Positioning method and device

Abstract

A positioning method, the method comprising: a first device sends first information to a second device, the first information comprising the size of a time synchronization smoothing window when the first device and the second device perform data communication; the first device receives a plurality of data frames sent by the second device in the time synchronization smoothing window; the first device determines a first time and a first multipath time delay according to the plurality of data frames; wherein the first time is the sending time advance of the second equipment when the first equipment communicates with the second equipment; and the first device determines position information of the second device according to the first time and the first multipath time delay. When the second equipment is positioned, the positioning of the second equipment can be realized without special ranging signaling or only a small amount of signaling.

Description

Positioning method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a positioning method and device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, positioning measurements for terminal devices are typically performed based on air interface propagation delay. This typically requires proprietary positioning frames and extensive signaling. Using proprietary positioning frames increases technical complexity, such as increasing the complexity of the MAC layer, and consumes significant air interface resources, reducing system efficiency.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a positioning method and device, which realizes the positioning measurement of a terminal device by using data frames transmitted through a broadcast channel and an uplink data channel.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which includes: a first device sends first information to a second device, the first information including: the size of a time synchronization smooth window when the first device and the second device communicate data; the first device receives multiple data frames sent by the second device within the time synchronization smooth window; the first device determines a first time and a first multipath delay based on the multiple data frames; wherein the first time is the transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate; the first device determines the location information of the second device based on the first time and the first multipath delay.

[0006] In the above solution, when determining the location information of the second device, the first device uses the second device's transmit timing advance generated during time synchronization between the first and second devices to determine the second device's location information. This eliminates the need for dedicated ranging signaling when performing ranging or positioning on the second device, or only requires a small amount of signaling, thereby reducing the cost of ranging / positioning the second node.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the first device determines the first time based on multiple data frames, including: determining the multipath center of each data frame in the multiple data frames received within the time synchronization smoothing window; and determining the first time based on the multiple multipath centers of gravity.

[0008] That is to say, when the first device determines the sending time advance of the second device (the time synchronization reference point between the first device and the second device), it can use the deviation between the multipath center of gravity of each data frame in the frequency domain transmission and the local time in the multiple data frames received by the first device within the time synchronization smoothing window as the sending time advance of the second device.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first device determines the location information of the second device based on the first time and the first multipath delay, including: determining the air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate based on the first time and the first multipath delay; and determining the location information of the second device based on the air interface propagation delay.

[0010] That is, when the first device determines the location information of the second device based on the air interface propagation delay between the first and second devices, the first device can assume that the multipath delays incurred when the first and second devices receive signals are the same. In this case, the first device can determine the location information of the second device based on the second device's transmit timing advance and the first device's multipath delay. This eliminates the need for additional signaling when determining the location information of the second device, reducing the cost of ranging / positioning the second node.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the first device receiving third information sent by the second device, where the third information carries a second multipath delay, and the second multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the second device receives the information sent by the first device.

[0012] That is, when the first device locates or measures the distance to the second device, in order to ensure the accuracy of the positioning or measuring the distance to the second device, the first device may also obtain the multipath delay generated when the second device receives information.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first device determines the location information of the second device based on the first time and the first multipath delay, including: determining the air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay; and determining the location information of the second device based on the air interface propagation delay.

[0014] That is, the first device determines the air interface propagation delay between the first device and the second device using the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay. This ensures the accuracy of the air interface delay determined by the first device. Furthermore, the accuracy of the location information of the second device determined by the first device using the air interface delay is ensured.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which includes: a second device receiving first information sent by a first device, the first information including: a first time, the first time being the advance of the transmission time of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate; the second device receiving multiple data frames sent by the first device, and determining a second multipath delay of the second device based on the multiple data frames; the second device determining the location information of the second device based on the first time and the second multipath delay.

[0016] In the above solution, the first and second devices determine the second device's location information based on the first time sent by the first device and the multipath delay of the second device. Because any two nodes need to synchronize their time (i.e., determine the transmission time advance of one of the nodes) when transmitting information, the second device avoids adding additional signaling when determining its own location information, reducing the cost of ranging / positioning the second node.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the second device determines the location information of the second device based on the first time and the second multipath delay, including: determining the air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate based on the first time and the second multipath delay; and determining the location information of the second device based on the air interface propagation delay.

[0018] That is, when the second device determines the location information of the first device and the second device, the second device may determine the location information of the second device by determining the air interface propagation delay between the second device and the first device.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the second device receiving second information sent by the first device, where the second information carries a first multipath delay, and the first multipath delay refers to the delay generated when the first device receives the information sent by the second device.

[0020] That is, when the second device determines its own location information, in order to ensure the accuracy of the determined location of the second device, the second device may also obtain from the first device the multipath delay when the first device receives information.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the second device determines the location information of the second device based on the first time and the second multipath delay, including: determining the air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay; and determining the location information of the second device based on the air interface propagation delay.

[0022] In other words, the second device determines the air interface propagation delay between the first device and the second device using the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay. This ensures the accuracy of the air interface propagation delay between the first device and the second device determined by the second device. Furthermore, the accuracy of the location information of the second device determined based on the air interface delay is ensured. In other words, by adding a small amount of signaling, the accuracy of ranging or positioning of the second device is ensured.

[0023] In a third aspect, the present application provides a network device, including:

[0024] A sending module, configured to send first information to a terminal device, wherein the first information includes: a size of a time synchronization smoothing window when the first device and the second device perform data communication;

[0025] A receiving module, configured to receive multiple data frames sent by a terminal device within a time synchronization smoothing window;

[0026] A processing module, configured to determine a first time and a first multipath delay according to a plurality of data frames; the first time being a transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate;

[0027] The processing module is further configured to determine the distance between the network device and the terminal device according to the first time and the first multipath delay.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the processing module is configured to:

[0029] Determine the number of data frames received within the time synchronization smoothing window

[0030] a multipath centroid of each data frame in the plurality of data frames;

[0031] A first time is determined based on the multiple multipath centroids.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the processing module is configured to:

[0033] Determine, based on the first time and the first multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate;

[0034] The location information of the second device is determined according to the air interface propagation delay.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to:

[0036] Receive third information sent by the second device, where the third information carries a second multipath delay, where the second multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the second device receives the information sent by the first device.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the processing module is configured to:

[0038] Determining, based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate;

[0039] The location information of the second device is determined according to the air interface propagation delay.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, characterized by including:

[0041] A receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by a network device, the first information including: a first time, the first time being a transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate;

[0042] The receiving module is further configured to receive a plurality of data frames sent by the first device, and determine a second multipath delay of the second device according to the plurality of data frames;

[0043] The processing module is configured to determine the location information of the second device according to the first time and the second multipath delay.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the processing module is configured to:

[0045] Determining, based on the first time and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate;

[0046] The location information of the second device is determined according to the air interface propagation delay.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to:

[0048] Second information sent by the first device is received, where the second information carries a first multipath delay, where the first multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the first device receives the information sent by the second device.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the processing module is configured to:

[0050] Determining, based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate;

[0051] The location information of the second device is determined according to the air interface propagation delay.

[0052] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0055] FIG1 is a flow chart of positioning based on air interface propagation delay;

[0056] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a process of data communication between two nodes provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG6 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of estimating a synchronization reference time point provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission process between two nodes provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0066] In the description of the embodiments of this application, any embodiment or design scheme using "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" should not be understood as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0067] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly identifying the technical features being referred to. Thus, features specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. The terms "include," "comprising," "having," and their variations all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0068] Generally, in mobile communications, mobile terminals and base stations are connected via an air interface. Therefore, when locating a terminal device, the position can be measured based on air interface propagation delay. The air interface is relative to the "line interface" in wired communications.

[0069] For example, Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of positioning based on air interface propagation delay. As shown in Fig. 1 , it includes: S101-S106.

[0070] S101: A first terminal device and a second terminal device perform signaling interaction to determine that a communication connection is established between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0071] In this embodiment, during signaling interaction between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, the second terminal device may send a request frame to the first terminal device to request establishment of a connection with the first terminal device. After the first terminal device receives the request frame sent by the second terminal device, the first terminal device may send an acknowledgment frame (ACK) to the second terminal device, indicating that the first terminal device can establish a communication connection with the second terminal device.

[0072] S102, the first terminal device sends a first measurement frame (M-Rang) to the second terminal device, and records the air interface sending time t1 of the measurement frame.

[0073] In this embodiment, the air interface delay of communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be measured through the first measurement frame.

[0074] S103: The second terminal device records the receiving time t2 of the first measurement frame.

[0075] S104, the second terminal device sends a second measurement frame (ACK-Rang) to the first terminal device, and records the air interface sending time t3 of the measurement frame.

[0076] In this embodiment, the second measurement frame may be a response frame, used to indicate that the second terminal device has received the first measurement frame sent by the first terminal device.

[0077] S105, the first terminal device records the receiving time t4 of the second measurement frame.

[0078] S106, the first terminal device sends t1 and t4 to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device sends t2 and t3 to the first terminal device.

[0079] In this embodiment, the process of exchanging t1, t4 and t2, t3 between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the process of aligning the first terminal device and the second terminal device to the same clock, requires additional signaling to transmit the clock deviation.

[0080] The first terminal device and the second terminal device can estimate the air interface propagation delay RTT = [(t4 - t1) - (t3 - t2)] based on the received time information. Based on the calculated air interface delay, the distance D between the first terminal device and the second terminal device can be obtained as D = c * RTT / 2, where c is the speed of light.

[0081] S107, repeating steps 1 to 6 to perform multiple measurement smoothing.

[0082] In the above scheme, a positioning process requires the sending and receiving of multiple measurement frames and signaling frames, which occupies more air interface resources during the positioning process, reducing the efficiency of the system. In order to solve the problem that multiple signaling interactions are required in the above positioning or ranging process, which occupies more air interface resources and thus reduces the efficiency of the system. An embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which can be applied to a wireless communication system. The method does not require the use of a dedicated positioning frame to achieve positioning measurement of a terminal device. In an embodiment of the present application, ranging positioning can be achieved between any two communicating nodes with the help of a broadcast channel, an uplink data channel, and data transmitted by the broadcast signal and the uplink data channel.

[0083] For example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication system includes: a first node 21 and a second node 22. Wireless communication can be performed between the first node 21 and the second node 22. For example, short-range point-to-point communication and wireless local area network communication can be performed. When the position of the second node 22 relative to the first node 21 changes, the delay of the signal transmitted between the second node 22 and the first node 21 over the air interface will also change. Therefore, the first node 21 can locate or measure the distance of the second node 22 based on the air interface propagation delay between the second node 22 and the first node 21. Specifically, the first node 21 can determine the air interface delay of the signal transmission between the first node 21 and the second node 22 using data frames transmitted on the broadcast channel and the uplink data channel between the second node 22 and the first node 21. This achieves the purpose of ranging or locating the second node 22. In this embodiment of the present application, the first node 21 can be a master device. The second node 22 can be a slave device scheduled by the first node 21.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first node 21 may be a base station, and the second node 22 may be a terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device refers to an electronic device with signal receiving and transmitting functions and a terminal device equipped with the electronic device, such as a car, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable device, etc.

[0085] The above is an introduction to the wireless communication system involved in the embodiment of the present application. Next, the components of the wireless communication system shown in Figure 2 are introduced.

[0086] First, let's introduce the first node 21. For example, Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the first node 21. In Figure 3, the first node can be, but is not limited to, the aforementioned base station. As shown in Figure 3, the first node 21 includes a system-on-chip (SOC) 211, an IoT PHY chip 212, and memory 213.

[0087] The memory 213 is used to store program instructions and data, for example, the delay information of the second node 22 and program instructions for implementing ranging or positioning of the second node 22.

[0088] The system-on-chip 211 reads the program instructions and data stored in the memory 213 , thereby achieving ranging or positioning of the second node 22 .

[0089] The IoT PHY chip is the physical interface transceiver of the first node 21 and is the entry and exit for the first node 21 to communicate with the outside world.

[0090] It should be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the first node 21. In other embodiments of the present application, the first node 21 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0091] Next, let's introduce the second node 22. In Figure 4, the second node 22 can be, but is not limited to, the aforementioned terminal device. As shown in Figure 4, the second node 22 includes a processor 221, a network interface 222, and a memory 223. Optionally, the second node 22 also includes an input device 224 and a display 225. The processor 221, network interface 222, memory 223, input device 224, and display 225 can be connected via a bus or other means.

[0092] Memory 223 is a memory device of second node 22, used to store programs and data. For example, it stores signals and latency information sent by first node 21. Memory 223 provides storage space, which stores the operating system of terminal device 22. Operating systems include, but are not limited to, Windows (an operating system), Linux (an operating system), Hongmeng (an operating system), etc., and are not limited here.

[0093] In this solution, processor 221 (also known as a central processing unit (CPU)) is the computing and control core of second node 22. Processor 221 reads program instructions and data stored in memory 223, thereby adjusting the timing of signal transmission to first node 21 based on the delay information sent by first node 21.

[0094] The network interface 222 may include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface (e.g., a mobile communication interface). The network interface 222 is controlled by the processor 221 to transmit and receive data. For example, it may receive signals and timing advances sent by the first node 21. The input device 224 is used to receive user input. The display 225 is used to display the user input.

[0095] It should be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the second node 22. In other embodiments of the present application, the second node 22 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0096] Next, based on the above description, the process of data communication between any two nodes is introduced.

[0097] Exemplarily, FIG5 provides a schematic diagram of the process of data communication between two nodes (G node and T node). Referring to FIG5 , it can be seen that the gray square G in FIG5 represents the first data sent by the G node to the T node. The gray square T represents the second data sent by the T node to the G node after receiving the first data. The white square GAP1 represents the interval of data transmission. A complete data transmission between the G node and the T node includes: the G node sends data to the T node, and the T node sends data to the G node after receiving the data sent by the G node. The transmission delay of the data from the G node sending the data to the T node receiving the data includes: the transmission (T x ) Circuit delay, air interface propagation delay (T Air ), receive (R x) Circuit delay and multipath delay. Among them, the transmitting circuit delay refers to the delay caused by the signal being transmitted on the internal circuit of the G node before the G node sends the signal through its transmitting port. The air interface propagation delay refers to the delay caused by the signal transmission when the signal is sent from the transmitting port of the G node and the T node receives the signal through the receiving port. The receiving circuit delay refers to the delay caused by the signal being transmitted on the internal circuit of the T node after the T node receives the signal. Multipath delay refers to the delay caused by the different arrival times of the various components of the signal at the receiving end after the signal propagates through different paths.

[0098] 5, it can be seen that the G node modulates the first data at time t1'. The first data is modulated on the baseband after ΔTx G After a circuit delay of , the data is sent to the T node through the transmission interface of the G node at time t1.

[0099] The first data passes through T Air1 After the air interface propagation delay of ΔRx, the transmission interface of the T node receives the first data at time t2. T The circuit delay and T 1st,T After a multipath delay of , it is received by the baseband of node T at time t2'.

[0100] Furthermore, after receiving the first data, the T node modulates the first data at time t3'. The second data is modulated on the baseband after ΔTx T After a circuit delay of , the data is sent to the G node through the transmission interface of the T node at time t3.

[0101] The second data passes through T Air2 After the air interface propagation delay of ΔRx, the transmission interface of the G node receives the second data at time t4. The second data passes through ΔRx on the G node. G The circuit delay and T 1st,G After a multipath delay of , it is received by the baseband of node G at time t4'.

[0102] Regarding the data transmission process between the G node and the T node, the G node can delay its own transmission circuit by ΔTx. G and receiving circuit delay ΔRx G Therefore, we can get the total time advance TA that node T needs to advance when sending data to node G. T,total .

[0103] TA T,total =ΔRx T +T 1st,T +ΔTx T +T Air1 +TAir2 +T 1st,G

[0104] =ΔRx T +ΔTx T +T 1st,T +2T Air +T 1st,G

[0105] =ΔRx T +ΔTx T +T 1st,T +RTT+T 1st,G

[0106] Because when the T node sends data to the G node, the T node can also delay its own transmission circuit ΔTx T and receiving circuit delay ΔRx T Therefore, when calculating the sending time advance TA of the T node, Air When the transmission circuit delay ΔTx of the T node is not considered, T and receiving circuit delay ΔRx T The sending time advance TA of the T node can be obtained Air for:

[0107] TA Air =RTT+T 1st,T +T 1st,G .

[0108] RTT is the air interface propagation delay between the T node and the G node.

[0109] Therefore, when data is communicated between G node and T node, if the time advance transmission amount TA of T node can be obtained Air , multipath delay T of node T 1st,T And the multipath delay T of node G 1st,G The air interface propagation delay RTT between the T node and the G node can be obtained.

[0110] RTT=TA Air -T 1st,T -T 1st,G

[0111] Furthermore, the distance d between the G node and the T node can be obtained through the air interface propagation delay RTT between the T node and the G node.

[0112]

[0113] Where c is the speed of light.

[0114] Exemplarily, based on the wireless communication system shown in Figure 2 and the data communication process shown in Figure 5 . Figure 6 shows a method flow chart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, both the first node and the second node participating in positioning support signaling-free positioning. The first node may be the G node in Figure 5 , and the second node may be the T node in Figure 5 . Referring to Figure 6 , the method includes: S601-S606.

[0115] S601: A first node sends broadcast information to a second node.

[0116] In this embodiment, before a first node and a second node perform ranging, they must mutually determine whether the other node supports signaling-free positioning. This means that the first node must send broadcast information to the second node. This broadcast information carries multiple signaling instructions, each indicating whether the first node supports signaling-free ranging, the size of the time synchronization smoothing window used for data transmission between the first and second nodes, and the starting superframe number of the time synchronization smoothing window. This allows the second node to perform data transmission with the first node based on the information carried in the broadcast information.

[0117] In one possible example, the first node indicates whether it supports non-signaling ranging by sending signaling G_NO_SIG_RANGING_EN. The first node indicates the size of the time synchronization smoothing window when the first node and the second node communicate by sending signaling TIME_SYNC_WIN_SIZE. The first node indicates the starting superframe number of the time synchronization smoothing window when the first node and the second node perform data transmission by sending signaling SFN%TIME_SYNC_WIN_SIZE=0. The first node indicates whether to require the second node to send the second node's multipath delay by sending signaling REQ_T_TIME_1ST_OFFSET.

[0118] In an embodiment of the present application, signaling-free positioning means that when the first node locates the second node, it can use the data transmitted between the first node and the second node to perform positioning measurements without the need for dedicated positioning frames (completely signaling-free mode), or only needs to use a small number of positioning frames (limited signaling mode) to perform positioning.

[0119] S602: The second node sends response information to the first node.

[0120] In this embodiment, after the first node sends broadcast information to the second node, the first node also needs to receive response information sent by the second node, indicating that a connection is established between the first node and the second node.

[0121] After the second node receives the broadcast information sent by the first node, the second node determines whether the first node supports non-signaling positioning according to the broadcast information. After the second node determines that the first node supports non-signaling positioning, the second node also needs to send response information to the first node.

[0122] In one possible example, the response information carries multiple signalings. The second node indicates whether it supports non-signaling ranging by sending signaling T_NO_SIG_RANGING_EN. The second node indicates whether it supports high-precision loop calibration by sending signaling T_ACCURATE_TAME_ADJUST_EN. The second node indicates whether it requires the first node to send the multipath delay of the first node by sending signaling REQ_G_TIME_1ST_OFFSET.

[0123] S603: Data communication is performed between the first node and the second node. The first node determines, according to uplink data information sent by the second node, a transmission timing advance of the second node when data is transmitted between the first node and the second node.

[0124] In this embodiment, after the first node determines that the second node supports signaling-free positioning based on the response information sent by the second node, the first node may synchronize the time of the first node and the second node based on multiple data frames within a time synchronization smoothing window during communication between the first node and the second node, so as to determine a transmission timing advance of the second node during outbound transmission between the first node and the second node.

[0125] In a possible example, the first node and the second node may pre-agreed on the size of the time synchronization smooth window through a protocol. For example, the size of the time synchronization smooth window may be set to a fixed number of data frames, or to a fixed time period.

[0126] When the time synchronization smoothing window is set to a fixed number of data frames, the first node and the second node need to pre-agreed on the number of data frames within the time synchronization smoothing window. The first node can calculate the multipath centroid (a time value) for each data frame within the time synchronization smoothing window. Based on the multipath centroid position of each data frame, the first node determines the average multipath centroid of multiple data frames within the time synchronization smoothing window. The deviation between this average multipath centroid and the local time is then used as the second node's transmit timing advance during data communication between the first and second nodes.

[0127] When the time synchronization smoothing window is set to a fixed time period, the first node can first determine the average multipath centroid of multiple data frames received within the fixed time period. The first node can then use the deviation between the average multipath centroid and the local time as the second node's transmit timing advance during data communication between the first and second nodes.

[0128] In one possible example, when the first node determines the transmission timing advance of the second node, the first node may use the multipath gravity center obtained by performing phase-shift (PS / maxid) estimation in the frequency domain as the synchronization reference time point. The multipath gravity center PS obtained by performing phase-shift (PS / maxid) estimation in the frequency domain is,

[0129]

[0130] Among them, N Rx is the number of receiving antennas, m is the receiving antenna index, k is the subcarrier index, Δf sc is the subcarrier frequency interval, h is the channel estimation in the frequency domain, and D is the number of subcarrier intervals.

[0131] It should be noted that the first node may determine the second node's transmit timing advance based on the multipath centroid positions of multiple data frames received by the first node within the time synchronization smoothing window. The first node may also determine the second node's transmit timing advance based on other agreed positions. In the embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the first node determines the second node's transmit timing advance is not limited.

[0132] S604: The first node sends the calculated sending timing advance of the second node to the second node.

[0133] In this embodiment, after the first node calculates the sending time advance of the second node when data communication is performed between the first node and the second node, the first node sends the calculated sending time advance of the second node to the second node at the boundary of the time synchronization smooth window, so that the second node can adjust the data sending time according to the sending time advance.

[0134] In one possible example, if the broadcast information sent by the first node to the second node indicates that the second node needs to report, the multipath delay generated by the second node receiving the downlink signal sent by the first node. The response information sent by the second node to the first node indicates that the first node needs to send downlink, the multipath delay generated by the first node receiving the uplink signal sent by the second node. When the first node sends the second node's transmission timing advance to the second node, the first node may also send the second node the multipath delay T when the first node receives the signal. 1stAfter the second node receives the timing advance sent by the first node, the second node may further send to the first node multipath delay information generated when the second node receives the signal sent by the first node.

[0135] In one possible example, referring to FIG7 , when calculating the multipath delay, the first node and the second node may first calculate the multipath gravity center position of each data frame in the multiple data frames within the time synchronization smoothing window. Then, the window position of the OFDM symbol is aligned to the multipath gravity center position by receiving time tracking (smoothing filtering), or the baseband receiving time (RXTiming) of the first node is aligned to the multipath gravity center position. At this time, the multipath delay T when the first node receives the signal is obtained by subtracting the average first path of the multiple data frames received within the time synchronization smoothing window from the estimated multipath gravity center. 1st (Also called first diameter offset).

[0136] S605: The first node determines distance information between the first node and the second node based on the acquired transmission timing advance of the second node, and further determines location information of the second node.

[0137] In this embodiment, when the first node and the second node are communicating data, the first node calculates the sending time advance of the second node in each time synchronization smooth window and sends the sending time advance to the second node. Air For:TA Air =RTT+T 1st,T +T 1st,G Therefore, the first node can calculate the distance between the first node and the second node according to the transmission timing advance of the second node, and further determine the position of the second node.

[0138] It should be noted that the position of the second node can be a relative position, that is, the position of the second node relative to the first node. The position of the second node can also be an absolute position. When the position of the second node is an absolute position, it is also necessary to obtain the position information of the first node and determine the position of the second node based on the position information of the first node and the distance information between the second node and the first node.

[0139] In one possible example, when the second node sends uplink data to the first node, it also sends the multipath delay of the second node. Then, when the first node calculates the distance between the first node and the second node, the first node can use a limited signaling mode for ranging. That is, the air interface propagation delay RRT between the second node and the first node is,

[0140] RTT=TA Air -T 1st,T -T1st,G ;

[0141]

[0142] RTT is the air interface propagation delay of the signal between the first node and the second node, TA Air is the sending time advance of the second node, T 1st,G is the first node’s head diameter offset, T 1st,T is the first path offset of the second node, d is the distance between the first node and the second node, and c is the speed of light.

[0143] In one possible example, the second node does not send the second node's multipath delay to the first node. Then, when the first node calculates the distance between the first node and the second node, the first node can use a completely signaling-free mode for ranging. In this case, it can be considered that the multipath delay of the first node is equal to the multipath delay of the second node. The air interface propagation delay RRT between the second node and the first node is,

[0144]

[0145]

[0146] RTT is the air interface propagation delay of the signal between the first node and the second node, TA Air is the sending time advance of the second node, T 1st,G is the first node’s head diameter offset, T 1st,T is the first path offset of the second node, d is the distance between the first node and the second node, and c is the speed of light.

[0147] In one possible embodiment, when calculating the distance information between the first node and the second node using the transmission timing advance of the first node, it is also necessary to determine whether loop delay calibration has been performed between the first node and the second node. In this embodiment, loop delay calibration refers to calibrating a calibration error generated when circuit calibration is performed between the first node and the second node.

[0148] Before determining whether to perform loop delay calibration on the first and second nodes, it is necessary to first determine the calibration mode used by the first and second nodes during circuit calibration. If the calibration mode used by the first and second nodes during circuit calibration is high-precision delay calibration mode (indicating that the error generated by the circuit calibration on the first and second nodes is negligible), then the calibration error generated by the circuit calibration on the first and second nodes does not need to be considered. The adjustment accuracy of high-precision calibration and high-precision delay adjustment is less than 1 / 512Ts, where Ts = 1 / 30.72e6s.

[0149] If the first node does not support the high-precision calibration mode, the first node calculates the transmission timing advance TA of the second node. Air Later, the calibration error of the first node (Cali Err,G ) from TA Air That is,

[0150] TA Air =TA Air +Cali Err,G

[0151] If the second node does not support high-precision delay adjustment, then in the limited signaling mode, when the second node sends the first path offset of the second node to the first node, the second node needs to send the calibrated first path offset. 1st,T T 1st,T =T 1st,T +TIME_ERR_T, where TIME_ERR_T is the sum of the loop calibration error and the receive time adjustment error.

[0152] S606: The second node determines the distance information between the first node and the second node according to the received first time, and further determines the location information of the second node.

[0153] In this embodiment, after the second node receives the first time sent by the first node, the second node can calculate the distance between the second node and the first node based on the received first time, thereby determining the second node's location. If the first node's location information is known, the second node can obtain the second node's location based on the determined distance between the second node and the first node and the first node's location information.

[0154] In one possible example, when the first node sends the first time to the second node, it also sends the multipath delay of the first node. Then when the second node performs ranging, the second node can use the limited signaling mode to perform ranging. That is, the air interface propagation delay RRT between the second node and the first node is,

[0155] RTT=TA Air -T 1st,T -T 1st,G ;

[0156]

[0157] RTT is the air interface propagation delay of the signal between the first node and the second node, TA Air is the sending time advance of the second node, T 1st,G is the first node’s head diameter offset, T1st,T is the first path offset of the second node, d is the distance between the first node and the second node, and c is the speed of light.

[0158] In one possible example, when the first node sends the first time to the second node, it does not send the multipath delay of the first node. Then when the second node performs ranging, the second node can use a completely non-signaling mode for ranging. In this case, it can be considered that the multipath delay of the first node and the multipath delay of the second node are equal. The air interface propagation delay RRT between the second node and the first node is,

[0159]

[0160]

[0161] RTT is the air interface propagation delay of the signal between the first node and the second node, TA Air is the sending time advance of the second node, T 1st,G is the first node’s head diameter offset, T 1st,T is the first path offset of the second node, d is the distance between the first node and the second node, and c is the speed of light.

[0162] In a possible embodiment, when calculating the distance information between the first node and the second node using the transmission timing advance of the second node, it is also necessary to determine whether the first node and the second node have performed loop delay calibration.

[0163] In this embodiment, loop delay calibration refers to calibrating a correction error generated when circuit calibration is performed on the first node and the second node.

[0164] Before determining whether loop delay calibration has been performed on the first and second nodes, it is necessary to first determine the calibration mode used by the first and second nodes during circuit calibration. If the first and second nodes used high-precision delay calibration mode during circuit calibration (indicating that the error generated by the first and second nodes during circuit calibration is negligible), then the calibration error generated by the first and second nodes during circuit calibration does not need to be considered. The adjustment accuracy of high-precision calibration and high-precision delay adjustment is less than 1 / 512Ts, where Ts = 1 / 30.72e6s.

[0165] If the first node does not support the high-precision calibration mode, the first node calculates the transmission timing advance TA of the second node. Air Later, the calibration error of the first node (Cali Err,G ) from TA Air That is,

[0166] TAAir =TA Air +Cali Err,G

[0167] If the second node does not support high-precision delay adjustment, then in the limited signaling mode, when the second node sends the first path offset of the second node to the first node, the second node needs to send the calibrated first path offset. 1st,T T 1st,T =T 1st,T +TIME_ERR_T, where TIME_ERR_T is the sum of the loop calibration error and the receive time adjustment error.

[0168] When any two nodes are transmitting information, they need to be time synchronized. In an embodiment of the present application, the location information of the second node is determined by the transmission time advance of the second node generated when the first node and the second node are time synchronized. This eliminates the need to add dedicated ranging signaling (the completely non-signaling mode in the above embodiment) when ranging / positioning the second node, or only requires adding a small amount of signaling (the limited signaling mode in the above embodiment), thereby reducing the cost of ranging / positioning the second node.

[0169] Exemplary, based on the wireless communication system shown in Figure 2. Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of a data transmission process provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 8, it can be seen that during the process of data transmission between the first node and the second node, the first node measures and smoothes the transmission timing advance of the second node through multiple time synchronization smooth windows. That is, in this embodiment, during the process of data communication between the first node and the second node, the first node needs to update the transmission timing advance of the second node when the first node and the second node communicate data within each time synchronization smooth window. And at the boundary of each time synchronization smooth window, the calculated transmission timing advance of the second node is sent to the second node. So that the second node can adjust the transmission time of the second node's uplink data according to the received transmission timing advance. Then, the first node continues to receive the uplink data sent by the second node in the next time synchronization smooth window, and updates the transmission timing advance of the second node when data communication is carried out between the first node and the second node based on the uplink data.

[0170] In one possible example, based on data frames received from the second node within a first time synchronization smooth window, the first node determines that the second node's transmit timing advance is 2 μs during data communication between the first and second nodes. The first node sends this transmit timing advance to the second node, causing the second node to adjust its data transmit timing based on the transmit timing advance. The first node then continues to receive data frames sent by the second node within a second time synchronization smooth window and calculates the average multipath centroid of the data frames within the second time synchronization smooth window to be 1 μs. At this point, the transmit timing advance of the second node during data communication between the first and second nodes is 3 μs (2 μs + 1 μs).

[0171] In the embodiment of the present application, the first node continuously sends the timing advance TA to the second node. Air The second node will receive the time advance TA sent by the first node multiple times. Air The first node and the second node are in accordance with TA Air When performing positioning and ranging, any TA in the data transmission process between the first node and the second node can be used. Air To perform positioning and ranging, you can also obtain multiple TA Air Furthermore, when the distance between the first node and the second node changes dynamically, the first node and the second node can use the last acquired TA Air To perform positioning and ranging.

[0172] Exemplarily, FIG9 shows a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided by the present invention. Referring to FIG9 , the device includes: a receiving module 901 , a processing module 902 , and a sending module 903 .

[0173] The receiving module 901 is used to receive data information sent by the terminal device.

[0174] The processing module 902 is used to determine the delay information of data transmission between the network device and the terminal device according to the received data information, and determine the sending time advance of the terminal device according to the delay information.

[0175] The sending module 903 is used to send the determined sending timing advance of the terminal device to the terminal device.

[0176] The processing module 902 is further configured to determine the distance between the network device and the terminal device according to the determined transmission timing advance of the terminal device.

[0177] In a possible example, when the location of the network device is known, the network device may also determine the location of the terminal device according to the determined distance between the terminal device and the network device and the location of the network device.

[0178] The network device embodiment described in FIG9 is merely illustrative. For example, the module division is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. The functional modules in various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing module, each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module.

[0179] For example, the modules in FIG. 9 can be implemented in either hardware or software functional modules. For example, when implemented in software, the processing module 902 can be implemented as a software functional module generated by the system-on-chip 211 in FIG. 3 reading the program code stored in the memory 213. The modules in FIG. 9 can also be implemented by different hardware components in the network device. For example, the processing module 902 can be implemented by a portion of the processing resources in the system-on-chip 211 in FIG. 3 (e.g., one core in a multi-core processor). The sending module 903 and the receiving module 901 can be implemented by the IoT PHY chip 212 and the remaining processing resources in the system-on-chip 21 in FIG. 3 (e.g., other cores in a multi-core processor), or by programmable devices such as FPGAs or coprocessors. Obviously, the functional modules can also be implemented using a combination of hardware and software. For example, the sending module 903 and the receiving module 901 can be implemented by hardware programmable devices, while the processing module 902 can be a software functional module generated by the CPU reading the program code stored in the memory.

[0180] Exemplarily, FIG10 shows a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided by the present application. Referring to FIG10 , the device includes: a receiving module 1001 , a processing module 1002 , and a sending module 1003 .

[0181] The receiving module 1001 is used for the first time sent by the network device. The first time is the sending time advance of the terminal device.

[0182] The processing module 1002 is configured to determine the distance between the terminal device and the network device according to the received first time.

[0183] In a possible example, when the location of the network device is known, the terminal device may also determine the location of the terminal device according to the determined distance between the terminal device and the network device and the location of the network device.

[0184] The sending module 1003 is used to determine the time when the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device based on the received first time.

[0185] The network device embodiment described in FIG10 is merely illustrative. For example, the module division is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. The functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing module, each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module.

[0186] For example, the modules in FIG. 10 can be implemented in either hardware or software functional modules. For example, when implemented in software, the processing module 1002 can be implemented as a software functional module generated by at least one processor 221 in FIG. 4 reading the program code stored in the memory 223. The modules in FIG. 10 can also be implemented by different hardware components in the terminal device. For example, the processing module 1002 can be implemented by a portion of the processing resources of at least one processor 221 in FIG. 4 (e.g., one core in a multi-core processor). The sending module 1003 and the receiving module 1001 can be implemented by the network interface 222 and the remaining processing resources of at least one processor 221 in FIG. 4 (e.g., other cores in a multi-core processor), or by a programmable device such as an FPGA or coprocessor. Obviously, the functional modules can also be implemented using a combination of hardware and software. For example, the sending module 1003 and the receiving module 1001 can be implemented by hardware programmable devices, while the processing module 1002 can be a software functional module generated by the CPU reading the program code stored in the memory.

[0187] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, CD-ROMs 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. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC.

[0188] 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 instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted via the computer-readable storage medium. The computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or 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 DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state drive (SSD)).

[0189] It will be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are merely distinctions for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method comprises: A first device sends first information to a second device, where the first information includes: a size of a time synchronization smoothing window when the first device and the second device perform data communication; The first device receives a plurality of data frames sent by the second device within the time synchronization smooth window; The first device determines a first time and a first multipath delay based on the multiple data frames; the first time is a transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate; The first device determines the location information of the second device according to the first time and the first multipath delay.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first device determines the first time according to the multiple data frames, including: Determining a multipath center of gravity of each of a plurality of data frames received within the time synchronization smoothing window; A first time is determined according to the multiple multipath centroids.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first device determines the location information of the second device according to the first time and the first multipath delay, including: Determine, based on the first time and the first multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first device receives third information sent by the second device, where the third information carries a second multipath delay. The second multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the second device receives the information sent by the first device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first device determines the location information of the second device according to the first time and the first multipath delay, including: Determining, based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

6. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The second device receives first information sent by the first device, where the first information includes: a first time, where the first time is a transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate; The second device receives a plurality of data frames sent by the first device, and determines a second multipath delay of the second device according to the plurality of data frames; The second device determines the location information of the second device according to the first time and the second multipath delay.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second device determines the location information of the second device according to the first time and the second multipath delay, including: Determine, based on the first time and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second device receives second information sent by the first device, where the second information carries a first multipath delay. The first multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the first device receives the information sent by the second device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second device determines the location information of the second device according to the first time and the second multipath delay, including: Determining, based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

10. A network device, characterized in that: include: A sending module, configured to send first information to a terminal device, where the first information includes: a size of a time synchronization smoothing window when the first device and the second device perform data communication; A receiving module, configured to receive a plurality of data frames sent by the terminal device within the time synchronization smoothing window; A processing module, configured to determine a first time and a first multipath delay according to the multiple data frames; the first time being a transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate; The processing module is further configured to determine the distance between the network device and the terminal device according to the first time and the first multipath delay.

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that The processing module is used for: Determine a plurality of data frames received within the time synchronization smoothing window a multipath centroid of each data frame in the plurality of data frames; A first time is determined according to the multiple multipath centroids.

12. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The processing module is used for: Determine, based on the first time and the first multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

13. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The receiving module is further configured to: Receive third information sent by the second device, where the third information carries a second multipath delay, where the second multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the second device receives the information sent by the first device.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that The processing module is used for: Determining, based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

15. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: a receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by a network device, wherein the first information includes: a first time, where the first time is a transmission time advance of the second device when the first device and the second device communicate; The receiving module is further configured to receive a plurality of data frames sent by the first device, and determine a second multipath delay of the second device according to the plurality of data frames; A processing module is configured to determine the location information of the second device according to the first time and the second multipath delay.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The processing module is used for: Determine, based on the first time and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

17. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The receiving module is further configured to: Receive second information sent by the first device, where the second information carries a first multipath delay, where the first multipath delay refers to a delay generated when the first device receives the information sent by the second device.

18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that The processing module is used for: Determining, based on the first time, the first multipath delay, and the second multipath delay, an air interface propagation delay when the first device and the second device communicate; Determine the location information of the second device according to the air interface propagation delay.

19. A computer-readable medium, wherein instructions are stored in the computer storage medium. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or claims 6 to 9.

20. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or claims 6 to 9.

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