Positioning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, device, equipment and readable storage medium, the method comprising: a first network element receiving a determination position request for a terminal sent by a second network element; the first network element responding to the determination position request, obtaining relevant information of a radio access network element accessed by the terminal from a third network element; the first network element sending a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information, the first request being used for requesting to obtain a positioning measurement result of the terminal, the first network element, the second network element and the third network element being other network elements in a local network except AMF.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a positioning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Current industry-specific positioning needs are mainly concentrated on indoor positioning at the campus level. In existing technical solutions, although the Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC) and Location Management Function (LMF) are deployed to the campus network, the local network still needs to interact with the public network, i.e., the regional core network, multiple times from the moment the local GMLC receives a positioning request from the Location Services (LCS) client. This does not achieve optimal latency, and the measured positioning information is still exposed to the public network, which may not meet the extreme requirements of some industry customers for positioning in terms of latency and security. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a positioning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium to address the problem that existing positioning solutions cannot meet customers' needs for positioning in terms of latency and security.

[0004] Firstly, a positioning method is provided, including:

[0005] The first network element receives a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element; in response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element; based on the relevant information, the first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal, the first request being used to request the location measurement result of the terminal, wherein the first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the AMF.

[0006] Secondly, a positioning method is provided, including:

[0007] The second network element sends a location determination request to the first network element. The location determination request is used to request the first network element to obtain relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, and send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0008] Thirdly, a positioning method is provided, including:

[0009] The third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element. The relevant information is used to configure the first network element to perform the operation of sending a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal. The first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal. The first network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0010] Fourthly, a positioning system is provided, characterized in that the positioning system includes a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, and a wireless access network element, wherein...

[0011] The second network element receives the Location Service (LCS) service request;

[0012] In response to the LCS service request, the second network element sends a location determination request to the first network element;

[0013] In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element;

[0014] The first network element sends a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal.

[0015] The wireless access network element measures the terminal location information according to the first request.

[0016] The first network element receives the positioning measurement results sent by the wireless access network element, wherein the first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the AMF.

[0017] Fifthly, a positioning device is provided, applied to a first network element, comprising:

[0018] The first receiving module is used to receive a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element;

[0019] The first acquisition module is used to acquire relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element in response to the location determination request.

[0020] The first sending module is used to send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than the AMF.

[0021] Sixthly, a positioning device is provided, applied to a second network element, comprising:

[0022] The second sending module is used to send a location determination request to the first network element. The location determination request is used to request the first network element to obtain relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, and to send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0023] Seventhly, a positioning device is provided, applied to a third network element, comprising:

[0024] The third sending module is used to configure the first network element to send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal. The first request is used to request the location measurement result of the terminal. The first network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the AMF.

[0025] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first, second, or third aspect.

[0026] A ninth aspect provides a readable storage medium on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first, second, or third aspect.

[0027] In this application, the terminal positioning process is executed through local network elements. Compared with existing terminal positioning schemes, this reduces the interface and signaling interaction between the local network and the regional core network. The local network also does not need to introduce AMF, further reducing the latency of the positioning process, improving local positioning efficiency, reducing the security impact risk of the local network on the regional core network, and simplifying network connection and deployment workload. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the 5G network positioning architecture;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the local positioning network architecture;

[0031] Figure 3This is a business process diagram for 5GC-MT-LR based on a local positioning architecture;

[0032] Figure 4 This is one of the flowcharts of the positioning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 5 This is the second flowchart of the positioning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 6 This is the third flowchart of the positioning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 7 This is the fourth flowchart of the positioning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 8 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the positioning device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 9 This is a second schematic diagram of the positioning device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 10 This is the third schematic diagram of the positioning device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0041] The term "comprising," and any variations thereof, used in the specification and claims of this application, is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus. Furthermore, the use of "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, such as A and / or B, indicating the inclusion of A alone, B alone, or both A and B.

[0042] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0043] The current positioning technology solution for 5G networks achieves user location acquisition through the cooperation of a Location Services (LCS) system, base stations, and the core network. The LCS system includes a Location Management Function (LMF) and a Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC). The GMLC is responsible for receiving positioning requests from supporting gateways, Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) servers, or application servers, and selecting the appropriate positioning technology for location calculation based on Quality of Protection (QoP). The base station is responsible for collecting user positioning data, and the core network is responsible for transmitting positioning information. Figure 1 This is a diagram of the 5G network positioning architecture.

[0044] For industry clients, the primary requirements for positioning are lower latency and enhanced security (e.g., terminal location information is not exposed in public networks). Related technologies deploy LMF and GMLC on the local network, while introducing a local access and mobility management function (AMF) to handle some positioning signaling. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2 .

[0045] Figure 2In the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the Local Location Manager (LMF) communication between non-terminal devices (e.g., NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) messages associated with User Equipment (UE) are forwarded through the local AMF (while UE-associated NRPPa messages still pass through the serving AMF), the user location calculated by the LMF can be sent directly to the General Location Request (GMLC) without going through the AMF. Taking the 5G core network (5GC) - Mobile Terminated Location Request (MT-LR) process initiated by the service side as an example, the process is as follows: Figure 3 As shown:

[0046] Step 301: The LCS client initiates a location request to the UE by calling the local GMLC, carrying the LCS Client identifier and user identifier (usually the Generic Public Subscription Identifier, GPSI).

[0047] Step 302: The local GMLC carries the user identifier to the Unified Data Management (UDM) function to obtain the instance identifier (InstanceId) of the Serving AMF registered by the user.

[0048] Step 303: Configure the mapping relationship between the LCS client and the local LMF identifier in the local GMLC. When calling the Location service request of ServingAMF to locate the UE's location, the LMF identifier is also passed to the AMF. If the user is in an idle state, the AMF initiates a service request procedure to page the UE and re-establish the connection between the UE and the network.

[0049] Step 304: Serving AMF directly selects the local LMF based on the LMF identifier provided by GMLC.

[0050] Step 305: Serving AMF calls the Location service of the local LMF to forward the location request.

[0051] Step 306: The local LMF sends a location information request to the radio access network element to which the user is connected. After allocating location resources to the user, the radio access network element replies with LMF Tracking Reference Signal (SRS) resource allocation information. All messages are routed through the Serving AMF.

[0052] Step 307: The local LMF sends a location measurement request to the radio access network element through the Local AMF.

[0053] Step 308: Measure the wireless access network elements.

[0054] Step 309: The wireless access network element replies with a measurement completion message to the local LMF via the Local AMF, and sends the measurement results to the LMF via the Local AMF.

[0055] Step 310: The local LMF calculates the user location based on the measurement results of the wireless access network elements.

[0056] Step 311: The local LMF forwards the user's location directly to the local GMLC.

[0057] Step 312: GMLC replies with a location response message to LCS Client, and LCS Client obtains the location result of the target UE.

[0058] The specific issues involved in the aforementioned related technologies include:

[0059] (1) After querying the user's access service (Serving) and access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (the AMF centrally deployed in the region) from the local GMLC to the Unified Data Management (UDM) function, the location request is forwarded to the Serving AMF.

[0060] (2) The Serving AMF locates the local LMF based on the LMF identifier (ID) provided by the GMLC and forwards the location request to the LMF;

[0061] (3) The location information exchange between some terminals (e.g., User Equipment (UE) associated with the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the local LMF still needs to be bypassed through the Serving AMF.

[0062] Meanwhile, due to the interaction between the regional core network and the local core network, in actual deployment, it is necessary to add NL6 interface (GMLC<->UDM), NL2 interface (GMLC<->AMF), and NL1 interface (LMF<->AMF) connections between the local network and the regional core network. In the future, if there is a large demand for local network positioning as business develops, the regional core network will need to connect to multiple campus local networks. The AMF and UDM will need to expand the specifications of their connection interfaces, which also increases the complexity of network deployment. Moreover, the edge network where the campus is located is limited by the data center environment, facilities, and other conditions, and network security cannot be guaranteed, which invisibly increases the security risks of the regional network, thereby affecting the business of other users on the network.

[0063] See Figure 4 This application provides a positioning method, executed by a first network element, which may be a local network element. The specific steps include:

[0064] Step 401: The first network element receives a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element;

[0065] Step 402: In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element;

[0066] Optionally, the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) user plane tunnel identifier.

[0067] Step 403: The first network element sends a first request to the wireless access network element to which the terminal is connected, based on the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal.

[0068] It is understood that the first network element (or first network function), the second network element (or second network function), and the third network element (or third network function) in this application can be configured together or separately. Optionally, the aforementioned first network element, second network element, and third network element are network elements other than AMF in the local network. Optionally, the first network element is LMF, the second network element is GMLC, and the third network element is UPF.

[0069] Optionally, the first request includes a positioning measurement request, which is used to request the acquisition of positioning measurement results.

[0070] In one embodiment of this application, the first network element receives a location determination request for a terminal sent by the second network element, including:

[0071] The first network element receives a location determination request initiated by the second network element through the location service of the first network element. Optionally, the location determination request includes: LCS client identifier and / or terminal identifier.

[0072] In one embodiment of this application, the second network element may be a local network element, such as a GMLC, which supports directly calling the location service of the first network element to send a location determination request.

[0073] In one embodiment of this application, the first network element, in response to the location determination request, obtains relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, including:

[0074] In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains the address of the third network element according to its local configuration. Optionally, the first network element pre-configures the address of the third network element accessed by the terminal.

[0075] The first network element sends a terminal identifier to the third network element based on the address of the third network element. Optionally, the terminal identifier is a GPSI or a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI).

[0076] The first network element receives information about the wireless access network element to which the terminal is connected, sent by the third network element based on the terminal identifier.

[0077] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element may be a local network element, such as a UPF. The UPF is a unique UPF serving the terminal within a specified area (or local network). The UPF can query information such as the IP address of the RAN-side N3 interface and the GPRS User Plane Part of GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP-U) tunnel identifier based on the terminal identifier, and open the query to other network functions.

[0078] In one embodiment of this application, before the first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information, the method further includes:

[0079] The first network element sends a second request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The second request is used to request the location resources of the terminal.

[0080] The first network element obtains that the wireless access network element allocates positioning resources to the terminal according to the second request;

[0081] The first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information, including:

[0082] The first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element based on the location resources and the relevant information;

[0083] The first network element receives the positioning measurement results sent by the wireless access network element according to the first request.

[0084] In one embodiment of this application, the first request includes a low-precision positioning request, and the positioning measurement result includes a low-precision positioning result;

[0085] or,

[0086] The first request includes a high-precision positioning request, and the positioning measurement result includes a high-precision positioning result.

[0087] In this embodiment, the terminal positioning process is executed through local network elements, which reduces the interface and signaling interaction between the local network and the regional core network compared to existing terminal positioning schemes. The local network also does not need to introduce LocalAMF, which can further reduce the latency of the positioning process, improve local positioning efficiency, reduce the security impact risk of the local network on the regional core network, and simplify network connection and deployment workload.

[0088] See Figure 5 This application provides a positioning method, which is executed by a second network element, and the specific steps include: step 501.

[0089] Step 501: The second network element sends a location determination request to the first network element. The location determination request is used to request the first network element to obtain relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, and send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0090] In one embodiment of this application, the second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element, including:

[0091] The second network element selects the first network element according to its local configuration, and sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element when invoking the location service of the first network element.

[0092] Optionally, the local configuration of the second network element may include the default first network element, or the local configuration may include the mapping relationship between the LCS client and the first network element. The second network element may select the first network element for this positioning based on the local configuration.

[0093] Optionally, before the second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element, the second network element receives an LCS service request sent by the LCS client.

[0094] In one embodiment of this application, the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

[0095] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element is a UPF, the first network element is an LMF, and the second network element is a GMLC.

[0096] In this embodiment, the entire positioning process is completed locally in a closed loop. Compared with existing solutions, this avoids frequent interactions with the main network, and the local network does not need to introduce Local AMF. This can further reduce the latency of the positioning process, improve local positioning efficiency, reduce the security impact of the local network on the main network, and simplify network connection and deployment workload.

[0097] See Figure 6 This application provides a positioning method, which is executed by a third network element, and the specific steps include: step 601.

[0098] Step 601: The third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element. The relevant information is used to configure the first network element to perform the operation of sending a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal. The first request is used to request the location measurement result of the terminal. The first network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides AMF.

[0099] In one embodiment of this application, before the third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element, the method further includes:

[0100] The third network element determines whether the terminal is in an idle state;

[0101] When the terminal is in an idle state, the third network element reports a downlink data notification (DNN) message to the session management function (SMF). The DNN message is used to activate the target protocol data unit (PDU) session.

[0102] In one embodiment of this application, the method further includes:

[0103] The third network element selects the target PDU session that needs to report the DNN message, and the granularity of the target PDU session is DNN or DNN and slice.

[0104] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element determines whether the terminal is in an idle state by:

[0105] The third network element determines whether the terminal is in an idle state based on PDU session information and N3 connection information. Specifically, the terminal is determined to be in an idle state when the third network element has PDU session information but no N3 connection information.

[0106] In one embodiment of this application, before the third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element, the method further includes:

[0107] The third network element receives the pre-established N4 session and the GTP-U tunnel identifier of the N3 interface allocated for the N4 session from the wireless access network element. The N4 session includes a terminal identifier.

[0108] The third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element, including:

[0109] The third network element queries the relevant information of the radio access network element accessed by the terminal in the N4 session based on the terminal identifier, and sends the relevant information to the first network element.

[0110] In one embodiment of this application, the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

[0111] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element is a UPF, and the first network element is an LMF.

[0112] In this embodiment, the entire positioning process is completed locally in a closed loop. Compared with existing solutions, this avoids frequent interactions with the main network, and the local network does not need to introduce Local AMF. This can further reduce the latency of the positioning process, improve local positioning efficiency, reduce the security impact of the local network on the main network, and simplify network connection and deployment workload.

[0113] See Figure 7 This application provides a positioning system, which includes a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, and a wireless access network element, wherein...

[0114] The second network element receives the LCS service request;

[0115] In response to the LCS service request, the second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element;

[0116] In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element;

[0117] The first network element sends a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal.

[0118] The wireless access network element measures the terminal location information according to the first request.

[0119] The first network element receives the positioning measurement results sent by the wireless access network element. The first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the AMF.

[0120] In one embodiment of this application, the second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element, including:

[0121] The second network element selects the first network element according to its local configuration, and sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element when invoking the location service of the first network element.

[0122] In one embodiment of this application, the first network element, in response to the location determination request, obtains relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, including:

[0123] In response to the location determination request, the first network element sends a terminal identifier to the third network element based on the address of the third network element contained in its local configuration; the first network element receives relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal sent by the third network element based on the terminal identifier.

[0124] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element receives a pre-established N4 session and a GTP-U tunnel ID of the N3 interface allocated for the N4 session from the radio access network element. The N4 session includes a terminal identifier.

[0125] In one embodiment of this application, the wireless access network element measures the terminal location information according to the first request, including:

[0126] The first network element sends a second request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The second request is used to request the location resources of the terminal.

[0127] The radio access network element allocates positioning resources to the terminal according to the second request and sends the positioning resources to the first network element; the radio access network element determines the accuracy corresponding to the first request; when the first request is a low-precision positioning measurement request, the radio access network element directly returns the positioning measurement result to the first network element, and the positioning measurement result includes the low-precision positioning result; or, when the first request is a high-precision positioning request, the radio access network element performs uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) measurement and returns the positioning measurement result to the first network element, and the positioning measurement result includes the high-precision positioning result.

[0128] In one embodiment of this application, the first network element obtains the user's location information based on the positioning measurement result; the first network element sends the user's location information to the second network element; the second network element replies with positioning response information to the LCS client, the positioning response information including the user's location information.

[0129] In one embodiment of this application, the first network element is an LMF, the second network element is a GMLC, and the third network element is a UPF.

[0130] See also Figure 7 The specific steps are as follows:

[0131] Step 701: The LCS Client initiates a location determination request to the UE by calling the local GMLC, carrying the LCS Client identifier and the UE identifier (e.g., GPSI or Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI)).

[0132] Step 702: The local GMLC selects the LMF that serves this location based on the local configuration, such as the mapping relationship between LCS Client and LMF or the default LMF, and calls the Location service of the local LMF to send a location determination request.

[0133] Step 703: The local LMF pre-configures the User Plane Function (UPF) address for UE access. This UPF is the only UPF serving users in the campus. After receiving the location determination request from the GMLC, the LMF sends the UE identifier to the UPF to query the Full Qualified Tunnel Endpoint ID (F-TEID) of the UE's N3 interface peer.

[0134] Step 704: If the user is in an idle state, when the UPF receives the N3 downlink peer F-TEID query request sent by the LMF, if the UPF has session information but no N3 connection information, it reports a downlink data notification (DDN) message to the SMF (step 4-1), and the SMF notifies the AMF to initiate the paging and service request process (step 4-2).

[0135] In practice, since DDN messages are session-level messages, if the terminal has established multiple Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions in the UPF, the UPF can configure locally which PDU sessions need to be reactivated through DDN messages. Generally, only one session will be established for the same DNN message. Therefore, the configuration granularity can be DNN or DNN+slice. The reactivated PDU sessions can be one or multiple.

[0136] Step 705: The UPF queries the N3 F-TEID of the base station accessed by the terminal in the N4 session based on the terminal identifier and replies to the LMF. The F-TEID information includes the IP address of the N3 interface on the RAN side and the tunnel ID of the GPRS User Plane Part of GTP (GTP-U). If the UPF does not have the terminal session information locally (e.g., the UE is not online), the positioning process jumps to step 711 and returns a positioning failure.

[0137] Note: When a terminal establishes a PDU session to access the network, it will establish an N4 session on the UPF. The N4 session contains terminal information (GPSI, SUPI, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address, etc.). At the same time, the radio access network element will assign the GTP-U tunnel ID of the N3 interface to the session and notify the UPF to open the downlink data channel.

[0138] Step 706: The LMF sends a second request to the radio access network element to which the terminal is connected. The radio access network element allocates location resources for the UE based on the GTP-U tunnel ID of the terminal's N3 interface, and replies directly to the LMF after the resource allocation is completed.

[0139] Step 707: The LMF directly sends a second request to the radio access network element:

[0140] (a) The LMF sends a low-precision location determination request and jumps directly to step 709 to return the low-precision location result, such as a low-precision location identifier (e.g., cell ID or receiving node identifier).

[0141] (b) The LMF sends a high-precision location determination request, performs step 708 (uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) measurement), and then returns the high-precision positioning result in step 709, such as the relative time of arrival (RTOA), for UTDOA calculation.

[0142] Step 708: Measure the wireless access network elements.

[0143] Step 709: The wireless access network element directly returns the positioning measurement results to the LMF.

[0144] Steps 710-712 can be referenced. Figure 3 Steps 310-312 in the process.

[0145] In this embodiment, after receiving the LCS client's request to determine the UE's location, the local GMLC directly selects the local LMF according to its local configuration. Then, the local LMF obtains the peer F-TEID of the user's N3 interface (including the IP address of the N3 interface RAN side and the GTP-U tunnel ID) from the locally deployed UPF to determine the RAN that the UE accesses. Subsequently, the LMF sends a location determination request to the RAN and cooperates with the RAN to allocate positioning resources for the UE and perform positioning measurements based on the GTP-U tunnel ID and UE identifier, thereby reducing interface and signaling interactions with the regional core network.

[0146] See Figure 8 This application provides a positioning device applied to a first network element. The device 800 includes:

[0147] The first receiving module 801 is used to receive a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element;

[0148] The first acquisition module 802 is used to acquire relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element in response to the location determination request.

[0149] The first sending module 803 is used to send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0150] In one embodiment of this application, the second network element is a GMLC.

[0151] In one embodiment of this application, the first receiving module 801 is further configured to: receive a location determination request initiated by the second network element by calling the location service of the first network element.

[0152] In one embodiment of this application, the first acquisition module 802 is further configured to: in response to the location determination request, acquire the address of the third network element according to the local configuration; send a terminal identifier to the third network element according to the address of the third network element; and receive relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal sent by the third network element according to the terminal identifier.

[0153] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element is a UPF.

[0154] In one embodiment of this application, the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

[0155] In one embodiment of this application, the apparatus further includes:

[0156] The fourth sending module is used to send a second request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information, wherein the second request is used to request the location resources of the terminal;

[0157] The second acquisition module is used to acquire information about the wireless access network element allocating positioning resources to the terminal based on the second request.

[0158] The first sending module 803 is further configured to: send a first request to the wireless access network element based on the positioning resources and the relevant information;

[0159] Receive the positioning measurement results sent by the wireless access network element according to the first request.

[0160] In one embodiment of this application, the first request includes a low-precision positioning request, and the positioning measurement result includes a low-precision positioning result; or, the first request includes a high-precision positioning request, and the positioning measurement result includes a high-precision positioning result.

[0161] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 4 The various processes implemented in the method embodiments shown achieve the same technical effects, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0162] See Figure 9 This application provides a positioning device applied to a second network element. The device 900 includes:

[0163] The second sending module 901 is used to send a location determination request to the first network element. The location determination request is used to request the first network element to obtain relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, and to send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0164] In one embodiment of this application, the second sending module 901 is further configured to: select the first network element according to the local configuration, and send a location determination request when calling the location service of the first network element.

[0165] In one embodiment of this application, the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

[0166] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 5 The various processes implemented in the method embodiments shown achieve the same technical effects, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0167] See Figure 10 This application provides a positioning device applied to a third network element. The device 1000 includes:

[0168] The third sending module 1001 is used to send relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element. The relevant information is used to configure the first network element to perform the operation of sending a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF.

[0169] In one embodiment of this application, the apparatus further includes:

[0170] The determination module is used to determine whether the terminal is in an idle state;

[0171] The fourth sending module is used to report a downlink data notification (DNN) message to the SMF when the terminal is in an idle state. The DNN message is used to activate the target protocol data unit (PDU) session.

[0172] In one embodiment of this application, the determination module is further configured to: determine whether the terminal is in an idle state based on PDU session information and N3 connection information, wherein the terminal is determined to be in an idle state when the third network element has PDU session information but no N3 connection information.

[0173] In one embodiment of this application, the apparatus further includes:

[0174] The selection module is used to select the target PDU session that needs to report the DNN message, wherein the granularity of the target PDU session is DNN or DNN and slice.

[0175] In one embodiment of this application, the apparatus further includes:

[0176] The third receiving module is used to receive the pre-established N4 session and the GTP-U tunnel identifier of the N3 interface allocated for the N4 session from the wireless access network element. The N4 session includes a terminal identifier.

[0177] The third sending module 1001 is further configured to: query relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal in the N4 session according to the terminal identifier, and send the relevant information to the first network element.

[0178] In one embodiment of this application, the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

[0179] In one embodiment of this application, the third network element is a UPF, and the first network element is an LMF.

[0180] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 6 The various processes implemented in the method embodiments shown achieve the same technical effects, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0181] like Figure 11 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1100, including a processor 1101, a memory 1102, and a program or instructions stored in the memory 1102 and executable on the processor 1101. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor 1101, they implement the above-mentioned... Figure 4 or Figure 5 or Figure 6 The various processes in the method embodiments can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0182] This application embodiment also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the above-described functionality. Figure 4 or Figure 5 or Figure 6 The various processes of the method embodiments shown can achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0183] The processor mentioned above is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0184] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in this application can be implemented in hardware or by executing software instructions on a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, portable hard disk, read-only optical disk, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be housed in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can be housed in a core network interface device. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the core network interface device.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples above, the functions described in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0186] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solution of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0187] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, embodiments of this application can take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, embodiments of this application can take the form of computer program products implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0188] This application describes embodiments of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0189] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0190] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0191] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A positioning method applied to a first network element, characterized in that, include: The first network element receives a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element; In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element; The first network element sends a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal. In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, including: In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains the address of the third network element according to its local configuration. The location determination request includes: terminal identifier. The first network element sends the terminal identifier of the terminal related to the location determination request to the third network element based on the address of the third network element; The first network element receives relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal, sent by the third network element according to the terminal identifier; Among them, the first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the Access Mobility Management Function (AMF), and the third network element is the UPF.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first network element receives a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element, including: The first network element receives a location determination request for the terminal initiated by the second network element by calling the location service of the first network element.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GPRS User Plane Tunneling Protocol (GTP-U) tunnel identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information, the method further includes: The first network element sends a second request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The second request is used to request the location resources of the terminal. The first network element obtains that the wireless access network element allocates positioning resources to the terminal according to the second request; The first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information, including: The first network element sends a first request to the radio access network element based on the location resources and the relevant information; The first network element receives the positioning measurement results sent by the wireless access network element according to the first request.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first request includes a low-precision positioning request, and the positioning measurement result includes a low-precision positioning result; or, The first request includes a high-precision positioning request, and the positioning measurement result includes a high-precision positioning result.

6. A positioning method applied to a second network element, characterized in that, include: The second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element. The location determination request is used to request the first network element to obtain relevant information of the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, and send a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network except for the AMF. The third network element is the UPF.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element, including: The second network element selects the first network element according to its local configuration, and sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element when invoking the location service of the first network element.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

9. A positioning method applied to a third network element, characterized in that, include: Send relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element. The relevant information is used to configure the first network element to perform the operation of sending a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement results of the terminal. The first network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network other than AMF. The third network element is UPF. Before the third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element, the method further includes: The third network element determines whether the terminal is in an idle state; When the terminal is in an idle state, the third network element reports a downlink data notification (DNN) message to the session management function (SMF). The DNN message is used to activate the target protocol data unit (PDU) session.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The third network element determines whether the terminal is in an idle state, including: The third network element determines whether the terminal is in an idle state based on PDU session information and N3 connection information. Specifically, the terminal is determined to be in an idle state when the third network element has PDU session information but no N3 connection information.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Select the target PDU session that needs to report the DNN message, where the granularity of the target PDU session is DNN or DNN and slice.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Before the third network element sends relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element, the method further includes: The radio access network element receives a pre-established N4 session and a GTP-U tunnel identifier of the N3 interface allocated for the N4 session. The N4 session includes a terminal identifier. Send relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element, including: Based on the terminal identifier, query the relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal in the N4 session, and send the relevant information to the first network element.

13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The relevant information of the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal includes at least one of the following: the IP address of the N3 interface on the wireless access network element side and the GTP-U tunnel identifier.

14. A positioning system, characterized in that, The positioning system includes a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, and a wireless access network element, wherein... The second network element receives the Location Service (LCS) service request; In response to the LCS service request, the second network element sends a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element; In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element; The first network element sends a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information. The first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal. The wireless access network element measures the terminal location information according to the first request. The first network element receives the positioning measurement results sent by the radio access network element, wherein the first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the AMF, and the third network element is the UPF; In response to the location determination request, the first network element obtains relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, including: In response to the location determination request, the first network element sends a terminal identifier to the third network element based on the address of the third network element contained in its local configuration; the first network element receives relevant information about the radio access network element to which the terminal is accessed, sent by the third network element based on the terminal identifier.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The second network element sends a location determination request to the first network element, including: the second network element selects the first network element according to its local configuration, and sends a location determination request to the first network element when invoking the location service of the first network element; And / or, The third network element receives the pre-established N4 session and the GTP-U tunnel identifier of the N3 interface allocated for the N4 session from the radio access network element. The N4 session includes a terminal identifier.

16. A positioning device applied to a first network element, characterized in that, include: The first receiving module is used to receive a location determination request for the terminal sent by the second network element; The first acquisition module is used to acquire relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element in response to the location determination request. The first sending module is configured to send a first request to the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal based on the relevant information, wherein the first request is used to request the location measurement results of the terminal; In response to the location determination request, obtaining relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element includes: In response to the location determination request, the address of the third network element is obtained according to the local configuration, wherein the location determination request includes: terminal identifier; Based on the address of the third network element, send the terminal identifier of the terminal related to the location determination request to the third network element; Receive relevant information about the wireless access network element accessed by the terminal, sent by the third network element according to the terminal identifier; Among them, the first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides AMF, and the third network element is UPF.

17. A positioning device applied to a second network element, characterized in that, include: The second sending module is used to send a location determination request for the terminal to the first network element. The location determination request is used to request the first network element to obtain relevant information of the radio access network element accessed by the terminal from the third network element, and to send a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal according to the relevant information. The first request is used to request to obtain the positioning measurement result of the terminal. The first network element, the second network element, and the third network element are other network elements in the local network except for the AMF. The third network element is the UPF.

18. A positioning device applied to a third network element, characterized in that, include: The third sending module is used to send relevant information about the radio access network element accessed by the terminal to the first network element. The relevant information is used to configure the first network element to perform the operation of sending a first request to the radio access network element accessed by the terminal. The first request is used to request the acquisition of the terminal's positioning measurement results. The first network element and the third network element are other network elements in the local network besides the AMF. The third network element is the UPF. The determination module is used to determine whether the terminal is in an idle state; The fourth sending module is used to report a downlink data notification (DNN) message to the SMF when the terminal is in an idle state. The DNN message is used to activate the target protocol data unit (PDU) session.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

20. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

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