Information transmission method and communication device

Abstract

Provided are an information transmission method and a communication device, the method comprising: an access network node sending first information to a location management function (LMF) node, the first information being used for indicating the amount of information supported by a system message; and the LMF node sends second information to the access network node, the second information being used for indicating to position at least one segment of the system information block, and the information amount of each segment being less than or equal to the information amount supported by the system message. An access network node sends at least one system message, each system message carrying a segment of a positioning system information block. The transmission efficiency of the positioning auxiliary information can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to an information transmission method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Positioning is one of the important functions in mobile communication systems. A variety of positioning technologies are defined in mobile communication system protocols, including positioning technologies based on time difference of arrival and positioning technologies based on angle of arrival. In addition, positioning includes uplink positioning performed by multiple access network nodes based on reference signals sent by the terminal and downlink positioning performed by the terminal to perform positioning measurements.

[0003] In the downlink positioning process, the location management function (LMF) node needs to provide the terminal with auxiliary information for positioning measurement. Specifically, the LMF node sends the access network node a positioning system information block carrying the auxiliary information, and the access network node broadcasts the system information block through a system message. The auxiliary information includes multiple types, and the amount of information of different types of auxiliary information may be different. For example, the amount of information of the positioning auxiliary information related to the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is large. When the amount of information of the positioning auxiliary information is large, it may exceed the amount of information that can be carried by a system message of the access network node. Therefore, how to effectively use the positioning auxiliary information has become an urgent problem to be solved in the downlink positioning process. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an information transmission method and a communication device, which can improve the transmission efficiency of positioning auxiliary information.

[0005] In a first aspect, an information transmission method is provided, the method comprising: an access network node sends first information to a location management function LMF node, the first information being used to indicate the amount of information supported by a system message. The LMF node sends second information to the access network node, the second information being used to indicate at least one segment of a location system information block, the amount of information of each segment being less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The access network node sends at least one system message, each system message carrying a segment of the location system information block.

[0006] Exemplarily, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0007] According to the above scheme, the access network node can provide the LMF node with the amount of information supported by the SI message, so that the LMF node can reasonably segment posSIB according to the amount of information supported by the SI message, thereby achieving that posSIB can be completely transmitted to the terminal through the access network node with high transmission efficiency, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of positioning auxiliary information.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before the access network node sends the first information to the LMF node, it also includes: the LMF node sends third information to the access network node, and the third information is used to request the system message to support the amount of information carried.

[0009] According to the above scheme, the LMF node can send the third information to the access network node when it needs to obtain the amount of information supported by the system message of the access node, and the access network node can send the first information for indicating the amount of information supported by the system message to the LMF node based on the obtained third information. It can realize the on-demand sending of information and reduce the occupation of unnecessary transmission resources.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the third information is carried in a sending and receiving point TRP information request message, and the first information is carried in a TRP information response message.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second information is further used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0012] The type of the positioning system information block, the periodic duration of the access network node broadcasting the system message, or the priority of broadcasting the positioning system information block.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the at least one system message includes multiple system messages, and the multiple system messages are system messages in multiple consecutive system message cycles.

[0014] According to the above solution, by carrying segments of posSIB that match the amount of information supported by system messages in multiple consecutive periods, posSIB is transmitted through system messages in multiple consecutive periods, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of positioning assistance information.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the access network node sends fourth information to the terminal, or the LMF node sends fourth information to the terminal, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages of the at least one system message.

[0016] According to the above scheme, the terminal can also obtain the number of segments of posSIB from the network side (such as the access network node or LMF node), so that the terminal can know the time required to obtain the complete posSIB, receive the system message at the appropriate time to obtain posSIB, and improve the accuracy of the positioning measurement result. It can avoid the situation where the positioning information is invalid due to timeout due to the terminal obtaining posSIB too early, or the terminal moves inaccurately, or the terminal obtains posSIB too late, so that the terminal fails to obtain the positioning auxiliary information within the specified time and cannot feedback the measurement result, resulting in positioning failure.

[0017] In a second aspect, an information transmission method is provided, which can be executed by an access network device or a module (such as a chip or a chip system) configured in (or used for) an access network device. The following description is made by taking an access network node as an example.

[0018] The method comprises: an access network node determines first information, the first information being used to indicate the amount of information supported to be carried by a system message. The access network node sends the first information to a location management function LMF node. The access network node receives second information from the LMF node, the second information being used to indicate at least one segment of a location system information block, the amount of information of each segment being less than or equal to the amount of information supported to be carried by the system message. The access network node sends at least one system message, each system message carrying a segment of the location system information block.

[0019] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the access network node receives third information from the LMF node, where the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the third information is carried in a sending and receiving point TRP information request message, and the first information is carried in a TRP information response message.

[0022] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second information is further used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0023] The type of the positioning system information block, the periodic duration of broadcasting the system message, or the priority of broadcasting the positioning system information block.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the at least one system message includes multiple system messages, and the multiple system messages are system messages in multiple consecutive system message periods.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the access network node sends fourth information to the terminal, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages in the at least one system message.

[0026] In a third aspect, an information transmission method is provided, which can be performed by a communication device having a positioning measurement function LMF or a module (such as a chip or a chip system) configured in (or used for) a communication device. The following description is made by taking an LMF node as an example.

[0027] The method comprises: an LMF node receives first information from an access network node, the first information being used to indicate the amount of information supported by a system message. The LMF node determines second information, the second information being used to indicate at least one segment of a positioning system information block, the amount of information of each segment being less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The LMF node sends the second information to the access network node.

[0028] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0029] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the LMF node sends third information to the access network node, where the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

[0030] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the LMF node sends fourth information to the terminal, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages in the at least one system message.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, an information transmission method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal or a module (such as a chip) configured in (or used for) a terminal. The following description will be made by taking a terminal as an example.

[0032] The method comprises: a terminal receives fourth information from an access network node or from a positioning management function LMF node, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or the number of system messages of at least one system message carrying the segment of the positioning system information block, and each system message carries a segment of the positioning system information block. The terminal receives at least one system message from the access network node according to the fourth information.

[0033] According to the above scheme, the terminal can also obtain the number of segments of posSIB from the network side (such as the access network node or LMF node), so that the terminal can know the time required to obtain the complete posSIB, receive the system message at the appropriate time to obtain posSIB, and improve the accuracy of the positioning measurement result. It can avoid the situation where the positioning information is invalid due to timeout due to the terminal obtaining posSIB too early, or the terminal moves inaccurately, or the terminal obtains posSIB too late, so that the terminal fails to obtain the positioning auxiliary information within the specified time and cannot feedback the measurement result, resulting in positioning failure.

[0034] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0035] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: the terminal receiving request information from the LMF node, the request information being used to request the terminal to perform positioning measurement, and the request information including time information of the terminal feeding back the positioning measurement result. The terminal receiving at least one system message from the access network node according to the fourth information includes: the terminal receiving the at least one system message from the access network node according to the time information and the fourth information.

[0036] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: the terminal determines, according to the at least one system message, a positioning system information block, wherein the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information. The terminal obtains a positioning measurement result according to the positioning assistance information. The terminal sends the positioning information to an LMF node, wherein the positioning information includes the positioning measurement result.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. In one design, the device may include a module corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect. The module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the device includes: a processing unit, used to determine first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate the amount of information supported by a system message. A transceiver unit, used to send the first information to a positioning management function LMF node. The transceiver unit is also used to receive second information from the LMF node, wherein the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of a positioning system information block, and the amount of information in each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The transceiver unit is also used to send at least one system message, each system message carrying a segment of the positioning system information block.

[0038] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0039] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to receive third information from the LMF node, and the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

[0040] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the third information is carried in a sending and receiving point TRP information request message, and the first information is carried in a TRP information response message.

[0041] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the second information is further used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0042] The type of the positioning system information block, the periodic duration of broadcasting the system message, or the priority of broadcasting the positioning system information block.

[0043] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the at least one system message includes multiple system messages, and the multiple system messages are system messages in multiple consecutive system message cycles.

[0044] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to send fourth information to the terminal, and the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages in the at least one system message.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. In one design, the device may include a module corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in the third aspect or any one of the embodiments of the third aspect. The module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the device includes: a transceiver unit, used to receive first information from an access network node, the first information being used to indicate the amount of information supported by a system message. A processing unit, used to determine second information, the second information being used to indicate at least one segment of a positioning system information block, the amount of information in each segment being less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The transceiver unit is also used to send the second information to the access network node.

[0046] In combination with the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0047] In combination with the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to send third information to the access network node, and the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

[0048] In combination with the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to send fourth information to the terminal, and the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages in the at least one system message.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. In one design, the device may include a module corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect. The module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the device includes: a transceiver unit, used to receive fourth information from an access network node or from a positioning management function LMF node, the fourth information being used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or the number of system messages of at least one system message carrying the segment of the positioning system information block. A processing unit, used to control the transceiver unit to receive at least one system message from the access network node according to the fourth information, each system message carrying a segment of the positioning system information block.

[0050] In combination with the seventh aspect, in certain implementations of the seventh aspect, the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

[0051] In combination with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the transceiver unit is configured to receive request information from an LMF node, the request information being used to request a terminal to perform positioning measurement, and the request information including time information of a terminal feeding back a positioning measurement result. The processing unit is specifically configured to control the transceiver unit to receive the at least one system message from the access network node according to the time information and the fourth information.

[0052] In combination with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the processing unit is further used to determine a positioning system information block according to the at least one system message, and the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information. The processing unit is also used to obtain a positioning measurement result according to the positioning assistance information. The transceiver unit is also used to send the positioning information to the LMF node, and the positioning information includes the positioning measurement result.

[0053] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor can implement the method in any possible implementation of the second to fourth aspects and the second to fourth aspects. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory, and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second to fourth aspects and the second to fourth aspects. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a pin, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces, without limitation.

[0054] In one implementation, the communication device is a communication equipment (such as a terminal device or a network device). When the communication device is a communication equipment, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0055] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a communication device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a communication device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0056] Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0057] In a ninth aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in any possible implementation of the second to fourth aspects and the second to fourth aspects.

[0058] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation methods of the processor and various circuits.

[0059] In the tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instruction), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute the method in the above-mentioned second to fourth aspects and any possible implementation of the second to fourth aspects.

[0060] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to sixth aspects.

[0061] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the aforementioned at least one access network node and the aforementioned at least one LMF node. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the aforementioned at least one terminal.

[0062] It can be understood that for the beneficial effects of the features corresponding to the first aspect in the second to eighth aspects, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and no repetition will be given. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a downlink positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an SI window provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of the information transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 5 is another schematic flow chart of the information transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 6 is another schematic flow chart of the information transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of an example of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of another example of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, " / " can indicate that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can indicate A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between the associated objects, for example, A and / or B can indicate: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In order to facilitate the description of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, in the embodiment of the present application, the words "first" and "second" can be used to distinguish. The words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit the difference. In the embodiment of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations, and any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way for easy understanding. In the embodiments of the present application, at least one (kind) can also be described as one (kind) or more (kinds), and more (kinds) can be two (kinds), three (kinds), four (kinds) or more (kinds), and the present application does not impose any limitation.

[0073] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B.

[0074] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system, such as 5G new radio (NR) system, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system, and future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system. This application is not limited to this.

[0075] It should be understood that the positioning method provided in the present application can be applied to various scenarios, for example, it can be applied to one or more of the following communication scenarios: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), massive machine type of communication (mMTC), Internet of Things (IOT), device to device (D2D), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), etc., and the present application does not limit this.

[0076] Figure 1 is a communication system architecture diagram applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, in the communication system, the user equipment (UE) is connected to the radio access network through the LTE-Uu and / or NR-Uu interface via the next-generation base station (next-generatione NodeB, ng-eNB) and gNB respectively; the radio access network (radioaccess network, RAN) is connected to the core network through the NG-C interface via the access and mobility management function (access and mobility management function, AMF) node. Among them, the next-generation radio access network (next-generation-RAN, NG-RAN) includes one or more NG-RAN nodes. The one or more NG-RAN nodes may include ng-eNB and / or gNB. The ng-eNB is an LTE base station accessing the 5G core network, and the gNB is a 5G base station accessing the 5G core network. The core network includes an AMF node and a location management function (location management function, LMF) node, etc. Among them, the AMF node is used to implement functions such as access management, and the LMF node is used to implement functions such as positioning. The AMF node is connected to the LMF node through the NL1 interface. The LMF node is used to provide UE with different types of location services and other functions, including but not limited to UE positioning and transmitting auxiliary data to the UE. The control plane of the LMF node is the enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC), which is used to manage the coordination and scheduling of resources required for the UE location. The user plane of the LMF is the secure user plane location (SUPL) positioning platform (SLP), which can interact and transmit on the user plane through the SUPL protocol, such as Figure 1 The UE shown may be a SUPL enabled terminal (SET).

[0077] It should be understood that Figure 1 This is only a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture for the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, but the present application is not limited to this. The communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application may also be applicable to other communication system architectures.

[0078] The radio access network may be a cellular system related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP), for example, a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (for example, a 6G mobile communication system). The radio access network may also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system. The radio access network may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0079] An access network node may be an access network device, an access network entity or an access node, etc., which constitutes a part of a communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access.

[0080] In one possible scenario, the access network node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The access network node may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network node in the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The access network node in the present application may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network node.

[0081] In another possible scenario, multiple access network nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different access network nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the access network node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0082] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, and O-CU-CP may implement the functions of radio access control (radio resource control, RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (packet data convergence protocol, PDCP) control plane (PDCP control plane, PDCP-C). CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and O-CU-UP may implement the functions of service data adaptation protocol (service data adaptation protocol, SDAP) and PDCP user plane (PDCP-userplane, PDCP-U). RU may also be called O-RU. Among them, O-DU can implement radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) and some functions of the physical (PHY) layer (which can be called PHY-high layer functions), and O-RU can implement some functions of the PHY layer (which can be called PHY-low layer functions).

[0083] For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are used as examples in this application. Any unit in CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0084] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0085] It should be understood that in this application, "sending information / data to... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. It can include sending information / data directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information / data from... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, which can include receiving information / data directly or indirectly from the terminal. The information / data may be subjected to necessary processing between the source and destination of the information / data transmission, such as format changes, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information / data from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0086] In this application, "sending information / data" only refers to the direction of information / data transmission, including direct transmission via the air interface and indirect transmission via the air interface by the processing unit, and "sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the module interface. "Receiving information / data" only refers to the direction of information / data transmission, including direct reception via the air interface and indirect reception via the air interface by the processing unit, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the module interface.

[0087] The following first introduces the relevant technologies and terms involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0088] 1. Downlink (DL) positioning process

[0089] Figure 2is a schematic flow chart of the downlink positioning process. Figure 2 As shown, the downlink positioning process may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0090] 1. The LMF node obtains UE capabilities through the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) capability transfer process, such as the UE's processing capability for positioning reference signals (PRS).

[0091] 2. The LMF node sends a TRP information request message to multiple NG-RAN nodes.

[0092] 3. The NG-RAN node sends a TRP information response message to the LMF node. The response message includes TRP information. The TRP information may include cell information, TRP location information (such as coordinates, etc.), TRPID and PRS configuration of TRP, etc.

[0093] 4. The LMF node provides positioning assistance information to the UE, which may include cell information, PRS configuration, and other information used by the UE to measure PRS.

[0094] Specifically, the positioning assistance information can be transmitted by the LMF node through an assistance information control message to the RAN node, which notifies the RAN node to broadcast the posSIB, and the message includes the posSIB type and the periodic duration of broadcasting the posSIB. After receiving the assistance information control message, the RAN node broadcasts the system information (SI) message carrying the posSIB according to the instruction of the LMF node.

[0095] 5. The LMF node sends a request message to the UE, where the request message is used to request the UE to measure the PRS. For example, the request message may be called a location information request (Request Location Information) message.

[0096] 6. The UE performs measurement on the PRS and obtains a measurement result, which may include a downlink reference signal arrival time difference (DL reference signal time difference, DL RSTD) and a downlink reference signal received power (DL reference signal received power, DL RSRP).

[0097] 7. The UE sends the measurement result to the LMF node, and the LMF node determines the UE location based on the TRP information and the measurement result. For example, the measurement result can be carried in a Provide Location Information message.

[0098] 2. Positioning system information block posSIB

[0099] Positioning assistance data includes multiple types of assistance data, such as GNSS Common Assistance Data, GNSS Generic Assistance Data, observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) assistance data, barometric assistance data, terrestrial beacon system (TBS) assistance data, NR DL-TDOA / DL-AOD assistance data, and on-demand DL-PRS configurations. Different assistance data include different assistance data elements (assistanceDataElement), each assistance data corresponds to a posSIB type (posSibType), and the mapping relationship between different posSibType and different assistance data is shown in Table 1.

[0100] Table 1

[0101]

[0102]

[0103] 3. Broadcasting of system information

[0104] System information is divided into master information block (MIB) and system information block (SIB). Among them, SIB has multiple types, such as SIB1, SIB2, ..., SIBx. Each type of SIB carries different system information, among which one type of SIB is the above-mentioned posSIB used to carry positioning assistance information.

[0105] SIBs other than SIB1 are broadcast in SI messages of access network nodes. SIB1 includes a scheduling information list, which includes scheduling information for indicating each SI message broadcast by the access network node. One scheduling information includes SIB mapping information (sib-MappingInfo), which is used to indicate the type of SIB carried by the SI message. The scheduling information also includes SI period (SI-Periodicity) information, which is used to indicate the periodic duration of the SI message. SI messages are transmitted in SI windows. The SI windows corresponding to different SI messages have the same length, which is indicated by the SI window length (si-WindowLength) information in SIB1, and the SI windows corresponding to different SI messages do not overlap.

[0106] For example Figure 3 Three SI windows are shown, namely SI window #1, SI window #2 and SI window #3. The three SI windows have the same length and do not overlap. SI window #1, SI window #2 and SI window #3 correspond to SI message #1, SI message #2 and SI message #3 respectively, wherein the period duration of SI message #1 and SI message #3 is 80ms, and the period duration of SI message #2 is 160ms.

[0107] For posSIB, one SI message can carry multiple types of posSIBs. The scheduling information of the SI message in SIB1 indicates the type of posSIB carried by the SI message and the period of the SI message, etc. For example, the scheduling information indicates that the SI message carrying posSIB is SI message #1, the period of SI message #1 is 80ms, and the SIB types carried by SI message #1 are posSIB type 1-1 (posSibType1-1) and posSIB type 1-2 (posSibType1-2). If the terminal needs to receive posSibType1-1, the terminal can receive SI message #1 in SI window #1 according to the scheduling information in SIB1, thereby obtaining the required positioning assistance information.

[0108] The amount of information of the positioning assistance data carried by posSIB may be different depending on the type. For example, the amount of information of the positioning assistance information related to GNSS is large, while the size of the SI message that can be broadcast by the access network node is limited, such as the size of the SI message is limited by the capacity of the access network node and / or the capacity of the terminal. There may be an SI message that cannot carry a posSIB with a large amount of information. The posSIB carrying the positioning assistance data can be segmented by the LMF node and then sent to the access network node. The access network node sends different segments of the posSIB through the SI messages used to carry posSIB in multiple cycles to realize the broadcast of the posSIB. The embodiment of the present application proposes that the segmentation of posSIB by the LMF node needs to match the size of the SI message of the access network node. If a segment is larger than the SI message, the access network node still cannot transmit the segment of the posSIB. If a segment is too small, the number of SI messages of the segmented posSIB sent by the access network node will increase, resulting in unnecessary transmission delay. Therefore, the access network node can provide the LMF node with the amount of information supported by the SI message, so that the LMF node can reasonably segment the posSIB according to the amount of information supported by the SI message, thereby achieving that posSIB can be completely transmitted to the terminal through the access network node with high transmission efficiency, thereby achieving effective transmission of posSIB.

[0109] Figure 4 400 is a schematic flow chart of an information transmission method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0110] S401, the access network node sends first information to the LMF node, where the first information is used to indicate the amount of information supported by the system message.

[0111] Correspondingly, the LMF node receives the first information from the access network node, and determines the amount of information that the system message of the access network node supports carrying according to the first information.

[0112] In the present application, the system message may also be referred to as a system information message, ie, an SI message, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0113] The amount of information supported by the system message indicated by the first information may specifically be the amount of information supported by the system message for carrying posSIB. The amount of information may also be called message size, and the unit of the amount of information indicated by the first information may be bit or byte.

[0114] The amount of information supported by the system message indicated by the first information may be the maximum amount of information of the system message supported by the access network node, or the maximum amount of information that the system message can carry. Alternatively, the amount of information may be the amount of information of the system message expected by the access network node, determined by the access network node according to the coverage requirement. However, the present application is not limited thereto.

[0115] In one implementation, before the access network node sends the first information to the LMF node, the LMF node sends the third information to the access network node, where the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

[0116] That is to say, the LMF node can send a request message (i.e., the third information) to the access network node for requesting the amount of information that the system message supports carrying. After the access network node receives the request message from the LMF node, it responds to the request message and sends the first information to the LMF node for indicating the amount of information that the system message supports carrying.

[0117] Exemplarily, the third information is included in a TRP information request message, and the first information is included in a TRP information response message.

[0118] In another implementation, the access network node may also actively send the first information to the LMF node after establishing a connection with the LMF node, and provide the LMF node with the amount of information supported by the system message bearer.

[0119] S402, the LMF node sends second information to the access network node, where the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of the positioning system information block posSIB, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message bearer.

[0120] The posSIB is used to carry positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement. It should be understood that the positioning assistance information is carried in the posSIB, and at least one segment of the posSIB can also be referred to as at least one segment of the positioning assistance information, that is, each segment of the posSIB carries a segment of the positioning assistance information. The second information indicates at least one segment of the posSIB, which can also be understood as the second information indicating at least one segment of the positioning assistance information.

[0121] After receiving the first information, the LMF node determines whether to segment the posSIB according to the amount of information of the positioning assistance information or the amount of information of the posSIB that needs to be sent to the access network node, and the amount of information supported by the system message. If the amount of information of the posSIB is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message, the LMF node determines that the posSIB does not need to be segmented, and the LMF node can send the second information to the access network node, and the second information is used to indicate the posSIB, that is, it can be understood that the posSIB is a segment, that is, the entire segment of the posSIB.

[0122] If the amount of information of the posSIB is greater than the amount of information supported by the system message, the LMF node segments the posSIB according to the amount of information of the posSIB and the amount of information supported by the system message, and obtains multiple segments of the posSIB, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The LMF node indicates the multiple segments of the posSIB through the second information, and accordingly, the access network node determines the multiple segments of the posSIB after receiving the second information from the LMF node. Specifically, the second information can indicate the number of posSIB segments, the type of posSIB, and the specific content of the posSIB segments, etc.

[0123] The type of the posSIB may be a posSibType shown in Table 1, and the positioning assistance information carried by the posSIB may be an assistance data element (assistanceDataElement) corresponding to the posSibType shown in Table 1. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the type of the posSIB may be a newly defined posSIB type not shown in Table 1, and the positioning assistance information carried by the posSIB may be an assistance data element or assistance data corresponding to the posSIB type.

[0124] Exemplarily, the second information may be carried in an assistance information control message. Alternatively, the second information may also be carried in other messages sent by the LMF node to the access network node.

[0125] Optionally, the second information is also used to indicate the periodic duration of the access network node broadcasting the system message and / or the priority of the access network node broadcasting the posSIB.

[0126] S403: The access network node sends at least one system message, each system message carrying a segment of a positioning system information block.

[0127] The at least one system message is a system message used to carry posSIB. For example, before sending the at least one system message, the access network node also sends SIB1, and the SIB1 includes scheduling information of the system message, and the scheduling information is used to indicate that the system message is used to carry posSIB. For example, the scheduling information can be indicated by sib-MappingInfo contained therein. The scheduling information also indicates the periodic duration of the system message, and the scheduling information can be indicated by SI-Periodicity information contained therein. If the second information also indicates the periodic duration of the access network node broadcasting the system message, the periodic duration of the system message indicated by the scheduling information in SIB1 is the same as the periodic duration indicated by the second information.

[0128] The access network node determines the segmentation of posSIB according to the second information, and if the second information indicates the whole segment of posSIB, the access network node sends the whole segment of posSIB via a system message. The access network node periodically sends the system message, and in each period, the system message carries the whole segment of posSIB.

[0129] If the second information indicates multiple segments of posSIB, the access network node sends the multiple segments of posSIB through multiple system messages, each system message including one segment. If the access network node periodically sends the system message, the multiple system messages may be system messages in multiple consecutive cycles. If the second information indicates that posSIB includes N segments, the access network node carries the N segments respectively through system messages in N cycles, and the terminal can obtain the N segments of posSIB by receiving any system messages of N consecutive cycles of the system message used to carry posSIB, thereby obtaining posSIB.

[0130] Exemplarily, the LMF node may send a request message to the terminal, where the request message is used to request the terminal to perform a location measurement. Exemplarily, the request message is carried in a location information request (Request Location Information) message.

[0131] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the request information from the LMF node, and determines that posSIB needs to be obtained according to the request information. Then the terminal can receive a system message for carrying posSIB according to the scheduling information in SIB1 from the access network node. If posSIB is carried in a system message, the terminal receives the system message within a period and obtains posSIB. If multiple segments of posSIB are carried in multiple system messages, the terminal receives the system message within multiple consecutive periods, obtains multiple segments and obtains the posSIB. The terminal performs positioning measurement based on the obtained posSIB to obtain a positioning measurement result. Exemplarily, the positioning measurement result may include one or more of time difference of arrival (TDOA), AOA, AOD or RSTD.

[0132] The terminal sends positioning information to the LMF node, and the positioning information includes positioning measurement results. Specifically, the positioning information can be transparently transmitted to the LMF node through the access network node. The LMF node can determine the terminal location based on the positioning information from the terminal. Exemplarily, the positioning information is carried in a Provide Location Information message.

[0133] According to the above scheme, the LMF node obtains the amount of information supported by the system message from the access network node, and the LMF node can determine whether to segment the posSIB or segment it reasonably according to the amount of information supported by the system message. It can avoid the situation where the posSIB cannot be transmitted due to the small amount of information supported by the system message and cannot carry the posSIB provided by the LMF node or the segmentation of posSIB, so that the posSIB can be completely transmitted to the terminal through the access network node, and has a high transmission efficiency, thereby realizing the effective transmission of posSIB.

[0134] In the downlink positioning process, the request information for requesting the execution of positioning measurement sent by the LMF node to the terminal includes the time information of the terminal feedback of the positioning measurement result. Specifically, the time information can be recorded as scheduledLocationTime. The indication information is used to indicate that the target device (i.e., the terminal) needs to obtain the positioning measurement or position estimation at the effective time T indicated by the time information. The terminal obtains the positioning information according to the request, and the positioning information includes the position information obtained by the positioning measurement or the estimated value of the estimated position. At this time, the terminal may obtain the positioning auxiliary information through posSIB and perform positioning measurement or position estimation. If the terminal obtains posSIB too early, the positioning information of the terminal obtained by the LMF node at the specified time may have expired due to timeout or the measurement result may be inaccurate due to the movement of the terminal; if the terminal obtains posSIB too late, the terminal may not be able to feedback the measurement result to the LMF at the specified time because the measurement result is not obtained, resulting in positioning failure. In particular, when the access network node may send posSIB in segments, the terminal can obtain the complete posSIB related to the cycle length of the system message carrying the posSIB and the number of segments of posSIB. The terminal can obtain the cycle duration of the system message from the scheduling information in SIB1, and the present application proposes that the terminal can also obtain the number of segments of posSIB from the network side, so that the terminal can know the time required to obtain the complete posSIB, receive the system message at the appropriate time to obtain posSIB, and improve the accuracy of the positioning measurement results.

[0135] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an information transmission method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0136] S501, the terminal receives fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of a positioning system information block, or to indicate the number of system messages carrying at least one system message of a positioning system information block, each system message carrying a segment of a positioning system information block.

[0137] In one implementation, the fourth information is used to indicate the number N of segments of at least one segment of posSIB. After receiving the fourth information, the terminal can determine that it needs to receive N periods of system messages for carrying posSIB according to the fourth information, where N is greater than or equal to 1.

[0138] In another implementation manner, the fourth information is used to indicate the number N of system messages of at least one system message carrying posSIB. That is, the fourth information indicates that the posSIB is carried by system messages of N periods, and multiple segments of the posSIB are respectively located in system messages of N periods. The terminal determines to receive system messages in N periods according to the fourth information, and obtains the posSIB according to the received N system messages.

[0139] In one implementation, the fourth information comes from an access network node.

[0140] Exemplarily, the fourth information may be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message sent by an access network node. For example, the RRC message may be SIB 1. The fourth information may be carried in the scheduling information of the system message for carrying posSIB in SIB 1.

[0141] In another implementation, the fourth information comes from a LMF node.

[0142] Exemplarily, the fourth information may be carried in a positioning protocol message. For example, the positioning protocol message may be an LPP message. Specifically, the positioning protocol message may be in a positioning information request message.

[0143] S502: The terminal receives at least one system message from an access network node according to fourth information.

[0144] After determining the number N of system messages to be received according to the fourth information, the terminal receives the system messages in N periods, where N is greater than or equal to 1.

[0145] Specifically, the LMF node sends a positioning information request message to the terminal to request the terminal to perform positioning measurement. The positioning information request message includes the time information of the terminal feedback measurement result. The terminal can specifically determine the need to receive system messages in N cycles based on the fourth information, and select a suitable time to start receiving the system message based on the time information of the feedback measurement result and the cycle of the system message. The terminal obtains posSIB based on the system message received in N cycles, and then performs positioning measurement based on the posSIB to obtain the positioning measurement result. The terminal sends a positioning information provision message to the LMF node, and the positioning information provision message includes the positioning measurement result.

[0146] According to the above scheme, after the terminal obtains the segmentation information of posSIB, it can determine the time required to obtain posSIB, so that the terminal can choose a suitable time to obtain posSIB, perform positioning measurement and feedback to the LMF node at the specified time, which can ensure the timeliness of the positioning measurement results and improve the accuracy of the positioning measurement results.

[0147] It should be understood that this application Figure 4 The embodiments shown and Figure 5 The illustrated embodiments can be implemented in combination with each other. After the access network node provides the LMF node with the amount of information of the system message, the LMF node provides the access network node with at least one segment of posSIB, and the access network node sends at least one system message based on the at least one segment of posSIB provided by the LMF node. It can ensure that posSIB is effectively transmitted. In addition, the access network node or the LMF node notifies the terminal of the number of segments of posSIB, or the number of system messages carrying the segments, so that the terminal can judge the time required to obtain posSIB, thereby selecting a suitable time point to receive at least one system message, obtain posSIB, and provide positioning information to the LMF node at the time point specified by the LMF node, so that the accuracy of the positioning information obtained by the LMF node is higher.

[0148] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of the information transmission method 600 provided in the embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that Figure 6 For the same contents as those in the above embodiment, please refer to the above description, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here. In the method 600 provided in the present application, a terminal can obtain the segmentation of posSIB sent by the access network node from another terminal, thereby receiving the system message from the access network node to obtain posSIB, and perform downlink positioning. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0149] S601: Terminal 1 receives fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of posSIB or the number of system messages of at least one system message carrying a segment of a positioning system information block.

[0150] The specific implementation of S601 can refer to the above Figure 5 The description of S501 in the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0151] S602: Terminal 1 sends the fourth information to terminal 2.

[0152] Correspondingly, terminal 2 receives the fourth information from terminal 1.

[0153] A sidelink (SL) communication connection is established between terminal 1 and terminal 2. Terminal 1 can send the fourth information to terminal 2 via the sidelink. Terminal 2 can determine the different segments of posSIB carried by N periodic system messages based on the fourth information obtained from terminal 1, thereby obtaining positioning assistance information. Optionally, the fourth information can be carried in a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) message or a proximity-based service communication (interface) 5 (PC5) RRC message.

[0154] In one implementation, terminal 2 may be a terminal that has not established an RRC connection with the network, such as a terminal device in an RRC inactive (RRC_Inactive) state or an RRC idle (RRC_Idle) state. The LMF node sends an LPP message containing the fourth information to terminal 1. After the terminal receives the LPP message from the LMF node and obtains the fourth information, the fourth information may be sent to terminal 2 via a side link.

[0155] In another implementation, the terminal 2 may be a terminal that has not established an RRC connection with the access network node. The access network node transmits the fourth information through terminal-specific information, such as the terminal-specific information may be a UE-specific RRC message. After the terminal obtains the fourth information from the access network node, the fourth information may be sent to the terminal 2 via a side link.

[0156] S603: Terminal 2 receives at least one system message from the access network node according to the fourth information, obtains a positioning system information block, and thereby acquires positioning assistance information required for positioning.

[0157] Terminal 2 can obtain the positioning information request message from the LMF node, and determine to perform positioning measurement according to the positioning information request message. Terminal 2 receives the system message used to carry posSIB in N cycles broadcast by the access network node, and the N system messages carry different segments of posSIB. Terminal 2 determines posSIB according to the N system messages, thereby obtaining the positioning auxiliary information carried by posSIB.

[0158] In one implementation, the LMF node sends the positioning request message to terminal 1, and after receiving the positioning request message from the LMF node, terminal 1 sends the positioning request message to terminal 2. Terminal 2 determines to perform positioning measurement based on the positioning request message. Terminal 2 receives N periods of system messages based on the fourth information, obtains positioning assistance information, and then performs positioning measurement based on the positioning assistance information to obtain positioning measurement results. Terminal 2 sends positioning information to terminal 1, and the positioning information includes the positioning measurement result. Terminal 1 sends the positioning information to the LMF node. The LMF node can determine the location of terminal 2 based on the positioning information. However, the present application is not limited to this, and terminal 2 can also obtain the positioning information request message from the LMF node through the access network node, and send positioning information containing the positioning measurement result to the LMF node through the access network node.

[0159] According to the above scheme, a terminal can obtain the segmentation information of posSIB from another terminal, and can determine the time required to obtain posSIB, so that the terminal can choose a suitable time to obtain posSIB, perform positioning measurement and feedback to the LMF node at a specified time, which can ensure the timeliness of the positioning measurement results and improve the accuracy of the positioning measurement results.

[0160] The method provided by the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following drawings illustrate the communication device and communication equipment provided by the present application. In order to implement the various functions in the method provided by the present application, each network element may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and implement the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether one of the above functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0161] Figure 7 and Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided for an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal, access network node or LMF node in the above method embodiment, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiment. In an embodiment of the present application, when a communication device is used to implement the functions of a terminal in the above method embodiment, the communication device can be as follows: Figure 1 When the communication device is used to implement the function of the access network node in the above method embodiment, the communication device can be as follows Figure 1 When the communication device is used to implement the function of the LMF node in the above method embodiment, the communication device may be as follows: Figure 1 The LMF node shown. The communication device may also be a module (such as a chip or a chip system) applied to a terminal or a network device.

[0162] The communication device 700 includes a transceiver unit 720, which can be used to receive or send information. The communication device 700 may also include a processing unit 710, which can be used to process instructions or data to implement corresponding operations.

[0163] It should be understood that when the communication device 700 is a chip configured in (or used in) a communication device, the transceiver unit 720 in the communication device 700 can be the input / output interface or circuit of the chip, and the processing unit 710 in the communication device 700 can be the processor in the chip.

[0164] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions or data, and the processing unit 710 may execute the instructions or data stored in the storage unit to enable the communication device to implement corresponding operations.

[0165] The communication device 700 can be used to implement the above Figure 4 The functions of the access network node in the method embodiment shown. When the communication device 700 is used to implement the above Figure 4 In the access network node function in the illustrated method embodiment: the processing unit 710 is used to determine the first information, and the first information is used to indicate the amount of information supported by the system message. The transceiver unit 720 is used to send the first information to the positioning management function LMF node. The transceiver unit 720 is also used to receive second information from the LMF node, and the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of the positioning system information block, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The transceiver unit 720 is also used to send at least one system message, and each system message carries a segment of the positioning system information block.

[0166] The communication device 700 can be used to implement the above Figure 4 The functions of the LMF node in the method embodiment shown. When the communication device 700 is used to implement the above Figure 4 The functions of the LMF node in the method embodiment shown are: the transceiver unit 720 is used to receive first information from the access network node, the first information is used to indicate the amount of information supported by the system message. The processing unit 710 is used to determine second information, the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of the positioning system information block, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message. The transceiver unit 720 is also used to send the second information to the access network node.

[0167] The communication device 700 can be used to implement the above Figure 5 The functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown. When the communication device 700 is used to implement the above Figure 5In the terminal function of the method embodiment shown: the transceiver unit 720 is used to receive fourth information from an access network node or from a location management function LMF node, the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the location system information block or the number of system messages of at least one system message carrying the segment of the location system information block. The processing unit 710 is used to control the transceiver unit to receive at least one system message from the access network node according to the fourth information, each system message carrying a segment of the location system information block.

[0168] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 710 and the transceiver unit 720, reference may be made to the related description in the above method embodiment.

[0169] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 720 in the communication device 700 may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, the receiving unit is used to receive a signal, and the sending unit is used to send a signal. The transceiver unit 720 in the communication device 700 can be implemented by, for example, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, an input / output interface, or a pin, etc. When the transceiver unit 720 is a transceiver, the transceiver can be composed of a receiver and / or a transmitter. The processing unit 710 in the communication device 700 can be implemented by at least one processor, and the processing unit 710 in the communication device 700 can also be implemented by at least one logic circuit. Optionally, the communication device 700 also includes a storage unit, which can be implemented by a memory.

[0170] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes a processor 810 and an interface circuit 820. The processor 810 and the interface circuit 820 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 820 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Among them, the transceiver may include a receiver (or receiver, receiving circuit) and / or a transmitter (or transmitter, transmitting circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals. The input / output interface may include an input interface and an output interface, the input interface is used to input signals, and the output interface is used to output signals. Alternatively, the input / output interface is an interface that can realize the functions of inputting signals and outputting signals.

[0171] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 830 for storing instructions executed by the processor 810 or storing input data required for the processor 810 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 810 executes instructions.

[0172] In one implementation, the memory 830 may also be integrated into the processor 810 or independent of the processor 810 .

[0173] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the method provided by the above method embodiment, the processor 810 is used to implement the function of the above processing unit 710, and the interface circuit 820 is used to implement the function of the above transceiver unit 720.

[0174] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the chip can implement the functions related to the terminal in the above method embodiment. The chip receives information / data from other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information / data can be sent by a network device to the terminal; or the chip sends information / data to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information / data can be sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0175] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to an access network device, the module can implement the functions related to the access network node in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The module receives information / data from other modules in the access network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information / data can be sent by the terminal to the access network device; or, the module sends information / data to other modules in the access network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information / data can be sent by the access network device to the terminal. The access network device module here can be a chip of the access network device, or it can be a DU or other module (for example, a CU or a RU, etc.), the DU can be an O-DU under the O-RAN architecture, the CU can be an O-CU under the O-RAN architecture, and the RU can be an O-RU under the O-RAN architecture.

[0176] In the present application, the information / data sent by the access network node to the terminal can be generated by at least one module in the CU, DU or RU of the access network device and then sent to the terminal, that is, the function of the access network node can be implemented by one or more modules in the access network device. Among them, after the information / data is generated, it can be transmitted (such as transparent transmission or transmission after processing) to the wireless channel through multiple modules of the access network node, so that the terminal device can receive the information / data from the access network node from the wireless channel.

[0177] For example, in the present application, the system message for carrying the segmentation of the positioning system information block can be sent from the CU of the access network device to the RU, and sent by the RU to the wireless channel, so that the terminal can receive the system message in the wireless channel. The system message for carrying SIB1 can be sent from the DU to the RU, and sent by the RU to the wireless channel. The SIB1 can carry scheduling information for carrying system messages other than SIB1. Optionally, the SIB1 can also carry segmentation information of the positioning system information block. The fourth information sent by the access network node to the terminal in the foregoing text can be the CU of the access network device passing the fourth information to the DU, and then passing it to the RU by the DU, and sending it to the wireless channel by the RU, or it can also be the DU of the access network device passing the fourth information to the CU, and sending it to the terminal by the CU (sending it to the terminal by the CU can specifically include: the CU passes the fourth information to the DU, and then passes it to the RU by the DU, and sends it to the wireless channel by the RU for the convenience of terminal reception).

[0178] In the present application, the function of information / data exchange between the access network node and the LMF node can be implemented by the CU of the access network device. Specifically, the access network device can be implemented through the control plane interface between the CU and the core network (such as Figure 1 The NG-C shown realizes information / data interaction with LMF nodes.

[0179] For example, the first information / second information / third information between the access network node and the LMF node in the previous text can be transmitted through the control plane interface of the CU. For example, the first information sent by the access network node to the LMF node can be transmitted by the control plane interface NG-C of the CU to the AMF node of the core network, and then transmitted by the AMF node to the LMF node. The second information / third information sent by the LMF node to the access network node can be sent by the LMF node to the AMF node, and then transmitted by the AMF node to the CU through the control plane interface of the CU.

[0180] It is understandable that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0181] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, compact disc-read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in an access network device or a terminal device. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in an access network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

[0182] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, when the computer program code is executed by one or more processors, the device including the processor executes the method provided in the above method embodiment.

[0183] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device.

[0184] According to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores the above-mentioned computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by one or more processors, the device including the processor executes the method provided by the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0185] As described above, the computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instruction may be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it may also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0186] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the one or more terminals mentioned above. The system may further include the one or more network devices mentioned above.

[0187] In the several provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the devices described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0188] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of this solution.

[0189] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided in a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0190] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

[0191] Transistor logic devices and discrete hardware components can implement or execute the methods, steps and logic diagrams of this application. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method of this application can be directly embodied as a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0192] In the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0193] The present application also provides a processing device, including a processor and a (communication) interface; the processor is used to execute any one of the above methods.

[0194] It should be understood that the above-mentioned processing device can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips.

[0195] According to the method provided by the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is executed by one or more processors, causes a device including the processor to execute Figures 4 to 6 The method shown.

[0196] The technical solution provided in this application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part 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, the process or function described in this application is generated in whole or in part. The above-mentioned computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium, etc.

[0197] According to the method provided by the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium stores a program code, when the program code is executed by one or more processors, the device including the processor executes Figures 4 to 6 The method shown.

[0198] According to the method provided by the present application, the present application also provides a system, which includes the aforementioned one or more access network nodes. The system may further include the aforementioned one or more LMF nodes. Optionally, the system may further include the aforementioned terminal device.

[0199] In the several provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the devices described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0200] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of this solution.

[0201] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the relay device and / or the network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples. In the embodiment of the present application, other operations or variations of various operations can also be performed. In addition, each step can be performed in a different order presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible not to perform all the operations in the embodiment of the present application.

[0202] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An information transmission method, characterized in that: include: The access network node sends first information to the location management function LMF node, where the first information is used to indicate the amount of information supported by the system message; The LMF node sends second information to the access network node, where the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of a positioning system information block, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message; The access network node sends at least one system message, each system message carrying a segment of the positioning system information block.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Before the access network node sends the first information to the LMF node, the method further includes: The LMF node sends third information to the access network node, where the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The third information is carried in a TRP information request message for sending and receiving points, and the first information is carried in a TRP information response message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The second information is further used to indicate one or more of the following: The type of the positioning system information block, the periodic duration of the access network node broadcasting the system message, or the priority of broadcasting the positioning system information block.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The at least one system message includes a plurality of system messages, and the plurality of system messages are system messages in a plurality of consecutive system message cycles.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network node sends fourth information to the terminal, or the LMF node sends fourth information to the terminal, The fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages of the at least one system message.

8. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processing unit, configured to determine first information, where the first information is used to indicate an amount of information supported by the system message; A transceiver unit, configured to send the first information to a location management function LMF node; The transceiver unit is further used to receive second information from the LMF node, where the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of a positioning system information block, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message bearer; The transceiver unit is further used to send at least one system message, each system message carries a segment of the positioning system information block.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further used to receive third information from the LMF node, where the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further used to send fourth information to the terminal, where the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages in the at least one system message.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, configured to receive first information from an access network node, wherein the first information is used to indicate an amount of information supported by a system message; A processing unit, configured to determine second information, where the second information is used to indicate at least one segment of a positioning system information block, and the amount of information of each segment is less than or equal to the amount of information supported by the system message; The transceiver unit is further configured to send the second information to the access network node.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to send third information to the access network node, where the third information is used to request the amount of information supported by the system message.

13. The device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further used to send fourth information to the terminal, where the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or to indicate the number of system messages in the at least one system message.

14. An information transmission method, characterized in that: include: The terminal receives fourth information from an access network node or from a positioning management function LMF node, where the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or the number of system messages of at least one system message carrying the segment of the positioning system information block, each system message carrying a segment of the positioning system information block; The terminal receives at least one system message from an access network node according to the fourth information.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information, and the positioning assistance information is used for positioning measurement.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal receives request information from the LMF node, where the request information is used to request the terminal to perform positioning measurement, and the request information includes time information when the terminal feeds back the positioning measurement result; The terminal receives, according to the fourth information, at least one system message from the access network node, including: The terminal receives the at least one system message from the access network node according to the time information and the fourth information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal determines, according to the at least one system message, a positioning system information block, where the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information; The terminal obtains a positioning measurement result according to the positioning assistance information; The terminal sends the positioning information to the LMF node, where the positioning information includes the positioning measurement result.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to receive fourth information from an access network node or from a positioning management function LMF node, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the number of segments of at least one segment of the positioning system information block or the number of system messages of at least one system message carrying the segment of the positioning system information block; The processing unit is used to control the transceiver unit to receive at least one system message from the access network node according to the fourth information, each system message carrying a segment of the positioning system information block.

19. The device according to claim 18, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further used to receive request information from the LMF node, the request information is used to request the terminal to perform positioning measurement, and the request information includes time information of the terminal feeding back the positioning measurement result; The processing unit is specifically configured to control the transceiver unit to receive the at least one system message from the access network node according to the time information and the fourth information.

20. The device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to determine a positioning system information block according to the at least one system message, wherein the positioning system information block carries positioning assistance information; The processing unit is further configured to obtain a positioning measurement result according to the positioning assistance information; The transceiver unit is further used to send the positioning information to the LMF node, where the positioning information includes a positioning measurement result.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor; the processor is used to execute a computer program or computer instructions in a memory to implement the function of the access network node or the function of the LMF node in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices, and the processor is used to implement the function of the access network node or the function of the LMF node in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises the communication device provided in any one of claims 8 to 10 and the communication device provided in any one of claims 11 to 13.

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