioning error needs to be controlled within 10 meters, then the allowable time estimation error is approximately 1 / 150 of a CP. Therefore, compared to side-by-side communication, side-by-side positioning places higher demands on the synchronization of the transmitter and receiver.

[0046] In lateral positioning, the Time-to-Time (RTT) method is an effective approach. RTT refers to the time elapsed from sending a data packet to receiving the corresponding acknowledgment packet. In lateral positioning, a terminal device can calculate its distance from other terminal devices by measuring the RTT. For example, terminal device 1 can send a data packet to terminal device 2 on the other side. After receiving the data packet, terminal device 2 can immediately send an acknowledgment packet back to terminal device 1. Terminal device 1 calculates the RTT by measuring the time difference between the data packet's transmission time and the acknowledgment packet's reception time. Through multiple RTT measurements, the terminal device can obtain a set of RTT values, which can then be used to estimate the distance between terminal devices or to locate the terminal devices.

[0047] For RTT (Real-Time To-Time) positioning methods, terminal devices require more precise time synchronization to ensure accurate collaboration and communication between them. In some protocols (such as TS 38.215R17), air-interface-based RTT positioning is achieved by calculating the transmit-receive time difference of the terminal devices. The transmit-receive time difference refers to the time difference (or timing difference) between the receiving of downlink subframes and the transmission of uplink subframes by the terminal device.

[0048] The transmit / receive time difference of terminal devices is calculated as follows: Transmit / receive time difference of terminal devices = T UE-RX -T UE-TX T UE-RX This refers to the time when the terminal device receives downlink subframe #i from the base station (or transmission / receipt point, TP). This time can be defined based on the time of the first transmission path detected by the terminal device. UE-TX This refers to the time when the terminal device sends uplink subframe #j. This uplink subframe time #j is closest in time to the downlink subframe #i.

[0049] In simple terms, the transmit / receive time difference (TRD) of a terminal device is the time interval between the terminal device receiving a downlink subframe from the base station and transmitting an uplink subframe whose time is close to that of the received downlink subframe. This is possible because the downlink subframes transmitted by the base station and the subframes transmitted by the terminal device are time-aligned, and the TRD of the terminal device is an integer multiple of the number of subframes. Since the transmission delay of signals used for positioning generally cannot exceed one subframe, the TRD calculated using this method is consistent with actual conditions. Figure 4 As shown.

[0050] To ensure compatibility with the RTT (Round-Trip Time) positioning method over the air interface, the definition of the transmit / receive time difference (RTT) in the air interface can be referenced in side-line communication. For example, terminal device 1 sends a signal to terminal device 2, and after receiving the signal, terminal device 2 sends a signal back to terminal device 1. In this process, the transmission time of terminal device 2 can be defined as the time corresponding to the transmission subframe #j of terminal device 2, which is closest to the time when it receives the downlink subframe #i from the other side terminal device 1. However, using this definition will introduce positioning errors. The reason for the positioning error is that the transmitting and receiving parties may be synchronized through a third party, and the transmission subframes of terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 may not be aligned. Therefore, the transmit / receive time difference of terminal device 2 may not be an integer multiple of the number of subframes. Thus, if the RTT positioning method based on the air interface is directly applied to side-line positioning, the calculation of the transmit / receive time difference of the terminal devices will introduce errors, leading to errors in the final positioning result.

[0051] To address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application provide a lateral positioning method to reduce positioning errors caused by synchronization errors. The embodiments of this application are described in detail below.

[0052] Figure 5A This is a flowchart illustrating the lateral positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5A The method is described from the perspective of the interaction between the first and second devices. The first and second devices can be any type of devices involved in lateral positioning.

[0053] In some implementations, the first device and the second device can be two terminal devices performing RTT positioning (or loopback time positioning). These two terminal devices will be referred to as the first terminal device and the second terminal device below. The first terminal device and the second terminal device can be terminal devices that synchronize with a third-party synchronization source (such as a base station or GNSS).

[0054] In some implementations, the first device can be a terminal device, and the second device can be a base station.

[0055] In some implementations, the first device can be a terminal device, and the second device can be a positioning server.

[0056] In some implementations, the first device can be a base station, and the second device can be a positioning server.

[0057] In some implementations, the first device can be a reference terminal device, such as a synchronization reference terminal device or a positioning reference terminal device. The second device can be the first terminal device, the second terminal device, a base station, or a positioning server.

[0058] See Figure 5A In step S510, the first device sends first information to the second device.

[0059] In some implementations, the first information is used to determine the RTT between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0060] In some implementations, the first information corresponds to a first time period, which includes a first time difference. The first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: the subframe boundary of the first terminal device; the subframe boundary of the second terminal device; the reception time of the first signal; the transmission time of the second signal; and the synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0061] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined based on a subframe boundary of a first terminal device and a subframe boundary of a second terminal device.

[0062] In some implementations, the first time difference includes the shortest absolute time difference between the subframe boundaries of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0063] In some implementations, the first information may include a time difference between subframe headers of the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Refer again to Figure 3 , the first terminal device is Figure 3 terminal device 1 in , the second terminal device is Figure 3 terminal device 2 in , a timing 32 for the terminal device 2 to receive a signal from the terminal device 1 is not consistent with a timing 34 of the terminal device 1 itself. In this case, the time difference T between the subframe headers of the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be reported for use by a positioning server (or a positioning resolving unit) when determining the RTT between the terminal device 1 and the terminal device 2.

[0064] In some implementations, the first information may include a time difference of transmit and receive subframe timing of the first terminal device or the second terminal device.

[0065] In some implementations, the first information may include an error (time difference) between headers of a receive subframe and a transmit subframe of the first terminal device.

[0066] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined based on a reception time of a first signal and a subframe boundary of a first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is the subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

[0067] In some implementations, assuming that a reception time of a first signal is t1, a subframe boundary of a first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal is t2, a reception time of a second signal is t3, and a subframe boundary of a second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal is t4:

[0068] If t1>t2, the propagation delay is as shown in Figure 5B , according to plane geometry, T is t1-t2, and according to the reported content, T0 is t3-t4, then the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+(t1-t2)] / 2;

[0069] If t1<t2, the propagation delay is as shown in Figure 5CAs shown, according to the reported content, T is t1-t2, T0 is t3-t4. According to this, the propagation delay is (t3-t4) / 2+[T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2, where T_subframe is the length of a subframe. Considering that the propagation delay will be less than the subframe length, the above formula can be mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)],T_subframe} / 2; mod means modulo.

[0070] In some implementations, the first time difference is the time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

[0071] In some implementations, the first time difference is the synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0072] During RTT positioning, the synchronization time difference between the first and second terminal devices is considered, which can not only be compatible with air interface RTT positioning technology, but also achieve higher positioning accuracy in side-walking scenarios.

[0073] In some implementations, the receiving device for the first information may include one or more of the following: a first terminal device; a second terminal device; a positioning server; a reference terminal device (such as a positioning reference terminal device); and a base station of the serving cell.

[0074] In some implementations, the base station of the serving cell may include one or more of the following: the base station of the serving cell of the first terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of the second terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of the first target terminal device, wherein the first target terminal device is the terminal device that first sends a positioning reference signal (PRS) among the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; the base station of the serving cell of the second target terminal device, wherein the second target terminal device is the terminal device that returns the positioning reference signal among the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; the base station of the serving cell of the third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is the terminal device that sends a positioning request among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; and the base station of the serving cell of the reference terminal device.

[0075] In some implementations, the first information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server.

[0076] In some implementations, the first piece of information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

[0077] In some implementations, the first information is one of the target information used to determine RTT. The target information also includes one or more of the following: second information, used to indicate the time difference between reception and transmission of the first terminal device; third information, used to indicate the time difference between reception and transmission of the second terminal device; and fourth information, used to indicate the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0078] In some implementations, the fourth piece of information can be equal to T1-T2. Here, T1 represents the time difference indicated by the second piece of information, and T2 represents the time difference indicated by the third piece of information.

[0079] In some implementations, the second information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device, and the third information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device. That is, the first terminal device and the second terminal device report their respective information.

[0080] In some implementations, both the second and third pieces of information are reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device. That is, the first terminal device aggregates and reports the information from both the first and second terminal devices. The first terminal device can report the information from both devices separately, or it can report the information from both devices simultaneously.

[0081] In some implementations, both the second and third pieces of information are reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device. That is, the second terminal device aggregates and reports the information from both the first and second terminal devices. The second terminal device can report the information from the first and second terminal devices separately, or it can report the information from both simultaneously.

[0082] In some implementations, the fourth piece of information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second and third pieces of information, and then reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server.

[0083] In some implementations, the fourth piece of information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second and third pieces of information, and then reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server.

[0084] In some implementations, the synchronization time difference is determined by a synchronization source. This synchronization source can be, for example, a base station. That is, when the first terminal device and the second terminal device are within the coverage area of ​​the same base station, the base station can determine the synchronization time difference between the two devices and report this difference to the positioning server. If the synchronization source is a base station, the uplink and sidelink timings of the first and second terminal devices can be the same.

[0085] In some implementations, the synchronization time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on a first synchronization result and a second synchronization result. The first synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the second terminal device. For example, the synchronization time difference is determined based on the difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result. Exemplarily, the synchronization time difference is equal to the difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

[0086] Taking the base station as the synchronization source as an example, the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result can refer to the uplink synchronization results between the base station and the first terminal device and the second terminal device, respectively.

[0087] The following text combines Figure 6 Provide a specific example.

[0088] See Figure 6 In step S610, the first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively send uplink signals or sidelink signals.

[0089] In step S620, the base station receives uplink signals or sidelink signals sent by the first terminal device and the second terminal device, respectively.

[0090] In step S630, the base station performs uplink synchronization with the first terminal device.

[0091] In step S640, the base station performs uplink synchronization with the second terminal device.

[0092] In step S650, the base station determines the synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first uplink synchronization result and the second uplink synchronization result.

[0093] It should be noted that, Figure 6 The uplink synchronization described herein may differ from the uplink synchronization typically performed by base stations. This is because typical uplink synchronization aims to obtain accurate timing advance (TA) to align the uplink signals of different terminal devices, thereby reducing interference between terminal devices. Figure 6 The purpose of uplink synchronization is for positioning. As mentioned earlier, positioning requires much higher accuracy than ordinary uplink synchronization. For example, when the subcarrier spacing of the terminal devices is 15kHz, the transmission distance corresponding to the quantization interval of the TA is approximately 80 meters, which cannot meet the accuracy requirements of positioning. Of course, in scenarios where positioning accuracy requirements are not high, the synchronization time difference between two terminal devices can be calculated based on the TA.

[0094] In some implementations, the synchronization time difference can also be determined by the second terminal device. This approach is suitable when the first terminal device sends a reference signal for positioning. For example, see... Figure 7In step S710, the first terminal device sends a reference signal for positioning. In step S720, the second terminal device receives the reference signal for positioning. In step S730, the second terminal device performs synchronization processing on the received reference signal to obtain a synchronization result. In step S740, the second terminal device determines the transmit and receive subframe timing difference based on the obtained synchronization result, which is used as the synchronization time difference.

[0095] In some implementations, the synchronization time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: a first terminal device, a second terminal device, a positioning server, a positioning reference device (or reference node), and a base station.

[0096] In some implementations, the reporting frequency of the synchronization time difference is related to the moving speed of the first terminal device. For example, when the first terminal device moves slowly, remains stationary, or its relative position remains unchanged, the reporting frequency of the synchronization time difference can be lower than the reporting frequency of the terminal device's transmit / receive time difference. In other words, the synchronization time difference does not necessarily need to be reported every time a measurement result is reported. For example, the synchronization time difference can be reported based on a request from the positioning server.

[0097] The above text combined Figures 1 to 7 The method embodiments of this application are described in detail below, in conjunction with... Figures 8 to 10 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.

[0098] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 8 The communication device 800 may be the first device mentioned above. The communication device 800 may include a communication module 810. The communication module 810 is used to send first information, which is used to determine the propagation time between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first information corresponds to a first time period, which includes a first time difference. The first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: the subframe boundary of the first terminal device; the subframe boundary of the second terminal device; the reception time of a first signal; the transmission time of a second signal; and the synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0099] In some implementations, the first time difference includes the shortest absolute time difference between the subframe boundaries of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0100] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined based on the reception time of the first signal and the subframe boundary of a first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is the subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

[0101] In some implementations, let the reception time of the first signal be t1, the subframe boundary of the first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal be t2, the reception time of the second signal be t3, the subframe boundary of the second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal be t4, and the propagation delay satisfies one or more of the following: if t1 < t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2; or mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)], T_subframe} / 2; wherein T_subframe is the subframe time length, and mod represents taking the remainder; if t1 > t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+(t1-t2)] / 2.

[0102] In some implementations, the first time difference is the time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

[0103] In some implementations, the receiving device of the first information includes one or more of: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a reference terminal device; a base station of a serving cell.

[0104] In some implementations, the base station of the serving cell includes one or more of: the base station of the serving cell of the first terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of the second terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of a first target terminal device, wherein when performing RTT positioning, the first target terminal device is the terminal device that transmits a positioning reference signal first among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of a second target terminal device, wherein when performing RTT positioning, the second target terminal device is the terminal device that relays back a positioning reference signal among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of a third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is the terminal device that transmits a positioning request among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of a reference terminal device.

[0105] In some implementations, the first information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, the first information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

[0106] In some implementations, the first information is one of the target information used to determine the RTT, and the target information further includes one or more of the following: second information for indicating the time difference between reception and transmission of the first terminal device; third information for indicating the time difference between reception and transmission of the second terminal device; and fourth information for indicating the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0107] In some implementations, the second information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device, and the third information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device; or, both the second information and the third information are reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, both the second information and the third information are reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device; or, the fourth information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, the fourth information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

[0108] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined by the synchronization source.

[0109] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on a first synchronization result and a second synchronization result, wherein the first synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the second terminal device.

[0110] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined based on the difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

[0111] In some implementations, the first time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a positioning reference device; and a base station.

[0112] In some implementations, the reporting frequency of the first time difference is associated with the moving speed of the first terminal device.

[0113] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in another embodiment of this application. Figure 9The communication device 900 may be the second device mentioned above. The communication device 900 may comprise a communication module 910. The communication module 910 is configured to receive first information, where the first information is used to determine a propagation time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponds to a first time period, the first time period comprises a first time difference, and the first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a sidelink positioning reference signal transmitted by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a sidelink positioning reference signal transmitted by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

[0114] In some implementations, the first time difference comprises the shortest absolute time difference between the subframe boundary of the first terminal device and the subframe boundary of the second terminal device.

[0115] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined based on the reception time of the first signal and a subframe boundary of a first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is a subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

[0116] In some implementations, if the reception time of the first signal is t1, the subframe boundary of the first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal is t2, the reception time of the second signal is t3, and the subframe boundary of the second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal is t4, the propagation delay satisfies one or more of the following: if t1<t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2; or mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)], T_subframe} / 2; wherein T_subframe is a subframe time length, and mod represents remainder calculation; if t1>t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+(t1-t2)] / 2.

[0117] In some implementations, the first time difference is a time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

[0118] In some implementations, a receiving device of the first information comprises one or more of the following: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a reference terminal device; a base station of a serving cell.

[0119] In some implementations, the base station of the serving cell includes one or more of the following: the base station of the serving cell of the first terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of the second terminal device; the base station of the serving cell of the first target terminal device, wherein the first target terminal device is the terminal device that first sends a positioning reference signal among the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; the base station of the serving cell of the second target terminal device, wherein the second target terminal device is the terminal device that returns the positioning reference signal among the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; the base station of the serving cell of the third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is the terminal device that sends a positioning request among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; and the base station of the serving cell of the reference terminal device.

[0120] In some implementations, the first information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, the first information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

[0121] In some implementations, the first information is one of the target information used to determine the RTT, and the target information further includes one or more of the following: second information for indicating the time difference between reception and transmission of the first terminal device; third information for indicating the time difference between reception and transmission of the second terminal device; and fourth information for indicating the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0122] In some implementations, the second information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device, and the third information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device; or, both the second information and the third information are reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, both the second information and the third information are reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device; or, the fourth information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, the fourth information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

[0123] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined by the synchronization source.

[0124] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on a first synchronization result and a second synchronization result, wherein the first synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the second terminal device.

[0125] In some implementations, the first time difference is determined based on the difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

[0126] In some implementations, the first time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a positioning reference device; and a base station.

[0127] In some implementations, the reporting frequency of the first time difference is associated with the moving speed of the first terminal device.

[0128] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of the device according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 The dashed lines indicate that the unit or module is optional. The device 1000 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The device 1000 can be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0129] Apparatus 1000 may include one or more processors 1010. The processor 1010 may support apparatus 1000 in implementing the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The processor 1010 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.

[0130] The apparatus 1000 may further include one or more memories 1020. The memories 1020 store a program that can be executed by the processor 1010, causing the processor 1010 to perform the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The memories 1020 may be independent of the processor 1010 or integrated within the processor 1010.

[0131] The device 1000 may also include a transceiver 1030. The processor 1010 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1030. For example, the processor 1010 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1030.

[0132] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. This computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the communication device provided in this application, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the communication device in various embodiments of this application.

[0133] This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the communication device provided in this application embodiment, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the communication device in various embodiments of this application.

[0134] This application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the communication device provided in this application, and causes the computer to execute the methods performed by the communication device in various embodiments of this application.

[0135] 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.

[0136] 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.

[0137] 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.

[0138] 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 such as instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured.

[0139] 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.

[0140] 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.

[0141] 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.

[0142] 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.

[0143] 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.

[0144] 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.

[0145] 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.

[0146] 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.

[0147] 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 lateral positioning method, characterized in that, Comprising: a first device transmits first information, wherein the first information is used for determining a propagation time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponds to a first time period, the first time period comprises a first time difference, and the first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for sidelink positioning transmitted by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for sidelink positioning transmitted by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first time difference comprises a shortest absolute time difference between subframe boundaries of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first time difference is determined based on the reception time of the first signal and a subframe boundary of a first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is a subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, let the reception time of the first signal be t1, the subframe boundary of the first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal be t2, the reception time of the second signal be t3, the subframe boundary of a second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal be t4, and a propagation delay satisfies one or more of the following: if t1 < t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2; or mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)], T_subframe} / 2; wherein, T_subframe is a subframe time length, and mod represents remainder operation; if t1 > t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4) + (t1-t2)] / 2.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first time difference is a time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, a reception device of the first information comprises one or more of the following: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a reference terminal device; a base station of a serving cell.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, the base station of the serving cell comprises one or more of the following: a base station of a serving cell of the first terminal device; a base station of a serving cell of the second terminal device; a base station of a serving cell of a first target terminal device, wherein the first target terminal device is a terminal device that first transmits a positioning reference signal between the first terminal device and the second terminal device during round-trip time (RTT) positioning; a base station of a serving cell of a second target terminal device, wherein the second target terminal device is a terminal device that returns a positioning reference signal between the first terminal device and the second terminal device during RTT positioning; a base station of a serving cell of a third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is a terminal device that transmits a positioning request between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; a base station of a serving cell of a reference terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, The first information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first information is one of the target information used to determine RTT, and the target information also includes one or more of the following: The second piece of information is used to indicate the time difference between receiving and transmitting data from the first terminal device; The third piece of information is used to indicate the time difference between receiving and transmitting data in the second terminal device; The fourth piece of information is used to indicate the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server, and the third information is reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server; or, Both the second and third information are reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, Both the second and third information are reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server; or, The fourth piece of information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second and third pieces of information, and is then reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, The fourth piece of information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result. The first synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the second terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on the difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: The first terminal device; The second terminal device; Location server; Positioning reference device; Base station.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The reporting frequency of the first time difference is related to the moving speed of the first terminal device.

16. A lateral positioning method, characterized in that, include: The second device receives first information, which is used to determine the propagation time between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first information corresponds to a first time period, which includes a first time difference. The first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: The subframe boundary of the first terminal device; The subframe boundary of the second terminal device; The reception time of the first signal; The transmission time of the second signal; The synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; Wherein, the first signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for lateral positioning sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first time difference includes the shortest absolute time difference between the subframe boundaries of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on the reception time of the first signal and the subframe boundary of the first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is the subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Let the reception time of the first signal be t1, the subframe boundary of the first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal be t2, the reception time of the second signal be t3, and the subframe boundary of the second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal be t4, the propagation delay satisfies one or more of the following: If t1<t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2; or mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)], T_subframe} / 2; wherein, T_subframe is the subframe time length, and mod represents remainder operation; If t1>t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4) + (t1-t2)] / 2.

20. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first time difference is the time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that, The receiving device of the first information comprises one or more of the following: The first terminal device; The second terminal device; A positioning server; A reference terminal device; A base station of a serving cell.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The base station of the serving cell comprises one or more of the following: A base station of the serving cell of the first terminal device; A base station of the serving cell of the second terminal device; A base station of the serving cell of a first target terminal device, wherein the first target terminal device is a terminal device that first transmits a positioning reference signal between the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing round-trip time RTT positioning; A base station of the serving cell of a second target terminal device, wherein the second target terminal device is a terminal device that returns a positioning reference signal between the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; A base station of the serving cell of a third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is a terminal device that transmits a positioning request between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; A base station of the serving cell of a reference terminal device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that: The first information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device; or, The first information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that, The first information is one of target information used for determining RTT, and the target information further comprises one or more of the following information: Second information, configured to indicate the reception and transmission time difference of the first terminal device; Third information, configured to indicate the reception and transmission time difference of the second terminal device; Fourth information, configured to indicate the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that: The second information is reported to the positioning server by the first terminal device, and the third information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device; or, Both the second information and the third information are reported by the first terminal device to a positioning server; or, Both the second information and the third information are reported by the second terminal device to a positioning server; or, The fourth information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported by the first terminal device to a positioning server; or, The fourth information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported by the second terminal device to a positioning server.

26. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by a synchronization source.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on a first synchronization result and a second synchronization result, wherein the first synchronization result is a synchronization result between the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is a synchronization result between the synchronization source and the second terminal device.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on a difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

29. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that, The first time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a positioning reference device; a base station.

30. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that, A reporting frequency of the first time difference is associated with a movement speed of the first terminal device.

31. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a first device, and the communication device comprises: a communication module, configured to send first information, wherein the first information is used for determining a propagation time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponds to a first time period, the first time period comprises a first time difference, and the first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for sidelink positioning transmitted by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for sidelink positioning transmitted by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

32. The communication device according to claim 31, characterized in that, The first time difference comprises a shortest absolute time difference between subframe boundaries of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

33. The communication device according to claim 31, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on the reception time of the first signal and a subframe boundary of a first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is a subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

34. The communication device according to claim 33, characterized in that, Let the reception time of the first signal be t1, the subframe boundary of the first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal be t2, the reception time of the second signal be t3, and the subframe boundary of a second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal be t4, then a propagation delay satisfies one or more of the following: If t1<t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2; or mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)], T_subframe} / 2; wherein T_subframe is the subframe duration, and mod represents the remainder. If t1>t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4) + (t1-t2)] / 2.

35. The communication device according to claim 31, characterized in that, The first time difference is the time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

36. The communication device according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that, The receiving device for the first information includes one or more of the following: The first terminal device; The second terminal device; Location server; Reference terminal equipment; Base stations serving the community.

37. The communication device according to claim 36, characterized in that, The base stations of the serving cell include one or more of the following: The base station of the serving cell of the first terminal device; The base station of the serving cell of the second terminal device; The base station of the serving cell of the first target terminal device, wherein the first target terminal device is the terminal device that first sends the positioning reference signal when performing round-trip time (RTT) positioning; The base station of the serving cell of the second target terminal device, wherein the second target terminal device is the terminal device that transmits back the positioning reference signal between the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; The base station of the serving cell of the third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is the terminal device that sends the location request among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; The base station of the serving cell of the reference terminal device.

38. The communication device according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that: The first information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, The first information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

39. The communication device according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that, The first information is one of the target information used to determine RTT, and the target information also includes one or more of the following: The second piece of information is used to indicate the time difference between receiving and transmitting data from the first terminal device; The third piece of information is used to indicate the time difference between receiving and transmitting data in the second terminal device; The fourth piece of information is used to indicate the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

40. The communication device according to claim 39, characterized in that: The second information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server, and the third information is reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server; or, Both the second and third information are reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, Both the second and third information are reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server; or, The fourth piece of information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second and third pieces of information, and is then reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, The fourth piece of information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server.

41. The communication device according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source.

42. The communication device according to claim 41, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on a first synchronization result and a second synchronization result, wherein the first synchronization result is a synchronization result of the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is a synchronization result of the synchronization source and the second terminal device.

43. The communication device according to claim 42, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on a difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

44. The communication device according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that, The first time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a positioning reference device; a base station.

45. The communication device according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that, The reporting frequency of the first time difference is associated with a movement speed of the first terminal device.

46. ​​A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a second device, and the communication device comprises: a communication module, configured to receive first information, wherein the first information is used to determine a propagation time between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the first information corresponds to a first time period, the first time period comprises a first time difference, and the first time difference is determined based on one or more of the following: a subframe boundary of the first terminal device; a subframe boundary of the second terminal device; a reception time of a first signal; a transmission time of a second signal; a synchronization time difference between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; wherein the first signal is a reference signal for sidelink positioning transmitted by the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the second signal is a reference signal for sidelink positioning transmitted by the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

47. The communication device according to claim 46, characterized in that, The first time difference comprises a shortest absolute time difference between subframe boundaries of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

48. The communication device according to claim 46, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on the reception time of the first signal and a subframe boundary of a first subframe of the second terminal device; wherein the subframe boundary of the first subframe is a subframe boundary closest to the reception time of the first signal.

49. The communication device according to claim 48, characterized in that, Let the reception time of the first signal be t1, the subframe boundary of the first subframe closest to the reception time of the first signal be t2, the reception time of the second signal be t3, and the subframe boundary of a second subframe closest to the reception time of the second signal be t4, then the propagation delay satisfies one or more of the following: if t1<t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4)+T_subframe-(t1-t2)] / 2; or mod{[(t3-t4)-(t1-t2)], T_subframe} / 2; wherein, T_subframe is a subframe time length, and mod represents remainder calculation; if t1>t2, the propagation delay is [(t3-t4) + (t1-t2)] / 2.

50. The communication device according to claim 46, characterized in that, The first time difference is a time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the transmission time of the second signal.

51. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 50, characterized in that, A receiving device of the first information comprises one or more of the following: the first terminal device; the second terminal device; a positioning server; a reference terminal device; a base station of a serving cell.

52. The communication device according to claim 51, characterized in that, The base station of the serving cell comprises one or more of the following: a base station of a serving cell of the first terminal device; The base station of the serving cell of the second terminal device; The base station of the serving cell of the first target terminal device, wherein the first target terminal device is the terminal device that first sends the positioning reference signal when performing round-trip time (RTT) positioning; The base station of the serving cell of the second target terminal device, wherein the second target terminal device is the terminal device that transmits back the positioning reference signal between the first terminal device and the second terminal device when performing RTT positioning; The base station of the serving cell of the third target terminal device, wherein the third target terminal device is the terminal device that sends the location request among the first terminal device and the second terminal device; The base station of the serving cell of the reference terminal device.

53. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 50, characterized in that: The first information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, The first information is reported to the positioning server by the second terminal device.

54. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 50, characterized in that, The first information is one of the target information used to determine RTT, and the target information also includes one or more of the following: The second piece of information is used to indicate the time difference between receiving and transmitting data from the first terminal device; The third piece of information is used to indicate the time difference between receiving and transmitting data in the second terminal device; The fourth piece of information is used to indicate the signal propagation delay between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

55. The communication device according to claim 54, characterized in that: The second information is reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server, and the third information is reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server; or, Both the second and third information are reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, Both the second and third information are reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server; or, The fourth piece of information is determined by the first terminal device based on the second and third pieces of information, and is then reported by the first terminal device to the positioning server; or, The fourth piece of information is determined by the second terminal device based on the second information and the third information, and is reported by the second terminal device to the positioning server.

56. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 50, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source.

57. The communication device according to claim 56, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined by the synchronization source based on the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result. The first synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the first terminal device, and the second synchronization result is the synchronization result between the synchronization source and the second terminal device.

58. The communication device according to claim 57, characterized in that, The first time difference is determined based on the difference between the first synchronization result and the second synchronization result.

59. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 50, characterized in that, The first time difference is reported by one or more of the following devices: The first terminal device; The second terminal device; Location server; Positioning reference device; Base station.

60. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 50, characterized in that, The reporting frequency of the first time difference is related to the moving speed of the first terminal device.

61. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The memory stores a program, and the processor invokes the program in the memory and controls the transceiver to receive or transmit signals so that the communication device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, or any one of claims 16 to 30.

62. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, or any one of claims 14 to 26.

63. A communication chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory, causing a device with the communication chip installed to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, or any one of claims 16 to 30.

64. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It contains a program that causes a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, or any one of claims 16 to 30.

65. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a program that causes a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, or any one of claims 16 to 30.

Images