Positioning system, positioning method, apparatus, device, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The application relates to a positioning system, a positioning method, a device, equipment, a storage medium and a program product. The positioning system comprises a target terminal, an access network device, a plurality of first positioning devices, a second positioning device, a positioning management function network element, each first positioning device is connected with the access network device, the second positioning device is connected with each first positioning device respectively, the positioning management function network element is connected with the second positioning device and the access network device respectively, and the target terminal is connected with the access network device; the positioning system realizes station supplementing by arranging a plurality of first positioning devices which are connected in a loose mode around the access network device, does not need to reconstruct the access network device or add other additional hardware devices, and greatly reduces the cost of positioning system deployment or reconstruction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the positioning technical field, and in particular to a positioning system, a positioning method, a device, equipment, a storage medium and a program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of network information technology, the 5G standard defines positioning technologies such as uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA), angle of arrival (AOA), round trip time (RTT), etc. However, in order to apply these positioning technologies, the 5G base station gNB / pRRU needs to support special capabilities such as high-precision positioning signal transmission or measurement, time synchronization, etc., which requires modification, upgrading, etc. of the existing 5G network architecture. For example, if the site density of the existing 5G network architecture is insufficient and needs to be supplemented, a complete set of related equipment associated with each base station needs to be deployed.

[0003] Therefore, the current positioning method based on the 5G network architecture has the problem of high reconstruction cost. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning system, a positioning method, a device, equipment, a storage medium and a program product, which can reduce the deployment or reconstruction cost of the positioning system.

[0005] In a first aspect, a positioning system is provided, and the positioning system comprises: a target terminal, an access network device, a plurality of first positioning devices, a second positioning device, and a positioning management function network element; each of the first positioning devices is connected with the access network device, the second positioning device is connected with each of the first positioning devices, the positioning management function network element is connected with the second positioning device and the access network device respectively, and the target terminal is connected with the access network device.

[0006] The positioning management function network element is configured to receive a configuration parameter sent by the access network device, and send a first location information request to the second positioning device according to the configuration parameter.

[0007] The second positioning device is configured to receive the first location information request, and send the first location information request to the first positioning device.

[0008] The first positioning device is configured to receive the first position information request, measure the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first position information request to obtain position-related information, and send the position-related information to the second positioning device; the position-related information is used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element.

[0009] The second positioning device is further configured to receive the position-related information returned by the first positioning device, process the test data to obtain a measurement result, and send the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

[0010] The positioning management function network element is further configured to receive the measurement result returned by the second positioning device, and position the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the first position information request includes signal configuration parameters, and the first positioning device is specifically configured to measure the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain the position-related information.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the second positioning device is specifically configured to process the position-related information according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain the measurement result when receiving the position-related information returned by the first positioning device.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the positioning management function network element is specifically configured to extract the signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters according to the signal configuration parameters when receiving the configuration parameters sent by the access network device, and generate the first position information request according to the signal configuration parameters, and send the first position information request to the second positioning device.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the positioning management function network element is specifically configured to determine a positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal when extracting the signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters, and extract the signal configuration parameters corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameters.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the signal configuration parameters include configuration parameters of a downlink positioning reference signal or configuration parameters of a channel sounding positioning signal.

[0016] In a second aspect, a positioning method is provided, and the method is applied to a first positioning device in the positioning system of the first aspect, and the method includes:

[0017] receiving a first position information request sent by a second positioning device in the positioning system;

[0018] measure a positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first location information request to obtain location related information;

[0019] send the location related information to the second positioning device, the location related information being used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element in the positioning system.

[0020] In one of the embodiments, the first location information request comprises signal configuration parameters; and the measuring the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first location information request to obtain the location related information comprises:

[0021] measuring the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain the location related information.

[0022] In a third aspect, a positioning method is provided, which is applied to a second positioning device in the positioning system of the first aspect, and the method comprises:

[0023] sending a first location information request to a first positioning device in the positioning system;

[0024] receiving location related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request;

[0025] sending a measurement result to a positioning management function network element in the positioning system based on the location related information.

[0026] In one of the embodiments, the first location information request comprises signal configuration parameters, and the sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element based on the location related information comprises:

[0027] processing the location related information according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain the measurement result;

[0028] sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

[0029] In one of the embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0030] receiving the first location information request sent by the positioning management function network element.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a positioning method is provided, which is applied to a positioning management function network element in the positioning system of the first aspect, and the method comprises:

[0032] receiving configuration parameters sent by an access network device in the positioning system;

[0033] sending a first location information request to a second positioning device in the positioning system according to the configuration parameters;

[0034] receiving measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first location information request, and performing positioning on the target terminal in the positioning system according to the measurement results.

[0035] In one of the embodiments, the configuration parameter comprises a signal configuration parameter, and the sending of the first location information request to the second positioning device according to the configuration parameter comprises:

[0036] extracting the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter;

[0037] generating the first location information request according to the signal configuration parameter, and sending the first location information request to the second positioning device.

[0038] In one of the embodiments, the extracting of the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter comprises:

[0039] determining a positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal;

[0040] extracting a signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameter.

[0041] In one of the embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0042] sending a second location information request to an access network device in the positioning system; the second location information request is used for requesting the configuration parameter.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, a positioning apparatus is provided, which comprises:

[0044] a first receiving module, configured to receive a first location information request sent by a second positioning device;

[0045] a measuring module, configured to measure a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request, to obtain location-related information;

[0046] a first sending module, configured to send the location-related information to the second positioning device, the location-related information being used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a positioning apparatus is provided, which comprises:

[0048] a second sending module, configured to send a first location information request to a first positioning device;

[0049] a second receiving module, configured to receive location-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request.

[0050] a third sending module, configured to send measurement results to a location management function network element based on the location-related information.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, a positioning apparatus is provided, and the positioning apparatus includes:

[0052] a third receiving module, configured to receive configuration parameters sent by an access network device;

[0053] a fourth sending module, configured to send a first location information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameters;

[0054] a fourth receiving module, configured to receive measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first location information request, and to perform positioning on a target terminal according to the measurement results.

[0055] In an eighth aspect, an access network device is provided, and the access network device includes a transmitter, a processor and a receiver;

[0056] the receiver is configured to receive a first location information request sent by a second positioning device;

[0057] the processor is configured to perform measurement on a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request, and to obtain location-related information;

[0058] the transmitter is configured to send the location-related information to the second positioning device, and the location-related information is used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a location management function network element.

[0059] In a ninth aspect, an access network device is provided, and the access network device includes a transmitter and a receiver;

[0060] the transmitter is configured to send a first location information request to a first positioning device;

[0061] the receiver is configured to receive location-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request;

[0062] the transmitter is further configured to send measurement results to a location management function network element based on the location-related information.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, a core network device is provided, and the core network device includes a transmitter and a receiver;

[0064] the receiver is configured to receive configuration parameters sent by an access network device;

[0065] the transmitter is configured to send a first location information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameters;

[0066] The receiver is further configured to receive measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first location information request, and to perform positioning on the target terminal according to the measurement results.

[0067] In a eleventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the following steps:

[0068] receiving a first location information request sent by a second positioning device;

[0069] performing measurement on a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request, to obtain location related information;

[0070] sending the location related information to the second positioning device, the location related information being used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a location management function network element.

[0071] In a twelfth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the following steps:

[0072] sending a first location information request to a first positioning device;

[0073] receiving location related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request;

[0074] sending measurement results to a location management function network element based on the location related information.

[0075] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the following steps:

[0076] receiving configuration parameters sent by an access network device;

[0077] sending a first location information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameters;

[0078] receiving measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first location information request, and performing positioning on the target terminal according to the measurement results.

[0079] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product includes a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement a positioning method provided in the embodiments of the present application. The method can be as follows:

[0080] receiving a first location information request sent by a second positioning device;

[0081] According to the first position information request, a positioning signal of the target terminal is measured to obtain position-related information.

[0082] The position-related information is sent to the second positioning device, and the position-related information is used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element.

[0083] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement a positioning method provided in the embodiments of the present application. The method can be:

[0084] A first position information request is sent to a first positioning device.

[0085] Position-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first position information request is received.

[0086] Based on the position-related information, a measurement result is sent to a positioning management function network element.

[0087] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement a positioning method provided in the embodiments of the present application. The method can be:

[0088] Configuration parameters sent by an access network device are received.

[0089] Based on the configuration parameters, a first position information request is sent to a second positioning device.

[0090] A measurement result returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request is received, and the target terminal is positioned based on the measurement result.

[0091] The first positioning device in the above positioning system is a newly added network element device in a traditional 5G positioning system, which can be responsible for the transmission or reception of signals by the original access network device and part of the positioning function of measuring signals. The positioning function is single and only needs a simple function module to achieve, so its manufacturing and deployment cost is extremely low. When the traditional 5G positioning system needs to improve the positioning accuracy or perform corresponding positioning upgrade through station supplementation, the above positioning system can achieve station supplementation by setting multiple first positioning devices connected in a loose manner around the access network device, without the need to modify the access network device or add other additional hardware devices. Therefore, the above positioning system greatly reduces the cost of positioning system deployment or modification, and also improves the positioning accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0092] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of a traditional positioning system in an embodiment;

[0093] Figure 2 a schematic diagram of a positioning procedure in an embodiment;

[0094] Figure 3 a schematic diagram of a positioning system in an embodiment;

[0095] Figure 4 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in an embodiment;

[0096] Figure 5 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0097] Figure 6 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0098] Figure 7 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0099] Figure 8 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0100] Figure 9 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0101] Figure 10 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0102] Figure 11 a schematic diagram of a positioning method in another embodiment;

[0103] Figure 12 a schematic diagram of signaling interactions of a positioning method in an embodiment;

[0104] Figure 13 a schematic diagram of a positioning system in another embodiment;

[0105] Figure 14 a schematic diagram of a positioning procedure in an embodiment;

[0106] Figure 15 a block diagram of a positioning apparatus in an embodiment;

[0107] Figure 16 a block diagram of a positioning apparatus in another embodiment;

[0108] Figure 17 a block diagram of a positioning apparatus in another embodiment;

[0109] Figure 18 a block diagram of a positioning apparatus in another embodiment;

[0110] Figure 19Structure block diagram of the positioning device in another embodiment;

[0111] Figure 20 Structure block diagram of the positioning device in another embodiment;

[0112] Figure 21 Structure block diagram of the positioning device in another embodiment;

[0113] Figure 22 Structure block diagram of the access network device in an embodiment;

[0114] Figure 23 Structure block diagram of the access network device in another embodiment;

[0115] Figure 24 Structure block diagram of the core network device in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0116] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, further detailed description will be made to the present application in combination with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, and are not used to limit the present application.

[0117] Currently, the network architecture of the traditional 5G positioning system is as shown in Figure 1 , which includes: a first access network device 101, a second access network device 102, a target terminal UE 103, a core network device 104; wherein the target terminal UE 103 and the first access network device 101 and the second access network device 102 respectively transmit data through the network, and the core network device 104 and the first access network device 101 and the second access network device 102 respectively transmit data through the network. Based on the 5G network architecture as shown in Figure 1 , the existing tightly coupled 5G positioning process according to 3GPP TS38305 is mainly realized by the core network device 104 and the first access network device or the second access network device through the NRPPa protocol interaction, as shown in Figure 2 , the protocol process includes: process 1, the core network device sends a location information request to the access network device, and indicates the type of the requested location information; process 2, the access network device returns the location related information of the target terminal (for example, the measurement result obtained after measuring and processing the positioning signal of the target terminal) to the core network device based on the location information request, which matches the type of the requested location information in process 1; process 3, the access network device sends one or more additional location related information to the core network device.

[0118] The first access network device 101 or the second access network device 102 in the above 5G positioning system can be a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in the Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), can also be a base station (NodeB, NB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), can also be an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or can be an upgraded 4G base station (ng-eNB), or can be a relay station or an access point, or a base station (gNB / pRRU) in a 5G network, or a base station (eg-gNB) after the 5G base station is modified, etc., which is not limited here.

[0119] The target terminal 103 can be a wireless terminal, which can be a device that provides voice and / or other service data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal can communicate with one or more core networks through a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket, handheld, built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which exchanges language and / or data with the radio access network. The wireless terminal can also be called a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device or user equipment, which is not limited here.

[0120] The core network device 104 can include a location management function network element (LMF), an access and mobility management function network element (AMF), the LMF and the access network device are connected, complete positioning information configuration and positioning process control, positioning calculation and the like; the AMF is responsible for the convergence and forwarding of positioning information, and in the local deployment mode, the AMF can not be enabled.

[0121] Figure 1 The 5G standard of the network architecture of the 5G positioning system shown defines positioning technologies such as UTDOA, AOA, RTT, but needs the base station gNB / pRRU to support special capabilities such as high-precision positioning signal transmission or measurement, time synchronization, and the base station gNB / pRRU needs to increase the additional hardware cost of the high-precision positioning, and the cost is higher when the site density is insufficient and the station needs to be supplemented. At present, although it has been commercially used, the device support rate is low, the price is high, and the private protocol of the manufacturer is difficult to interwork, and in the scene of using radio frequency extension, the positioning experience is seriously reduced, which seriously affects the deployment and application of the 5G integrated positioning technology, and limits the integrated positioning advantage and the positioning ecological development of the operator communication network.

[0122] Based on the problems of the traditional 5G positioning system, the embodiment of the present application provides a positioning system, which is an extension or reconstruction of the traditional positioning system (see Figure 1 The network architecture of the positioning system shown), specifically, as shown in Figure 3 The positioning system includes a target terminal UE, an access network device NB, a plurality of first positioning devices XLU, a second positioning device XLIF, a location management function network element LMF, each first positioning device XLU is connected with the access network device, the second positioning device XLIF is connected with each first positioning device XLU respectively, the location management function network element LMF is connected with the second positioning device XLIF and the access network device respectively, and the target terminal UE is connected with the access network device NB;

[0123] The location management function network element LMF is configured to receive configuration parameters sent by the access network device NB, and send a first location information request to the second positioning device XLIF according to the configuration parameters.

[0124] The second positioning device XLIF is configured to receive the first location information request and send the first location information request to the first positioning device XLU; each first positioning device XLU is configured to receive the first location information request, measure a positioning signal of the target terminal UE according to the first location information request to obtain location-related information, and send the location-related information to the second positioning device XLIF; the location-related information is used for positioning the target terminal UE by the second positioning device XLIF and the location management function network element LMF; the second positioning device XLIF is further configured to receive the location-related information returned by the first positioning device XLU, process the test data to obtain a measurement result, and send the measurement result to the location management function network element LMF;

[0125] The location management function network element LMF is further configured to receive the measurement result returned by the second positioning device XLIF and position the target terminal UE according to the measurement result.

[0126] The access network device NB includes a first base station radio unit gNB and a second base station radio unit ng-eNB. The first base station radio unit gNB is a wireless unit of the 5G base station type, and can also be a wireless unit of other types, which is not limited (only one example is identified in the figure); the second base station radio unit ng-eNB is a wireless unit of the upgraded 4G base station ng-eNB type, and can also be a wireless unit of other types, which is not limited (only one example is identified in the figure); the first positioning device can be defined as an extended positioning measurement network element (XLU); the XLU can be loosely coupled with the first base station radio unit gNB in the access network device NB, for example, the XLU can use the power supply and transmission resources of the first base station radio unit gNB / pRRU, and in specific implementation, the XLU can share the power line and network line with the first base station radio unit gNB / pRRU, but does not need to have direct information interaction with the first base station radio unit gNB / pRRU, thereby reducing the requirement for the first base station radio unit gNB / pRRU to improve the general-purpose. The second positioning device can be defined as an extended positioning information network element (XLIF). The XLIF can be connected with multiple XLU, and can also be connected with the location management function network element LMF to obtain configuration parameters, the XLIF can be independently set, or can be integrated as a functional module on the location management function network element LMF.

[0127] The first location information request is used to request the location-related information of the target terminal UE, and the first location information request can also indicate the type of the requested location-related information, and the first location information request can also indicate a specific terminal for positioning.

[0128] The position-related information can be position-related information of the target terminal UE, which can be determined according to different positioning technologies, and can also be referred to as a kind of measurement data. For example, different positioning technologies can include one of UTDOA, AOA, RTT, etc., and the corresponding position-related information can include at least one of signal reception power, signal reception strength, signal arrival angle, signal arrival time, etc. The positioning signal of the target terminal UE can be a measurement signal transmitted by the target terminal UE in uplink, or a downlink reference signal sent to the target terminal UE. For example, the positioning signal can include a downlink positioning reference signal (PRS) or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0129] The positioning management function network element LMF can be a kind of core network device, which is connected with the first base station to complete positioning information configuration and positioning process control, and positioning calculation.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, based on Figure 3 When the positioning system shown in the figure is used to position the target terminal UE, the positioning management function network element LMF in the core network can first send a second position information request to the first base station wireless unit gNB to request configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal UE. When the first base station wireless unit gNB receives the second position information request sent by the positioning management function network element LMF, it obtains all configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal UE, which can include signal configuration parameters and other interface or data transmission related configuration parameters. Then, the first base station wireless unit gNB returns the configuration parameters to the positioning management function network element LMF, which saves the configuration parameters and generates a first position information request based on the configuration parameters, and sends the first position information request to the second positioning device XLIF, which forwards the first position information request to the first positioning device XLU. The first positioning device XLU can receive the first position information request and further obtain the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the positioning requirement of the target terminal indicated by the first position information request, measure the positioning signal according to the positioning technology indicated by the first position information request by using the corresponding measurement method, obtain the position-related information, and then send the position-related information to the second positioning device XLIF. The second positioning device XLIF can further process the position-related information to obtain the measurement result after receiving the position-related information, and send the measurement result to the positioning management function network element LMF to instruct the positioning management function network element LMF to perform positioning calculation according to the measurement result, so as to calculate the position information of the target terminal and realize the positioning of the target terminal.

[0131] The first positioning device in the above positioning system is a newly added network element device in the traditional 5G positioning system, which can be responsible for the transmission or reception of signals of the original access network device and part of the positioning function of measuring signals. The positioning function is single and only needs a simple function module to achieve, so the manufacturing and deployment cost is extremely low. When the traditional 5G positioning system needs to improve the positioning accuracy or perform corresponding positioning upgrade through station supplementation, the above positioning system can achieve station supplementation by setting multiple first positioning devices connected in a loose manner around the access network device, without the need to modify the access network device or add other additional hardware devices. Therefore, the above positioning system greatly reduces the cost of positioning system deployment or modification, and also improves the positioning accuracy.

[0132] In one embodiment, the first positioning device XLU can specifically perform the step of measuring the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the position-related information when performing the step of "measuring the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first position information request to obtain the position-related information".

[0133] The signal configuration parameter includes the configuration parameter of the downlink positioning reference signal or the configuration parameter of the channel sounding positioning signal, i.e., the configuration parameter of the PRS signal or the configuration parameter of the SRS signal. The signal configuration parameter is determined according to different positioning technologies. For example, in the UTDOA / AOA positioning, the signal configuration parameter includes the configuration parameter (SLOT, OFDM coding, etc.) of the SRS signal of the target terminal to be positioned; in the OTDOA / RTT positioning, the signal configuration parameter can include the configuration parameter of the PRS signal.

[0134] In the embodiment of the application, when the first positioning device XLU receives the first position information request based on the foregoing steps, the required signal configuration parameter can be further extracted from the first position information request, the positioning signal of the target terminal is obtained, and the positioning signal is measured according to the signal configuration parameter by using the corresponding measurement method to obtain the position-related information.

[0135] In one embodiment, the second positioning device XLIF can specifically perform the step of processing the position-related information according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result when performing the step of "processing the test data to obtain the measurement result" after receiving the position-related information returned by the first positioning device.

[0136] The signal configuration parameter includes a configuration parameter of a PRS signal or a configuration parameter of an SRS signal. The signal configuration parameter is determined according to different positioning technologies. For example, in UTDOA / AOA positioning, the signal configuration parameter includes a configuration parameter (SLOT, OFDM coding, etc.) of an SRS signal of a target terminal to be positioned; in OTDOA / RTT positioning, the signal configuration parameter can include a parameter of a PRS signal. The measurement result includes at least one of a signal reception time difference, a signal reception angle difference, and a signal reception phase difference.

[0137] In the embodiment, when the second positioning device XLIF receives the first location information request, the second positioning device XLIF can further extract the required signal configuration parameter from the first location information request, and when the second positioning device XLIF receives the location-related information sent by the first positioning device XLU, the second positioning device XLIF processes the location-related information according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result.

[0138] In one embodiment, the positioning management function network element is configured to extract the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter when the positioning management function network element receives the configuration parameter sent by the access network device, and generate the first location information request according to the signal configuration parameter, and send the first location information request to the second positioning device.

[0139] In the embodiment, when the positioning management function network element LMF receives the configuration parameter sent by the access network device, the configuration parameter includes configuration parameters of multiple interfaces or data transmission configuration parameters, and the signal configuration parameter for configuring the first positioning device XLU to perform measurement and the second positioning device XLIF to perform processing is also included. Therefore, the positioning management function network element LMF needs to filter the signal configuration parameter required by the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF from the received configuration parameter according to the current positioning type or positioning requirement. Then, the positioning management function network element LMF can generate the first location information request carrying the signal configuration parameter, and send the first location information request to the second positioning device XLIF to instruct the second positioning device XLIF to process the location-related information reported by the first positioning device XLU based on the signal configuration parameter, obtain the measurement result, and report the measurement result to the positioning management function network element LMF for positioning of the target terminal UE.

[0140] Further, when the positioning management function network element LMF performs the step of "extracting the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter", the positioning management function network element LMF performs the step of determining a positioning type according to a positioning capability of the target terminal, and extracting the signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameter.

[0141] The positioning capability of the target terminal indicates a positioning method used by the target terminal, for example, any one of a UTDOA, AOA, OTDOA, and RTT positioning method; and the positioning type includes any one of a UTDOA, AOA, OTDOA, and RTT positioning type.

[0142] In the embodiment of the application, the positioning management function network element LMF can be transparent to the target terminal UE, that is, when the target terminal UE needs to be positioned, the positioning management function network element LMF can first obtain the corresponding positioning performance detection information from the target terminal UE, that is, the target terminal UE detects the positioning performance of itself and reports the positioning performance detection information to the positioning management function network element LMF. When the positioning management function network element LMF receives the reported positioning performance detection information of the target terminal UE, it can determine the positioning capability of the target terminal UE according to the positioning performance detection information, and then determine the positioning type of the target terminal UE based on the positioning capability of the target terminal UE. When the positioning management function network element LMF determines the positioning type of the target terminal UE, it can filter the signal configuration parameters corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameters, for example, if the positioning type is UTDOA / AOA, the corresponding signal configuration parameters include the configuration parameters (SLOT, OFDM coding, etc.) of the SRS signal of the target terminal UE to be positioned; if the positioning type is OTDOA / RTT, the corresponding signal configuration parameters can include the configuration parameters of the PRS signal.

[0143] In the embodiment of the application, the positioning management function network element LMF extracts the signal configuration parameters required by the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF from the configuration parameters in advance, so that the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF can quickly measure or process the positioning signal of the target terminal based on the signal configuration parameters, thereby assisting in sharing part of the original positioning process in the access network device, reducing the requirement for performance improvement of the access network device, that is, greatly reducing the device development threshold and deployment threshold, and facilitating flexible and large-scale production of positioning devices.

[0144] It should be noted that, Figure 3 The plurality of first positioning devices are connected to the first base station radio unit gNB of the access network device NB through loose coupling, or can be connected to the second base station radio unit ng-eNB through loose coupling, or part of the first positioning devices XLU are connected to the first base station radio unit gNB through loose coupling, and part of the first positioning devices XLU are connected to the second base station radio unit ng-eNB through loose coupling. The deployment position of the plurality of first positioning devices XLU can be determined according to actual positioning requirements. Moreover, Figure 3 The positioning system shown in FIG. 1 can further include more base station radio units. Figure 3The positioning management function unit LMF can perform data transmission with any access network device through the network, and the positioning management function unit LMF can also perform data transparent connection with the target terminal UE (not shown in the figure). Figure 3

[0145] Figure 3 The network architecture shown in the figure is obtained by expanding the traditional 5G network architecture, that is, the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF share the positioning function in the access network device, and the first positioning device XLU is connected to the access network device in a loose coupling manner, which realizes the compatibility of the existing network element interface, provides a new scheme for the implementation and deployment of 5G positioning technology, and not only plays the advantage of integrated 5G positioning, but also improves the flexibility of implementation through the decoupling of the expanded first positioning device XLU and the access network device. Moreover, when the network architecture of the traditional 5G positioning system is modified, only the first positioning device XLU needs to be mounted near the access network device to realize high-precision positioning of the target terminal UE. Since the positioning function of the first positioning device XLU is single, its cost can be very low, greatly reducing the cost of the network architecture of the traditional 5G positioning system. Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method on each side of the first positioning device XLU, the second positioning device XLIF, and the positioning management function unit LMF.

[0146] It should be noted that the beneficial effects or technical problems solved by the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this, but also other implicit or related problems. For details, please refer to the description of the following embodiments.

[0147] The technical solutions of the present application and how the technical solutions of the present application solve the above technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described in detail in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0148] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4 , a positioning method is provided, which is applied to the first positioning device XLU in Figure 3 for example, including the following steps:

[0149] S401, receiving a first position information request sent by a second positioning device in a positioning system.

[0150] In the embodiments of the present application, based on Figure 3 ​When the positioning system shown in the figure implements positioning of the target terminal, the positioning management function network element LMF in the core network can first send a second location information request to the first base station, for requesting configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal; when the first base station receives the second location information request sent by the positioning management function network element LMF, all configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal are acquired, which can include signal configuration parameters, and also include related configuration parameters of other interfaces or data transmission. Then, the first base station returns the configuration parameters to the positioning management function network element LMF, the positioning management function network element LMF saves the configuration parameters, generates a first location information request based on the configuration parameters, and sends the first location information request to the second positioning device XLIF, and the second positioning device XLIF forwards the first location information request to the first positioning device XLU, and the first positioning device XLU can receive the first location information request.

[0151] S402, measuring a positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first location information request to obtain location-related information.

[0152] In the embodiment of the application, when the first positioning device XLU receives the first location information request based on the foregoing steps, the positioning signal of the target terminal can be further acquired according to the positioning requirement of the target terminal indicated by the first location information request, and the positioning signal is measured according to the positioning technology indicated by the first location information request by using a corresponding measurement method to obtain location-related information, that is, the location-related information of the target terminal can be acquired.

[0153] S403, sending the location-related information to the second positioning device, wherein the location-related information is used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and the positioning management function network element in the positioning system.

[0154] In the embodiment of the application, when the first positioning device XLU obtains the location-related information based on the foregoing steps, the location-related information can be sent to the second positioning device XLIF. When the second positioning device XLIF receives the location-related information, the location-related information can be further processed to obtain a measurement result, and the measurement result is sent to the positioning management function network element LMF to instruct the positioning management function network element LMF to perform positioning calculation according to the measurement result, so as to calculate the location information of the target terminal and implement positioning of the target terminal.

[0155] In the aforementioned positioning method, the first positioning device receives a first location information request sent by the second positioning device, measures the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first location information request, obtains location-related information, and then sends the location-related information to the second positioning device. This location-related information is used by the second positioning device and the positioning management function network element to locate the target terminal. The first positioning device in this method is a newly added network element in a traditional 5G positioning system. It can handle some of the positioning functions previously performed by the first base station, including transmitting and receiving signals and measuring signals. This positioning function is simple and requires only a few functional modules, resulting in extremely low manufacturing and deployment costs. When a traditional 5G positioning system needs to improve positioning accuracy or undergo corresponding positioning upgrades through base station replenishment, the aforementioned positioning method can achieve this by setting up multiple loosely coupled first positioning devices around the first base station. This eliminates the need to modify the first base station or add other additional hardware. Therefore, the aforementioned positioning method significantly reduces the deployment or modification costs of the positioning system and also improves positioning accuracy.

[0156] In one embodiment, when the first positioning device performs the above-mentioned S402 "to measure the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first location information request and obtain location-related information", it may specifically perform the following steps: to measure the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameters and obtain location-related information.

[0157] In this embodiment of the application, when the first positioning device XLU receives the first location information request based on the aforementioned steps, it can further extract the required signal configuration parameters from the first location information request, obtain the positioning signal of the target terminal, and use the corresponding measurement method to measure the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain location-related information.

[0158] In one embodiment, a positioning method on the XLIF side of the second positioning device is also provided, such as... Figure 5 As shown, this method is applied to Figure 1 Taking the second positioning device XLIF as an example, the explanation includes the following steps:

[0159] S501, send a first location information request to the first positioning device in the positioning system.

[0160] In this embodiment of the application, based on Figure 3When the positioning system shown in the embodiment is used to position the target terminal, the LMF in the core network can first send a second location information request to the first base station to request configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal. When the first base station receives the second location information request sent by the LMF, it obtains all configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal, which can include signal configuration parameters and other interface or data transmission related configuration parameters. Then, the first base station returns the configuration parameters to the LMF, which saves the configuration parameters and generates a first location information request based on the configuration parameters, and sends the first location information request to the second positioning device XLIF, so that the second positioning device XLIF can receive the first location information request. It should be noted that if there are multiple first positioning devices XLU, the second positioning device XLIF can send the first location information request to each first positioning device XLU, so that each first positioning device XLU can receive the first location information request. It should be noted that the second positioning device XLIF is provided with a time synchronization processing unit of the first base station, which is used to synchronize the data transmission time.

[0161] S502, receiving position related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request.

[0162] In the embodiment of the application, when the second positioning device XLIF sends the first location information request to the first positioning device XLU based on the foregoing steps, the first positioning device XLU measures the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the indication of the first location information request, obtains position related information, and sends the position related information to the second positioning device XLIF, so that the second positioning device XLIF can receive the position related information returned by the first positioning device XLU.

[0163] S503, sending the measurement result based on the position related information to a positioning management function network element in the positioning system.

[0164] In the embodiment of the application, when the second positioning device XLIF obtains the position related information based on the foregoing steps, it can further process the position related information to obtain a measurement result, and send the measurement result to the positioning management function network element LMF, to instruct the positioning management function network element LMF to perform positioning calculation based on the measurement result, so as to calculate the position information of the target terminal and realize positioning of the target terminal.

[0165] The second positioning device in the positioning method sends a first location information request to the first positioning device, receives location-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request, and then sends the measurement result to the positioning management function network element based on the location-related information. The second positioning device in the positioning method is a newly added network element device in the traditional 5G positioning system, which can be responsible for part of the positioning function of processing the location-related information in the original first base station, and cooperates with the first positioning device to realize the positioning of the target terminal. The positioning functions on the first positioning device and the second positioning device are single and only need simple function modules to realize, so the manufacturing and deployment cost is extremely low. When the traditional 5G positioning system needs to improve the positioning accuracy or upgrade the corresponding application through station supplementation, the above-mentioned positioning method can realize station supplementation by setting multiple first positioning devices connected in a loose manner around the first base station and the corresponding second positioning device, without the need to modify the first base station or add other additional hardware devices. Therefore, the above-mentioned positioning method greatly reduces the cost of positioning system deployment or modification, and also improves the positioning accuracy.

[0166] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 6 The second positioning device XLIF can specifically perform the following steps when performing the above-mentioned S503 "sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element based on the location-related information":

[0167] S601, processing the location-related information according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result.

[0168] In the embodiment of the application, when the second positioning device XLIF receives the first location information request based on the foregoing steps, the second positioning device XLIF can further extract the required signal configuration parameter from the first location information request, and when receiving the location-related information sent by the first positioning device XLU, the second positioning device XLIF processes the location-related information according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result.

[0169] S602, sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

[0170] In the embodiment of the application, after the second positioning device XLIF obtains the measurement result, the second positioning device XLIF can send the measurement result to the positioning management function network element LMF in the core network to instruct the positioning management function network element LMF to perform positioning calculation according to the measurement result, so as to calculate the location information of the target terminal and realize the positioning of the target terminal.

[0171] In one embodiment, Figure 5 The method described in the embodiment, as shown in Figure 7 The method described in the embodiment, as shown in

[0172] S504, receiving the first location information request sent by the positioning management function network element.

[0173] In the embodiments of the present application, the second positioning device XLIF can obtain the signal configuration parameters from the positioning management function network element LMF. Based on this, when the positioning management function network element LMF obtains the corresponding configuration parameters from the base station, the signal configuration parameters required by the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF can be extracted therefrom, and the extracted signal configuration parameters are carried in the first location information request and sent to the second positioning device XLIF. The second positioning device XLIF can receive the first location information request.

[0174] In one embodiment, a positioning method on the side of the positioning management function network element is also provided, as shown in Figure 8 . This method is applied to the positioning management function network element in Figure 1 for example, and includes the following steps:

[0175] S701, receiving the configuration parameters sent by the access network device in the positioning system.

[0176] In the embodiments of the present application, when the positioning system shown in Figure 3 is used to implement the positioning of the target terminal, the positioning management function network element LMF can first send a second location information request to the first base station, for requesting the configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal. When the first base station receives the second location information request sent by the positioning management function network element LMF, the configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal are obtained, which can include the signal configuration parameters, and also include the related configuration parameters of other interfaces or data transmission. Then, the first base station returns the configuration parameters to the positioning management function network element LMF, and the positioning management function network element LMF can receive the configuration parameters and save them for later use in the positioning calculation of the target terminal.

[0177] S702, sending a first location information request to the second positioning device according to the configuration parameters.

[0178] In the embodiments of the present application, when the positioning management function network element LMF receives the configuration parameters sent by the base station, the first location information request can be further generated according to the configuration parameters, and the first location information request is sent to the second positioning device XLIF, so as to instruct the second positioning device XLIF to perform corresponding positioning processing on the position related information of the target terminal based on the configuration parameters.

[0179] S703, receiving the measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first location information request, and positioning the target terminal according to the measurement results.

[0180] In the embodiment, after the positioning management function network element LMF sends the first location information request to the second positioning device XLIF, the second positioning device XLIF can receive the location related information reported by the first positioning device XLU after measurement, process the location related information to obtain a measurement result, and return the measurement result to the positioning management function network element LMF. The positioning management function network element LMF can receive the measurement result returned by the second positioning device XLIF based on the first location information request. Then, the positioning management function network element LMF can determine the positioning type to be used according to the signal configuration parameter, and perform positioning calculation on the measurement result according to the positioning type, thereby realizing positioning of the target terminal.

[0181] In the positioning method, the positioning management function network element receives the configuration parameter sent by the base station, sends a first location information request to the second positioning device according to the configuration parameter, receives a measurement result returned by the second positioning device based on the first location information request, and performs positioning of the target terminal according to the measurement result. In the positioning method, the positioning management function network element can realize positioning of the target terminal by interacting with the newly added second positioning device. This process does not need to interact with the base station, so when the positioning accuracy is improved or the corresponding application is upgraded, only a plurality of first positioning devices in loose connection and corresponding second positioning devices need to be arranged around the first base station to realize the positioning, without the need to reconstruct the first base station or add other additional hardware devices. Therefore, the positioning method greatly reduces the cost of deployment or reconstruction of the positioning system, and can also improve the positioning accuracy.

[0182] In one embodiment, an implementation of S702 is provided, that is, as shown in Figure 9 S702, "sending a first location information request to the extended positioning information network element according to the configuration parameter", includes:

[0183] S801, extracting a signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter.

[0184] In the embodiment, when the positioning management function network element LMF receives the configuration parameter sent by the base station based on the foregoing steps, since the configuration parameter includes configuration parameters or data transmission configuration parameters of multiple interfaces, and also includes signal configuration parameters for configuring the first positioning device XLU to perform measurement and the second positioning device XLIF to perform processing, the positioning management function network element LMF needs to filter out the signal configuration parameters required by the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF from the received configuration parameter according to the current positioning type or positioning requirement, so as to instruct the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF to perform respective corresponding processing.

[0185] S802, generate a first location information request according to the signal configuration parameter, and send the first location information request to the second positioning device.

[0186] In the embodiment of the application, when the positioning management function network element LMF extracts the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter, the first location information request carrying the signal configuration parameter can be generated, and the first location information request is sent to the second positioning device XLIF to instruct the second positioning device XLIF to determine the measurement result of the positioning signal of the target terminal based on the first location information request and report the measurement result.

[0187] Further, when the positioning management function network element LMF specifically performs the above S801, as shown in the following table, the specific steps are as follows: Figure 10

[0188] S901, determine the positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal.

[0189] The positioning capability of the target terminal indicates the positioning method adopted by the target terminal, for example, any one of the UTDOA, AOA, OTDOA and RTT positioning methods; and the positioning type includes any one of the UTDOA, AOA, OTDOA and RTT positioning types.

[0190] In the embodiment of the application, the positioning management function network element LMF can be transparent to the target terminal, that is, when the target terminal needs to be positioned, the positioning management function network element LMF can first acquire the corresponding positioning performance detection information from the target terminal, that is, the target terminal detects the positioning performance of itself and reports the positioning performance detection information to the positioning management function network element LMF, and the positioning management function network element LMF can determine the positioning capability of the target terminal according to the positioning performance detection information when the positioning performance detection information reported by the target terminal is received, so as to determine the positioning type of the target terminal based on the positioning capability of the target terminal.

[0191] S902, extract the signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameter.

[0192] In the embodiment of the application, when the positioning management function network element LMF determines the positioning type of the target terminal, the signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type can be screened from the configuration parameter, for example, if the positioning type is UTDOA / AOA, the corresponding signal configuration parameter includes the configuration parameter (SLOT, OFDM coding, etc.) of the SRS signal of the target terminal to be positioned; and if the positioning type is OTDOA / RTT, the corresponding signal configuration parameter can include the configuration parameter of the PRS signal.

[0193] ​The positioning management function network element LMF in the embodiments of the present application extracts the signal configuration parameters required by the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF from the configuration parameters in advance, so that the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF can quickly measure or process the positioning signals of the target terminal based on the signal configuration parameters, thereby assisting in sharing part of the original positioning process in the first base station, reducing the requirement for performance improvement of the base station, that is, greatly reducing the equipment research and development threshold and deployment threshold, and facilitating flexible and large-scale production of the positioning device.

[0194] In one embodiment, Figure 8 The method described in the embodiments, as shown in Figure 11 Further includes the steps of:

[0195] S704, sending a second location information request to the access network device.

[0196] The second location information request is used to request all configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal.

[0197] In the embodiments of the present application, based on Figure 3 When the positioning system shown in The positioning management function network element LMF can first send a second location information request to the first base station wireless unit gNB, which is used to request the configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal UE, so as to perform positioning calculation and other operations on the target terminal UE according to the configuration parameters.

[0198] In combination with all the above embodiments, in one embodiment, Figure 12 A signaling interaction flowchart of a positioning method is provided. As shown in Figure 12 The method includes the following steps.

[0199] S1001, the positioning management function network element sends a second location information request to the first base station wireless unit.

[0200] S1002, the first base station wireless unit sends configuration parameters to the positioning management function network element.

[0201] S1003, the positioning management function network element extracts signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters and generates a first location information request according to the signal configuration parameters.

[0202] S1004, the positioning management function network element sends the first location information request to the second positioning device.

[0203] S1005, the second positioning device forwards the first location information request to the first positioning device.

[0204] S1006, the first positioning device measures the positioning signals of the target terminal according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain location-related information.

[0205] S1007, the first positioning device sends the location-related information to the second positioning device.

[0206] S1008, the second positioning device processes the position-related information according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain the measurement results.

[0207] S1009, the second positioning device sends the measurement results to the positioning management function network element.

[0208] S1010, the positioning management function network element locates the target terminal based on the measurement results.

[0209] Each of the above steps is explained in the aforementioned instruction manual. Please refer to the aforementioned content for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0210] In one embodiment, a positioning system is also provided, such as Figure 13 As shown, this positioning system is also an improvement upon traditional positioning systems (see...). Figure 1 The network architecture of the positioning system shown is an extension or modification. Specifically, the positioning system includes: a target terminal UE, a first base station radio unit gNB, a second base station radio unit ng-eNB, multiple first positioning devices XLU, a second positioning device XLIF, a positioning management function network element LMF, and an access mobility management network element AMF; each first positioning device XLU is connected to the first base station radio unit gNB, the second positioning device XLIF is connected to each first positioning device XLU, the second positioning device XLIF is connected to the positioning management function network element LMF, the target terminal UE is connected to the first base station radio unit gNB and the second base station radio unit ng-eNB respectively; the access mobility management network element AMF is connected to the first base station radio unit gNB, the second base station radio unit ng-eNB and the positioning management function network element LMF respectively, and the first base station radio unit gNB and the second base station radio unit ng-eNB are connected.

[0211] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) is used to aggregate and forward location information reported by base stations; in local deployment mode, its deployment can be disregarded. For Figure 13 Other equipment mentioned above Figure 3 The positioning system is described in the preceding text; please refer to the foregoing description for details, which will not be repeated here. In the embodiments of this application, each first positioning device (XLU) is used to perform... Figure 4 The positioning method described in the embodiment; the second positioning device XLIF is used to perform... Figure 5-7 The positioning method described in any embodiment; the positioning management function network element (LMF) is used to execute... Figure 8-11The positioning method of any of the embodiments. It should be noted that the positioning management function network element LMF can obtain the configuration parameters from the first base station gNB; alternatively, the access mobile management network element AMF can first obtain the configuration parameters from the first base station gNB, and then send the configuration parameters to the positioning management function network element LMF, so that the positioning management function network element LMF obtains the configuration parameters from the access mobile management network element AMF. The above Figure 13 The positioning system shown in the above Figure 12 The positioning method shown in the above

[0212] The positioning system of the embodiments of the present application realizes an integrated positioning system and a positioning method based on a cellular network, wherein a first positioning device XLU of the cellular network (4G / 5G / 6G) is arranged in a loosely coupled manner with the first base station gNB, and a second positioning device XLIF is added on the network side. Among them, the XLU and the first base station are loosely coupled, and only share power and transmission resources, the XLU and the XLIF are connected and interact to obtain configuration parameters and measure the positioning signals (such as SRS, etc.) of the target terminal sent by the 5G / 6G, the XLIF can be connected and interacted with the first base station gNB to complete the positioning target terminal information configuration, that is, to obtain signal configuration parameters, and then to obtain measurement results according to the signal configuration parameters and the position related information reported by the XLU, such as the time difference of the positioning signals of the target terminal reaching each XLU, and then to provide the measurement results to the positioning management function network element LMF according to the existing standard to complete the positioning calculation according to the TDOA positioning algorithm, so as to realize the positioning of the target terminal. The first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF in the above positioning system are relatively independent of the first base station gNB, which is convenient for the implementation and flexible deployment of the first positioning device XLU and the second positioning device XLIF, facilitates mass production, and 5G positioning can also be used in areas using passive room division. The positioning system and the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application can realize loosely coupled integrated positioning based on a cellular network, and can be applied to 5G network and 6G network.

[0213] Based on the above Figure 13 The positioning system improves the positioning process of the existing NRPPa protocol, and the improved positioning process is realized by the first base station (corresponding to the English representation NG-RAN Node / gNB), the first positioning device (corresponding to the English representation XLU), the second positioning device (corresponding to the English representation XLIF), and the positioning management function network element (corresponding to the English representation Server / LMF) through the improved NRPPa protocol, as shown in Figure 14As shown, the positioning procedure includes: procedure 1, the positioning management function network element sends a second location information request to the first base station, and indicates the type of the requested location information; procedure 2, the first base station returns configuration parameters required for positioning the target terminal to the positioning management function network element based on the second location information request; procedure 3, the positioning management function network element sends a first location information request to the second positioning device; procedure 4, the second positioning device forwards the first location information request to the first positioning device; procedure 5, the first positioning device returns location-related information obtained based on the first location information request to the second positioning device; and procedure 6, the second positioning device sends measurement results obtained after processing the location-related information to the positioning management function network element.

[0214] In the above procedure 2, compared with the positioning procedure of the conventional positioning system (see Figure 2 ), in the above procedure 2, the NRPPa message adds the 5G signal configuration parameters required for the first positioning device XLU, and the type of the signal configuration parameters is determined according to different positioning technologies. In procedure 5, the first positioning device XLU measures and transmits the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the signal configuration parameters, and obtains the location-related information. In procedure 6, the second positioning device XLIF processes the location-related information according to the signal configuration parameters, and obtains the measurement results. The above procedures are all improvements compared with the positioning procedure of the conventional positioning system. According to the existing 5G positioning standard, the first base station gNB / pRRU needs to increase dedicated time synchronization and high-precision measurement hardware for positioning functions. In the procedure of the positioning system and the positioning method provided in the present application, the 5G / 6G first positioning device XLU is a positioning measurement device independent of the gNB / pRRU, and is loosely coupled with base station devices of various manufacturers. The gNB / pRRU only needs to increase a small amount of configuration function software, greatly reducing the device development threshold and deployment implementation threshold, facilitating flexible and large-scale production of the positioning measurement unit; the XRU device only needs to perform positioning signal measurement, and is relatively simple and low-cost compared with the pRRU. Therefore, the positioning system and the positioning method provided in the present application can reduce the implementation cost and difficulty of 5G integrated positioning, and facilitate to fully exert the advantages of high reliability of shared resources and dedicated frequency bands.

[0215] It should be understood that, although Figure 4-12 the steps in the flowchart of the present application are shown in sequence according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in sequence, and these steps can be executed in other sequences. Moreover, Figure 4-12At least one of the steps in the method can comprise a plurality of steps or stages which can not necessarily be performed at the same time but can be performed at different times and which can not necessarily be performed in the order shown but can be performed alternately or in rotation with at least one of the other steps or the steps or stages of the other steps.

[0216] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 15 there is provided a positioning apparatus comprising:

[0217] A first receiving module 10 is configured to receive a first location information request sent by a second positioning device.

[0218] A measuring module 11 is configured to measure a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request to obtain location-related information.

[0219] A first sending module 12 is configured to send the location-related information to the second positioning device, where the location-related information is used for the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element to perform positioning on the target terminal.

[0220] In one embodiment, the measuring module 11 is specifically configured to measure the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the location-related information.

[0221] In one embodiment, the signal configuration parameter comprises a configuration parameter of a downlink positioning reference signal or a configuration parameter of a channel sounding positioning signal.

[0222] In one embodiment, the location-related information comprises at least one of signal received power, signal received strength, signal time of arrival, and signal angle of arrival.

[0223] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 16 there is provided a positioning apparatus comprising:

[0224] A second sending module 20 is configured to send a first location information request to a first positioning device.

[0225] A second receiving module 21 is configured to receive location-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request.

[0226] A third sending module 22 is configured to send a measurement result to a positioning management function network element based on the location-related information.

[0227] In one embodiment, the second receiving module 21 comprises, as shown in Figure 17 a receiving unit 210 configured to receive the location-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request.

[0228] The processing unit 210 is configured to process the position-related information according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result.

[0229] The sending unit 211 is configured to send the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

[0230] In one embodiment, the positioning apparatus as described above, as shown in Figure 18 Further comprises:

[0231] The fifth receiving module 22 is configured to receive the first position information request sent by the positioning management function network element.

[0232] In one embodiment, the signal configuration parameter comprises a configuration parameter of a downlink positioning reference signal or a configuration parameter of a channel sounding positioning signal.

[0233] In one embodiment, the position-related information comprises at least one of signal receiving power, signal receiving strength, signal reaching time, and signal reaching angle.

[0234] In one embodiment, the measurement result comprises at least one of signal receiving time difference, signal receiving angle difference, and signal receiving phase difference.

[0235] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 19 A positioning apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0236] The third receiving module 30 is configured to receive the configuration parameter sent by the base station.

[0237] The fourth sending module 31 is configured to send a first position information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameter.

[0238] The fourth receiving module 32 is configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request, and to position a target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0239] In one embodiment, the fourth sending module 31 as described above, as shown in Figure 20 Comprises:

[0240] The extraction unit 310 is configured to extract the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter.

[0241] The sending unit 311 is configured to generate the first position information request according to the signal configuration parameter, and to send the first position information request to the second positioning device.

[0242] In an embodiment, the extraction unit 310 is specifically configured to determine a positioning type according to a positioning capability of the target terminal, and extract the signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameter.

[0243] In an embodiment, the positioning apparatus, as shown in Figure 21 , further includes:

[0244] The fifth sending module 33 is configured to send a second location information request to the base station; the second location information request is used to request the configuration parameter.

[0245] In an embodiment, the signal configuration parameter includes a configuration parameter of a downlink positioning reference signal or a configuration parameter of a channel sounding positioning signal.

[0246] In an embodiment, the measurement result includes at least one of a signal reception time difference, a signal reception angle difference, and a signal reception phase difference.

[0247] For specific limitations of the positioning apparatus, refer to the limitations of the positioning method described above, which will not be repeated here. Each module in the above positioning apparatus can be realized by software, hardware, and combinations thereof, in whole or in part. The above modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in hardware form, or stored in the memory in the computer device in software form, so as to be called and executed by the processor to perform the operations corresponding to each module.

[0248] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 22 , an access network device is provided, including:

[0249] The receiver 40 is configured to receive a first location information request sent by a second positioning device;

[0250] The processor 41 is configured to measure a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request, to obtain location-related information;

[0251] The transmitter 42 is configured to send the location-related information to the second positioning device, the location-related information being used for the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element to perform positioning on the target terminal.

[0252] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 23 , an access network device is provided, including:

[0253] The transmitter 50 is configured to send a first location information request to a first positioning device;

[0254] The receiver 51 is configured to receive location-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request;

[0255] The transmitter 50 is further configured to send the measurement result to a location management function network element based on the location-related information.

[0256] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a core network device is provided, comprising: Figure 24 The receiver 60 is configured to receive the configuration parameter sent by the access network device.

[0257] The transmitter 61 is configured to send a first location information request to a second location device according to the configuration parameter.

[0258] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0259] In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the following steps:

[0260] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0261] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0262] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0263] In one embodiment, the computer program is executed by the processor to further implement the following steps:

[0264] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0265] In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the following steps:

[0266] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0267] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0268] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0269] The receiver 60 is further configured to receive a measurement result returned by the second location device based on the first location information request, and to locate the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0270] In one embodiment, the computer program is executed by the processor to further implement the following steps:

[0271] processing the position-related information according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result;

[0272] sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

[0273] In one embodiment, the computer program, when executed by the processor, further implements the following steps:

[0274] receiving the first position information request sent by the positioning management function network element.

[0275] In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program. The computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the following steps:

[0276] receiving the configuration parameter sent by the access network device;

[0277] sending a first position information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameter;

[0278] receiving a measurement result returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request, and positioning the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0279] In one embodiment, the computer program, when executed by the processor, further implements the following steps:

[0280] extracting the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter;

[0281] generating the first position information request according to the signal configuration parameter, and sending the first position information request to the second positioning device.

[0282] In one embodiment, the computer program, when executed by the processor, further implements the following steps:

[0283] determining a positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal;

[0284] extracting a signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameter.

[0285] In one embodiment, the computer program, when executed by the processor, further implements the following steps:

[0286] sending a second position information request to the base station; the second position information request is used to request the configuration parameter.

[0287] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the following steps:

[0288] receiving a first location information request sent by a second positioning device;

[0289] measuring a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request to obtain location related information;

[0290] sending the location related information to the second positioning device, the location related information being used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element.

[0291] In one embodiment, when it is running on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0292] measuring the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameter to obtain the location related information.

[0293] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0294] sending a first location information request to a first positioning device;

[0295] receiving location related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first location information request;

[0296] sending a measurement result to a positioning management function network element based on the location related information.

[0297] In one embodiment, when it is running on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0298] processing the location related information according to a signal configuration parameter to obtain the measurement result;

[0299] sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

[0300] In one embodiment, when it is running on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0301] receiving the first location information request sent by the positioning management function network element.

[0302] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0303] receiving a configuration parameter sent by a base station;

[0304] sending a first location information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameter;

[0305] receive the measurement result returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request, and perform positioning on the target terminal according to the measurement result.

[0306] In one embodiment, when it is running on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0307] extract the signal configuration parameter from the configuration parameter;

[0308] generate the first position information request according to the signal configuration parameter, and send the first position information request to the second positioning device.

[0309] In one embodiment, when it is running on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0310] determine a positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal;

[0311] extract the signal configuration parameter corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameter.

[0312] In one embodiment, when it is running on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0313] send a second position information request to the base station; the second position information request is used to request the configuration parameter.

[0314] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments can be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the above-mentioned embodiments. In the embodiments provided in the present application, any reference to memory, storage, database or other medium can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory or optical memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration but not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (Static Random Access Memory, SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (Dynamic Random Access Memory, DRAM), etc.

[0315] Any combination of the technical features in the above embodiments can be made, and for the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations are described above, however, as long as the combination of the technical features does not exist in contradiction, it shall be considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0316] The above embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it shall not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the present application. It shall be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled persons in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these shall be within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A positioning system, characterized by The positioning system comprises a target terminal, an access network device, a plurality of first positioning devices, a second positioning device, a positioning management function network element; each of the first positioning devices is connected with the access network device, the second positioning device is connected with each of the first positioning devices respectively, the positioning management function network element is connected with the second positioning device and the access network device respectively, and the target terminal is connected with the access network device; The positioning management function network element is configured to receive the configuration parameters sent by the access network device, and send a first location information request to the second positioning device according to the configuration parameters; The second positioning device is configured to receive the first location information request, and send the first location information request to the first positioning device; Each of the first positioning devices is configured to receive the first location information request, measure the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the signal configuration parameters in the first location information request, obtain location related information, and send the location related information to the second positioning device; the location related information is used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and the positioning management function network element; The second positioning device is further configured to receive the location related information returned by the first positioning device, process the location related information according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain measurement results, and send the measurement results to the positioning management function network element; The positioning management function network element is further configured to receive the measurement results returned by the second positioning device, and position the target terminal according to the measurement results.

2. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein, The positioning management function network element is specifically configured to extract the signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters when receiving the configuration parameters sent by the access network device, generate the first location information request according to the signal configuration parameters, and send the first location information request to the second positioning device.

3. The positioning system of claim 2, wherein, When the positioning management function network element extracts the signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters, it is specifically configured to determine a positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal, and extract the signal configuration parameters corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameters.

4. Positioning system according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that The signal configuration parameters comprise configuration parameters of a downlink positioning reference signal or configuration parameters of a channel sounding positioning signal.

5. The positioning system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The measurement results comprise at least one of a signal reception time difference, a signal reception angle difference, and a signal reception phase difference.

6. A positioning method characterized by, The first positioning device applied to the positioning system of claim 1, the method comprises: receiving a first location information request sent by a second positioning device in the positioning system; measuring the positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first location information request to obtain location related information; sending the location related information to the second positioning device, the location related information being used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element in the positioning system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first position information request comprises signal configuration parameters; the position related information is obtained by measuring the positioning signal of the target terminal according to the first position information request. The position related information is obtained by measuring the positioning signal according to the signal configuration parameters.

8. A positioning method characterized by, The method applied to the second positioning device in the positioning system of claim 1, the method comprising: sending a first position information request to a first positioning device in the positioning system; receiving position related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first position information request; sending a measurement result to a positioning management function network element in the positioning system based on the position related information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first position information request comprises signal configuration parameters, and the sending of the measurement result to the positioning management function network element based on the position related information comprises: processing the position related information according to the signal configuration parameters to obtain the measurement result; sending the measurement result to the positioning management function network element.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving the first position information request sent by the positioning management function network element.

11. A positioning method characterized by, The method applied to the positioning management function network element in the positioning system of claim 1, the method comprising: receiving configuration parameters sent by an access network device in the positioning system; sending a first position information request to a second positioning device in the positioning system according to the configuration parameters; receiving a measurement result returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request, and positioning a target terminal in the positioning system according to the measurement result.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The configuration parameters comprise signal configuration parameters, and the sending of the first position information request to the second positioning device according to the configuration parameters comprises: extracting the signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters; generating the first position information request according to the signal configuration parameters, and sending the first position information request to the second positioning device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The extracting of the signal configuration parameters from the configuration parameters comprises: determining a positioning type according to the positioning capability of the target terminal; extracting signal configuration parameters corresponding to the positioning type from the configuration parameters.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending a second position information request to an access network device in the positioning system; the second position information request is used to request the configuration parameters.

15. A positioning device, characterized by The device applied to the positioning system of claim 1, the device comprising: a first receiving module, configured to receive a first position information request sent by a second positioning device in the positioning system; a measurement module, configured to measure a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first position information request to obtain position related information; a first sending module, configured to send the position related information to the second positioning device, the position related information being used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element in the positioning system.

16. A positioning device, characterized by The device applied to the positioning system of claim 1, the device comprising: a second sending module, configured to send a first position information request to a first positioning device in the positioning system; The second receiving module is configured to receive position-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first position information request. The third sending module is configured to send measurement results to a positioning management function network element in the positioning system based on the position-related information.

17. A positioning device, characterized by The device is applied to the positioning system of claim 1, and the device comprises: The third receiving module is configured to receive configuration parameters sent by an access network device in the positioning system. The fourth sending module is configured to send a first position information request to a second positioning device in the positioning system according to the configuration parameters. The fourth receiving module is configured to receive measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request, and to perform positioning on a target terminal in the positioning system according to the measurement results.

18. An access network device, comprising: The device is applied to the positioning system of claim 1, and the device comprises a transmitter, a processor and a receiver. The receiver is configured to receive a first position information request sent by a second positioning device. The processor is configured to measure a positioning signal of a target terminal according to the first position information request, and to obtain position-related information. The transmitter is configured to send the position-related information to the second positioning device, and the position-related information is used for positioning the target terminal by the second positioning device and a positioning management function network element.

19. An access network device, comprising: The device is applied to the positioning system of claim 1, and the device comprises a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to send a first position information request to a first positioning device. The receiver is configured to receive position-related information returned by the first positioning device based on the first position information request. The transmitter is further configured to send measurement results to a positioning management function network element based on the position-related information.

20. A core network device, comprising: The device is applied to the positioning system of claim 1, and the device comprises a transmitter and a receiver. The receiver is configured to receive configuration parameters sent by an access network device. The transmitter is configured to send a first position information request to a second positioning device according to the configuration parameters. The receiver is further configured to receive measurement results returned by the second positioning device based on the first position information request, and to perform positioning on a target terminal according to the measurement results.

21. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method of any one of claims 6 to 14.

22. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method of any one of claims 6 to 14.

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