Positioning method and device, and communication equipment

Abstract

Provided in an embodiment of the present application are a positioning method and apparatus, and a communication device, the method comprising: a first device receiving a first signal sent by an anchor device, the first signal being a backscattering signal corresponding to a second signal received by the anchor device; and the first device positions a second device based on the received first signal.

Description

Positioning method, positioning device, and communication equipment Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of backscatter communication technology, and specifically to a positioning method and apparatus, and communication equipment based on backscattering. Background Art

[0002] Zero-power devices offer low complexity and cost, enabling high-density, large-scale deployments at a low cost. When deploying zero-power devices, they can serve as positioning anchors (i.e., anchor devices) to assist in positioning and improve accuracy. However, implementing positioning using anchor devices remains a challenge.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and apparatus, a communication device, a chip, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, and a computer program.

[0005] The positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0006] The first device receives a first signal sent by the anchor device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device;

[0007] The first device locates the second device based on the received first signal.

[0008] The positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0009] The anchor device sends a first signal to the first device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device; the first signal is used by the first device to locate the second device.

[0010] The positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to a first device, and the device includes:

[0011] a receiving unit, configured to receive a first signal sent by an anchor device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to a second signal received by the anchor device;

[0012] A positioning unit is configured to locate the second device based on the received first signal.

[0013] The positioning device provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to an anchor device, and the device includes:

[0014] The sending unit is configured to send a first signal to the first device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device; the first signal is used by the first device to locate the second device.

[0015] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0016] The chip provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to implement the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0017] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0018] The computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of the present application is used to store a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0019] The computer program product provided in the embodiments of the present application includes computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0020] The computer program provided in the embodiment of the present application, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0021] With the above technical solution, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device performs backscattering to transmit the first signal. The first signal is the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device in response to the second signal. The first device receives the first signal sent by the anchor device and locates the second device based on the received first signal. In this way, with the help of the anchor device's backscattering, the anchor device can assist the first device in locating the second device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0023] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of zero-power communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of backscatter communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of energy harvesting according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG4 is a circuit diagram of resistive load modulation provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG6 is a first schematic diagram of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG7 is a first schematic diagram of a positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG9 is a second schematic diagram of a positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG10 is a third schematic diagram of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG11 is a third schematic diagram of a positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG12 is a fourth schematic diagram of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG13 is a fourth schematic diagram of a positioning process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the first structural composition of a positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG15 is a second schematic diagram of the structural composition of the positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0042] Zero-power device-based communication

[0043] In recent years, the application of zero-power devices has become increasingly widespread. A typical zero-power device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.

[0044] RFID devices are based on RFID technology, a wireless communication technology that uses spatial coupling of radio frequency signals to achieve contactless automatic transmission and identification of tag information. A typical RFID device is an RFID tag, also known as a "radio frequency tag" or "electronic tag." Electronic tags can be divided into active, passive, and semi-passive tags based on their power supply method. Active tags, also known as active tags, are powered by a battery. The battery, memory, and antenna together form an active tag. Unlike passive RF activation, active tags transmit information over a set frequency band until the battery is replaced. Passive tags, also known as passive tags, do not support internal batteries. When a passive tag approaches a reader, it is within the near field generated by the reader's antenna. The tag's antenna generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction, which drives the tag's chip circuit. The chip circuit then transmits the identification information stored in the tag to the reader through the tag's antenna. Semi-active electronic tags inherit the advantages of passive electronic tags, such as small size, light weight, low price and long service life. When there is no reader access, the built-in battery only powers a small number of circuits in the chip. Only when the reader accesses, the built-in battery powers the RFID chip to increase the tag's reading and writing distance and improve communication reliability.

[0045] An RFID system consists of two parts: an electronic tag (TAG) and a reader / writer. The tag consists of a coupling component and a chip. Each tag has a unique electronic code and can be placed on a target object to mark it. The reader / writer not only reads the information on the tag but also writes information to it, providing the tag with the energy it needs to communicate. As shown in Figure 1, after the tag (which can be either passive or passive) enters an electromagnetic field, it receives the radio frequency signal emitted by the reader / writer. The tag uses the energy generated by the electromagnetic field to transmit the information stored on the tag. The reader / writer reads the tag's information and decodes it, thereby identifying the tag.

[0046] Communication based on zero-power devices, often referred to as zero-power communication, involves key technologies such as energy harvesting, backscatter communication, and low-power computing. As shown in Figure 1, an RFID system is a typical zero-power communication system consisting of an electronic tag and a reader / writer, with the electronic tag being a zero-power device. The reader / writer transmits radio waves to provide energy to the electronic tag. An energy harvesting module installed within the electronic tag collects energy from radio waves in space (Figure 1 shows the radio waves emitted by the reader / writer). This energy harvesting module is used to implement the electronic tag's low-power computing module and backscatter communication. After harvesting energy, the electronic tag receives control commands from the reader / writer and transmits data to the reader / writer via backscatter communication based on control signaling. The data transmitted by the electronic tag can come from data stored within the tag itself (such as the tag's identity or information pre-programmed into the tag, such as the product's production date, brand, and manufacturer). The electronic tag can also be equipped with various sensors, which can then report data collected by these sensors using zero-power communication mechanisms.

[0047] The following further explains the key technologies of zero-power communication.

[0048] 1) Back Scattering

[0049] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of backscatter communication. As shown in Figure 2, the reader / writer can also be called a backscatter reader / writer, and the electronic tag can also be called a backscatter tag. The electronic tag is a zero-power device. The electronic tag receives the carrier signal sent by the reader / writer, collects energy through the energy harvesting module, and then powers the low-power computing module (i.e., the logic processing module in Figure 2). The low-power computing module modulates the incoming signal and backscatters the modulated signal.

[0050] The main characteristics of backscatter communication are as follows:

[0051] On the one hand, zero-power devices do not actively transmit signals, but achieve backscatter communication by modulating incoming signals;

[0052] On the other hand, zero-power devices do not rely on traditional active power amplifier transmitters and use low-power computing modules, greatly reducing hardware complexity;

[0053] On the other hand, zero-power devices combined with energy harvesting modules can achieve battery-free communication.

[0054] 2) Power Harvesting

[0055] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of energy harvesting. As shown in Figure 3, the zero-power device uses a radio frequency (RF) module to harvest electromagnetic wave energy in space through electromagnetic induction, thereby driving the load circuit (such as driving a low-power computing module, a sensor module, etc.), and can also achieve battery-free communication.

[0056] 3) Load modulation

[0057] Load modulation is a common method used by electronic tags to transmit data to readers. Load modulation adjusts the electrical parameters of the tag's oscillating circuit according to the data flow rhythm, thereby changing the tag's impedance and phase. Load modulation techniques primarily include resistive load modulation and capacitive load modulation.

[0058] In resistive load modulation, a resistor, called the load modulation resistor, is connected in parallel with the load. This resistor is switched on and off according to the clock of the data stream, and the on and off of switch S is controlled by the binary data encoding. The circuit schematic of resistive load modulation is shown in Figure 4.

[0059] In capacitive load modulation, a capacitor is connected in parallel with the load, called the load modulation capacitor. This capacitor replaces the load modulation resistor controlled by binary data encoding in Figure 4.

[0060] 4) Encoding

[0061] The data transmitted by electronic tags can be represented by various codes to represent binary "1" and "0." RFID systems typically use one of the following encoding methods: non-return-to-zero (NRZ), Manchester, unipolar return-to-zero (Unipolar RZ), differential bi-phase (DBP), Miller, or differential encoding. Using different codes to represent binary "1" and "0" can also be understood as using different pulse signals to represent 0 and 1.

[0062] Energy supply signal and trigger signal in zero-power communication system

[0063] 1) Energy supply signal

[0064] The power supply signal is used to provide energy to zero-power devices.

[0065] In terms of the carrier of the energy supply signal, the transmitter of the energy supply signal can be a base station, smart gateway, charging station, micro base station, smart phone, etc.

[0066] In terms of the frequency band of the power supply signal, the frequency band of the radio wave used as the power supply signal can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0067] In terms of the waveform of the power supply signal, the waveform of the radio wave used as the power supply signal can be a sine wave, a square wave, a triangle wave, a pulse, a rectangular wave, etc.

[0068] In addition, the power supply signal can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0069] The power supply signal can be, but is not limited to, a physical signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), etc. Not limited to this, the power supply signal can also be a new signal.

[0070] 2) Trigger signal

[0071] The trigger signal is used to trigger the zero-power device to communicate. In other words, the trigger signal is used to schedule the zero-power device.

[0072] In terms of the carrier of the trigger signal, the transmitter of the trigger signal can be a base station, smart gateway, charging station, micro base station, smart phone, etc.

[0073] In terms of the frequency band of the trigger signal, the frequency band of the radio wave used as the trigger signal can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0074] In terms of the waveform of the trigger signal, the waveform of the radio wave used as the trigger signal can be a sine wave, square wave, triangle wave, pulse, rectangular wave, etc.

[0075] In addition, the trigger signal can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0076] The trigger signal may be, but is not limited to, a physical signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, etc. The trigger signal is not limited thereto and may also be a new signal.

[0077] Cellular IoT

[0078] In the cellular IoT, terminals are active and need to monitor the scheduling information of network devices and communicate based on this information. For scheduling-free uplink transmission, terminals can communicate on pre-set resources.

[0079] As 5G industry applications expand, the types of connected objects and application scenarios will increase, placing higher demands on terminal prices and power consumption. The application of battery-free, low-cost terminals (i.e., passive IoT devices) has become a key technology for cellular IoT.

[0080] Passive IoT devices can be implemented based on zero-power devices, such as RFID devices, and can be extended to accommodate cellular IoT. Cellular IoT that incorporates passive IoT devices can also be referred to as cellular passive IoT. In cellular passive IoT, passive IoT devices communicate by monitoring scheduling information from network devices. Unlike active devices, passive IoT devices require energy harvesting (charging) before communicating.

[0081] Classification of Zero-Power Devices

[0082] Based on the energy source and usage of zero-power devices, zero-power devices can be divided into the following types:

[0083] 1) Passive zero-power devices

[0084] Zero-power devices do not require internal batteries. When they approach network devices, they are within the near-field radiation generated by the network device's antenna. Therefore, the antenna of the zero-power device generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction. This induced current drives the low-power computing module (also known as the low-power chip circuit) of the zero-power device to perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating backward link signals. For backscatter links, the zero-power device uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0085] It can be seen that the passive zero-power device does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link, and is a truly zero-power device.

[0086] Since passive zero-power devices do not require batteries, their RF circuits and baseband circuits are very simple. For example, they do not require low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), crystal oscillators, ADCs, etc. Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, low price, and long service life.

[0087] 2) Semi-passive zero-power devices

[0088] Semi-passive zero-power devices don't have conventional batteries themselves, but instead use energy harvesting modules to harvest radio wave energy and store it in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). This energy storage unit then powers the zero-power device's low-power computing module (also known as a low-power chip circuit) to perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating backward link signals. For backscatter links, the zero-power device uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0089] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power device does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although it uses energy stored in capacitors during operation, the energy comes from the energy of radio waves collected by the energy harvesting module. Therefore, it is also a truly zero-power device.

[0090] Semi-passive zero-power devices inherit many advantages of passive zero-power devices, and therefore have many advantages such as small size, light weight, low price, and long service life.

[0091] 3) Active zero-power devices

[0092] Zero-power devices used in some scenarios can also be active zero-power devices, which can have built-in batteries. The battery is used to drive the low-power computing module (i.e., low-power chip circuit) of the zero-power device to perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating reverse link signals. However, for backscatter links, zero-power devices use backscattering to transmit signals. Therefore, the zero-power nature of these devices is primarily reflected in the fact that reverse link signal transmission does not require the device's own power, but instead uses backscattering.

[0093] Active zero-power devices, with built-in batteries to power the RF chip, increase communication distance and improve communication reliability. Therefore, they are used in scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and latency.

[0094] Indoor positioning technology

[0095] In outdoor environments, the Global Positioning System (GPS) allows for highly accurate positioning of devices. However, indoors and in environments with deep shadows, where satellite signals are often lost, satellite positioning (i.e., GPS-based positioning) becomes problematic.

[0096] When satellite positioning is not possible indoors, indoor positioning technology is used as an auxiliary to satellite positioning. This overcomes the problem of weak satellite signals reaching the ground and failing to penetrate buildings, ultimately locating the current location of an object. Indoor positioning refers to positioning within an indoor environment. It primarily integrates multiple technologies, including wireless communications, base station positioning, and inertial navigation, to form an indoor positioning system, enabling the location monitoring of people and objects within indoor spaces.

[0097] Zero-power devices offer low complexity, low cost, maintenance-free operation, and battery-free operation. They support energy harvesting and backscatter communication, enabling high-density and large-scale deployment at a low cost. When deploying zero-power devices, they can be used as anchor points (i.e., anchor devices) to assist in positioning, improve positioning accuracy, and ultimately locate the target device. Examples include cargo positioning in logistics scenarios, animal positioning on livestock farms, individual user and item positioning, and indoor positioning in shopping malls.

[0098] How to locate the target device using an anchor device is a problem that needs to be solved. Especially when there are many devices in the positioning system and a large number of wireless signals in the space, how to avoid the influence of non-target devices and achieve accurate positioning of the target device is a problem that needs to be solved. To this end, the following technical solutions are proposed in the embodiments of this application.

[0099] It should be noted that the "anchor device" in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a reference device, and the present application does not limit the name of the anchor device. The "anchor device" supports backscatter communication, and the position (or coordinates) of the anchor device is known. As an example, the anchor device may be a zero-power device. The zero-power device supports backscatter communication, and the type of the zero-power device may be a passive zero-power device, a semi-passive zero-power device, or an active zero-power device, and the present application does not limit this. The zero-power device is a device with a known position, for example, the zero-power device is fixed, and its position is known to the positioning device; or the zero-power device is movable, and the zero-power device can report its position to the positioning device; or the zero-power device is movable, and the positioning device can update / write position information to the zero-power device.

[0100] It should be noted that the "anchor device" in the embodiment of the present application can also be called a reference device. The present application does not make any special reference to the name of the anchor device.

[0101] of

[0102] It should be noted that the "first device" in the embodiments of the present application can be referred to as a positioning device, and the "second device" can be referred to as a "target device". When the positioning device needs to locate the target device, the positioning device locates the second device with the assistance of an anchor device. In some embodiments, the first device is a network device, the second device is a terminal, and the network device locates the terminal with the assistance of the anchor device. In other embodiments, the first device is a first terminal, the second device is a second terminal, and the first terminal locates the second terminal with the assistance of the anchor device. In yet other embodiments, the first device is a terminal, the second device is a network device, and the terminal locates the network device with the assistance of the anchor device.

[0103] The network device may be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) device, or a gNB in ​​an NR system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device may be a relay station, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc.

[0104] A terminal may be any terminal, including but not limited to a terminal connected to a network device or other terminal using a wired or wireless connection. For example, a terminal may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. An access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, an IoT device, a satellite handheld terminal, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolution network, etc.

[0105] The positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application is a positioning method based on the assistance of anchor point devices, or a positioning method based on backscattering.

[0106] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0107] FIG5 is a flow chart of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the positioning method includes the following steps:

[0108] Step 501: The anchor device sends a first signal to the first device. The first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device.

[0109] Step 502: The first device receives a first signal sent by the anchor device, and the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal.

[0110] In some implementations, before step 501 , the first device receives a second positioning request signal sent by the second device, where the second positioning request signal is used to request location information of the second device.

[0111] In some implementations, after step 502 , the first device sends the positioning result of the second device to the second device.

[0112] Here, the anchor device responds to the received second signal and thereby transmits the first signal. The second signal can be understood as an incoming signal related to assisted positioning received by the anchor device. The first signal can be understood as a backscattered signal transmitted by the anchor device after receiving the second signal. For example, the backscattering can be based on the second signal, or based on another carrier signal after receiving the second signal.

[0113] In the embodiment of the present application, the anchor device responds to the received second signal, thereby sending the first signal, which can be implemented in but is not limited to the following two ways:

[0114] Method 1: After receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the received second signal to thereby send the first signal.

[0115] In some embodiments, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the received second signal if the received power of the second signal is greater than or equal to a power threshold, thereby transmitting the first signal. If the power of the second signal reaching the anchor device is too low, the anchor device cannot support backscatter communication (for example, the anchor device cannot harvest energy from the second signal to provide the energy required for backscattering, or the power of the second signal is less than the receiver sensitivity of the anchor device, making it impossible to receive the second signal).

[0116] In some embodiments, the second signal carries information indicating the transmit power of the second signal. This information can be carried by the transmitter of the second signal in the second signal. After receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters it to transmit the first signal. Here, since the first signal is formed by reflecting and scattering the second signal, the first signal also carries information indicating the transmit power of the second signal. The transmit power of the second signal can be used to assist the first device in determining the location of the second device.

[0117] Method 2: After receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the third-party signal provided by the third-party device, thereby transmitting the first signal. Here, the third-party device is relatively close to the anchor device (for example, the distance is less than or equal to the distance threshold), and the positions of the third-party device and the anchor device can be considered to be consistent. In specific implementations, the third-party device can be co-located with the anchor device (i.e., the third-party device is part of the anchor device) or separate from the anchor device (i.e., the third-party device is not part of the anchor device).

[0118] In some embodiments, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the third-party signal provided by the third-party device, thereby transmitting the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device can modulate / load corresponding information during the backscatter communication based on the signal strength of the second signal when receiving the second signal. That is, the first signal carries characteristic information (e.g., signal strength) of the second signal received by the anchor device. On the one hand, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the third-party signal. Since the transmit power of the third-party signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third-party device, the transmit power can be set to a large value. In this way, even if the signal strength of the second signal is very weak when it reaches the anchor device, the anchor device does not directly backscatter the second signal, but instead backscatters the third-party signal provided by the third-party device, and the backscattered first signal can be received by the first device. On the other hand, the first signal backscattered by the anchor device carries the strength information of the second signal. In this way, the first device can locate the second device based on the information carried in the received first signal.

[0119] In some embodiments, the second signal carries information indicating the transmit power of the second signal. This information can be carried in the second signal by the transmitter of the second signal. In some embodiments, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device modulates the information indicating the transmit power of the second signal into the backscattered signal, i.e., the backscattered signal (first signal) carries the transmit power information of the second signal. Here, the transmit power of the second signal can be used to assist the first device in determining the location of the second device.

[0120] In this embodiment of the present application, the number of "anchor devices" can be one or more. When there are multiple anchor devices, each of the multiple anchor devices will respond to the received second signal and thus send the first signal. The first device receives the first signals sent by the multiple anchor devices and locates the second device based on the received first signals sent by the multiple anchor devices. Here, different anchor devices can use the same or different frequencies when performing backscatter communication (i.e., sending the first signal).

[0121] In some implementations, when the anchor device performs backscattering, it may carry indication information associated with the anchor device, so that when the first device receives multiple backscatter signals, it can associate the backscatter signals with the anchor device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal that satisfies a first condition, and the first condition is a condition related to the positioning of the second device. That is, the anchor device only responds to signals that satisfy the first condition.

[0123] Here, in the positioning system, the first device is concerned with the second device, that is, the first device needs to locate the second device. If multiple signals arrive at the anchor device in the positioning system (the multiple signals may overlap in the time domain and / or frequency domain and / or code domain), and different signals in the multiple signals may originate from multiple different devices, then the first device expects the anchor device to respond only to signals related to the second device (i.e., the second signal), that is, to signals that meet the first condition, so that the second device can be located.

[0124] Alternatively, in a positioning system, if multiple signals arrive at an anchor device (the multiple signals may overlap in the time domain, frequency domain, and / or code domain), different signals among the multiple signals may originate from multiple different devices. The anchor device may carry the characteristics of the second signal (e.g., the identifier of the terminal sending the second signal) during backscattering, and the first device may locate multiple target devices based on the backscattered signal from the anchor device.

[0125] The specific implementation of the first condition in the above solution is described below.

[0126] Option 1

[0127] In some implementations, the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device.

[0128] The first device sends a first control signal to the anchor device, and the anchor device receives the first control signal sent by the first device, where the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication and / or the first control signal is used to indicate a first condition.

[0129] Here, the first device schedules (also referred to as controls) the anchor device through a first control signal. The first control signal carries scheduling information, and the scheduling information is used to indicate the first condition.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0131] The first sub-condition is that the signal reception time is within the specified time window;

[0132] The second sub-condition is that the signal has a specified signal characteristic. The specified signal characteristic includes at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted through a specified transmission resource, and the signal strength meets a specified strength range.

[0133] For example, the scheduling information carried by the first control signal includes a time window configuration, and the time window configuration includes at least one of the following information: the period of the time window, the start time of the time window, the end time of the time window, and the length of the time window. After the anchor device receives the signal, if the reception time of the signal is within the specified time window (that is, the signal satisfies the first condition), the anchor device responds to the signal. Here, the specified time window is also the time window for the anchor device to perform backscatter communication. Within this time window, the anchor device will respond to the received signal. Accordingly, the first device will also schedule the sender of the signal to send the signal at a specific time so that the time when the signal arrives at the anchor device falls within the specified time window.

[0134] For example, the scheduling information carried by the first control signal includes first indication information, which is used to indicate a response to a signal carrying specified information. Here, the specified information carried by the signal may include the signal using a specified sequence, the signal carrying a specified identifier, and / or the signal using a specified preamble. After the anchor device receives the signal, if the signal carries the specified information (i.e., the signal satisfies the first condition), the anchor device responds to the signal.

[0135] For example, the scheduling information carried by the first control signal includes second indication information, which is used to indicate a response to a signal transmitted via a designated transmission resource. Here, the designated transmission resource may be a designated time domain resource, a designated frequency domain resource, a designated code domain resource, or the like. After the anchor device receives the signal, if the signal is transmitted via the designated transmission resource (i.e., the signal satisfies the first condition), the anchor device responds to the signal.

[0136] For example, the scheduling information carried by the first control signal includes third indication information, which indicates a response to signals that meet a specified intensity range. The specified intensity range can be defined by one or more intensity thresholds, such as an intensity range that is greater than or equal to an intensity threshold. Upon receiving a signal, if the anchor device receives the signal within the specified intensity range (i.e., the signal meets the first condition), the anchor device responds to the signal.

[0137] Option 2

[0138] In some implementations, the first condition is determined based on predefined information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0140] The first sub-condition is that the signal reception time is within the specified time window;

[0141] The second sub-condition is that the signal has a specified signal characteristic. The specified signal characteristic includes at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted through a specified transmission resource, and the signal strength meets a specified strength range.

[0142] The specific implementation of the second signal in the above solution is described below.

[0143] Plan A

[0144] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent by the second device.

[0145] The second device sends a second signal, and the anchor device responds to the received second signal, thereby sending the first signal. The first device receives the first signal sent by the anchor device. In some implementations, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the second signal, thereby sending the first signal. In other real-time implementations, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters a third-party signal provided by a third-party device, thereby sending the first signal.

[0146] Option 1) In some implementations, the second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal.

[0147] Specifically, the first device sends a second control signal to the second device, where the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a second signal. The second device sends the second signal based on the scheduling of the second control signal.

[0148] In some embodiments, the second control signal includes at least one of the following:

[0149] first information, where the first information is used to instruct the second device to send a second signal at a specified time;

[0150] The second information is used to instruct the second device to transmit a second signal having specified signal characteristics. The specified signal characteristics include at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted using specified transmission resources, and the signal strength falls within a specified strength range. Optionally, the transmission resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and code domain resources.

[0151] Here, the time indicated by the first information needs to adapt to the first sub-condition in the aforementioned solution, that is, the first device schedules the second device to send the second signal at a specific time so that the time when the second signal reaches the anchor device falls within the specified time window.

[0152] Here, the signal characteristics indicated by the second information need to adapt to the second sub-condition in the aforementioned solution, that is, the second signal scheduled by the first device to be sent by the second device has a specified signal characteristic, and the anchor device responds to the signal with the specified signal characteristic.

[0153] Option 2) In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent autonomously by the second device.

[0154] As an implementation manner, the second signal is a first positioning request signal, and the first positioning request signal is used to request to obtain the location information of the second device.

[0155] As an implementation manner, the second signal carries a dedicated preamble and / or a dedicated sequence.

[0156] For the above solution A, the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal, which can be implemented as follows:

[0157] Mode A-1) The first device locates the second device based only on the received first signal.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first device determines a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the received first signal; and the first device determines a location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information:

[0159] transmit power of the second signal;

[0160] received power of the second signal;

[0161] the phase of the second signal;

[0162] received power of the first signal;

[0163] transmit power of the first signal;

[0164] a phase of the first signal;

[0165] Backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

[0166] It should be noted that the received power of the second signal here refers to the power of the second signal when the anchor device receives the second signal. The received power of the first signal refers to the power of the first signal when the first device receives the first signal.

[0167] Here, the transmit power of the second signal may be preset or scheduled by the first device to the second device, and the first device can naturally determine the transmit power of the second signal. Alternatively, information indicating the transmit power of the second signal may be carried in the second signal. This information may be carried by the transmitter of the second signal in the second signal. After receiving the second signal, the anchor device modulates / loads this information into the backscatter signal (i.e., the first signal). After receiving the backscatter signal (i.e., the first signal), the first device can determine the transmit power of the second signal.

[0168] Here, information used to indicate the received power and / or phase of the second signal can be carried in the first signal. The information is carried in the first signal by the receiving end of the second signal. After the first device receives the first signal, it can determine the received power and / or phase of the second signal.

[0169] Here, after receiving the first signal, the first device may determine the receiving power and / or phase of the first signal.

[0170] Here, in some embodiments, the anchor device backscatters the second signal to transmit the first signal. In this case, the transmit power of the first signal is transparent to the anchor device, and the first device can determine the transmit power of the first signal based on the location of the anchor device and the received power and / or phase of the first signal. In some embodiments, the anchor device backscatters the third signal to transmit the first signal. In this case, the transmit power of the first signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third signal. The transmit power of the first signal is known to the anchor device, and the anchor device carries information indicating the transmit power of the first signal in the first signal. After receiving the first signal, the first device can determine the transmit power of the first signal.

[0171] Here, the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device may be preset in the first device, or may be reported to the first device by the anchor device.

[0172] Here, the first device determines the location of the anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the signal characteristics of the received first signal. In some embodiments, the signal characteristics of the first signal include at least one of the following: characteristics of the information carried by the first signal, characteristics of the transmission direction of the first signal, and characteristics of the transmission resource of the first signal. The first signal carries at least one of the following information: an identifier of the anchor device, an identifier of the second device, an identifier of the first device, fifth information, sixth information, seventh information, and eighth information; the fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, and the identifier of the first device.

[0173] As an example: the first signal carries the identifier of the anchor device.

[0174] As an example: the first signal carries the identifier of the anchor device and at least one of the following information: the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device.

[0175] As an example: the first signal carries at least one of the fifth information, the sixth information, the seventh information and the eighth information.

[0176] As an example: the first signal carries the identifier of the anchor device and at least one of the following information: fifth information, sixth information, seventh information, and eighth information.

[0177] Here, the fifth information, the sixth information, the seventh information, and the eighth information are calculated using the identifiers of the two or three devices. The calculation method can be, but is not limited to, summation, and this application does not limit the calculation method. The first device can reversely calculate the identifiers of the corresponding two or three devices based on the fifth information, the sixth information, the seventh information, and the eighth information. Optionally, the identifiers of the two or three devices include the identifier of the anchor device, and the location of the anchor device can be determined based on the identifier of the anchor device.

[0178] As an implementation manner, the first device stores a correspondence table between the position of the anchor device and the signal characteristics of the first signal. The first device can determine the position of the anchor device based on the correspondence table and the signal characteristics of the first signal.

[0179] As an implementation manner, the first device stores the location of the anchor device, and the first device can determine the location of the anchor device based on the transmission direction of the received first signal.

[0180] The anchor device responds to the second signal and sends the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device performs backscattering based on the second signal and sends the first signal. After the first device determines the location of the anchor device, it can determine at least one of the following based on the received power and / or phase of the first signal and the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device: the path loss from the anchor device to the first device, and the power of the second signal when it reaches the anchor device (i.e., the received power of the second signal). Further, based on the determined information and combined with the transmit power of the second signal, at least one of the following can be determined: the path loss from the second device to the first device via the anchor device, and the path loss from the second device to the anchor device. The location of the second device can be determined based on the determined path loss and the location of the anchor device.

[0181] The anchor device responds to the second signal by sending the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device backscatters the third-party signal provided by the third-party device, thereby sending the first signal. The anchor device carries the received power of the second signal in the first signal, that is, the power of the second signal carried in the backscattered signal when it reaches the anchor device and / or the transmit power of the first signal (the transmit power of the first signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third-party device and the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device). After the first device receives the first signal and determines the location of the anchor device, it can determine the path loss from the anchor device to the first device based on the received power and / or phase of the first signal and the transmit power of the first signal. Based on the received power and transmit power of the second signal carried in the first signal, at least one of the following can be obtained: the path loss from the second device to the first device via the anchor device, and the path loss from the second device to the anchor device. The location of the second device can be determined based on the determined path loss and the location of the anchor device.

[0182] Method A-2) The first device receives a second signal sent by the second device; the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal and the second signal.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first device determines a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the received first signal; and the first device determines a location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information:

[0184] transmit power of the second signal;

[0185] received power of the second signal;

[0186] the phase of the second signal;

[0187] received power of the first signal;

[0188] transmit power of the first signal;

[0189] a phase of the first signal;

[0190] Backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

[0191] It should be noted that the received power of the second signal here may be: the power of the second signal when the anchor device receives the second signal (which may be referred to as the first received power of the second signal), and / or the power of the second signal when the first device receives the second signal (which may be referred to as the second received power of the second signal). The received power of the first signal refers to the power of the first signal when the first device receives the first signal.

[0192] Here, the transmission power of the second signal can be preset or scheduled by the first device to the second device, and the first device can naturally determine the transmission power of the second signal. Alternatively, the information indicating the transmission power of the second signal is carried in the second signal, and the information can be carried in the second signal by the transmitter of the second signal. On the one hand, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device modulates / loads the information into the backscatter signal (that is, the first signal). After the first device receives the backscatter signal (that is, the first signal), it can determine the transmission power of the second signal based on the information carried by the backscatter signal; on the other hand, the first device can directly receive the second signal, so that it can determine the transmission power of the second signal based on the information carried by the second signal.

[0193] Here, information indicating the first received power (the first received power is the power when the second signal reaches the anchor device) and / or phase of the second signal can be carried in the first signal. The information is carried by the anchor device in the first signal. After the first device receives the first signal, it can determine the first received power and / or phase of the second signal.

[0194] Here, the first device may directly receive the second signal. After receiving the second signal, the first device may determine the second receiving power (the second receiving power is the power when the second signal reaches the first device) and / or phase of the second signal.

[0195] Here, after receiving the first signal, the first device may determine the receiving power and / or phase of the first signal.

[0196] Here, in some embodiments, the anchor device backscatters the second signal to transmit the first signal. In this case, the transmit power of the first signal is transparent to the anchor device, and the first device can determine the transmit power of the first signal based on the location of the anchor device and the received power and / or phase of the first signal. In some embodiments, the anchor device backscatters the third signal to transmit the first signal. In this case, the transmit power of the first signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third signal. The transmit power of the first signal is known to the anchor device, and the anchor device carries information indicating the transmit power of the first signal in the first signal. After receiving the first signal, the first device can determine the transmit power of the first signal.

[0197] Here, the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device may be preset in the first device, or may be reported to the first device by the anchor device.

[0198] Here, the first device determines the location of the anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the signal characteristics of the received first signal. In some embodiments, the signal characteristics of the first signal include at least one of the following: characteristics of the information carried by the first signal, characteristics of the transmission direction of the first signal, and characteristics of the transmission resource of the first signal. The first signal carries at least one of the following information:

[0199] The identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, the identifier of the first device, the fifth information, the sixth information, the seventh information, and the eighth information; the fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, and the identifier of the first device.

[0200] The anchor device responds to the second signal and sends the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device performs backscattering based on the second signal and sends the first signal. After the first device determines the location of the anchor device, it receives the first signal based on the received power and

[0201] Based on the information obtained, the first device's path loss from the anchor device to the first device and the power of the second signal when it reaches the anchor device (i.e., the first received power of the second signal) can be determined. Furthermore, based on the determined information and combined with the transmit power of the second signal and the power of the second signal when it reaches the first device (i.e., the second received power of the second signal), at least one of the following can be determined: the path loss from the second device to the first device via the anchor device, the path loss from the second device to the first device, and the path loss from the second device to the anchor device. The location of the second device can be determined based on the determined path loss and the location of the anchor device.

[0202] The anchor device responds to the second signal by sending the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device backscatters the third-party signal provided by the third-party device to send the first signal. The anchor device carries the power of the second signal when it arrives at the anchor device and / or the transmit power of the first signal in the first signal (the transmit power of the first signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third-party device and the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device). After the first device receives the first signal and determines the location of the anchor device, it can determine the path loss from the anchor device to the first device based on the received power and / or phase of the first signal and the transmit power of the first signal. Based on the power of the second signal carried in the first signal when it arrives at the anchor device, the transmit power of the second signal, and the power of the second signal when it reaches the first device, at least one of the following can be determined: the path loss from the second device to the first device via the anchor device, the path loss from the second device to the first device, and the path loss from the second device to the anchor device. The location of the second device can be determined based on the determined path loss and the location of the anchor device.

[0203] Plan B

[0204] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent by the first device.

[0205] As an implementation manner, the second signal is a first control signal sent by the first device, and the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

[0206] As an implementation manner, the second signal and the first control signal sent by the first device are different signals.

[0207] The first device sends a second signal, and the anchor device responds to the received second signal, thereby sending the first signal. The first device receives the first signal sent by the anchor device. In some implementations, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters the second signal, thereby sending the first signal. In other real-time implementations, after receiving the second signal, the anchor device backscatters a third-party signal provided by a third-party device, thereby sending the first signal.

[0208] For the above solution B, the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal, which can be implemented as follows:

[0209] Option B-1) The first device receives a third signal sent by the second device; the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal and the third signal.

[0210] In some embodiments, the first device determines, based on the received first signal, a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal;

[0211] The first device determines the location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information:

[0212] transmit power of the third signal;

[0213] received power of the third signal;

[0214] the phase of the third signal;

[0215] received power of the first signal;

[0216] transmit power of the first signal;

[0217] a phase of the first signal;

[0218] Backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

[0219] It should be noted that the received power of the third signal here refers to the power of the third signal when the first device receives the third signal. The received power of the first signal refers to the power of the first signal when the first device receives the first signal.

[0220] Here, the transmit power of the third signal may be preset or scheduled by the first device to the second device, and the first device can naturally determine the transmit power of the third signal. Alternatively, information indicating the transmit power of the third signal may be carried in the third signal, and this information may be carried in the third signal by the transmitter of the third signal. After receiving the third signal, the first device can determine the transmit power of the third signal.

[0221] Here, after receiving the third signal, the first device may determine the receiving power and / or phase of the third signal.

[0222] Here, after receiving the first signal, the first device may determine the receiving power and / or phase of the first signal.

[0223] Here, in some embodiments, the anchor device backscatters the second signal to transmit the first signal. In this case, the transmit power of the first signal is transparent to the anchor device, and the first device can determine the transmit power of the first signal based on the location of the anchor device and the received power and / or phase of the first signal. In some embodiments, the anchor device backscatters the third signal to transmit the first signal. In this case, the transmit power of the first signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third signal. The transmit power of the first signal is known to the anchor device, and the anchor device carries information indicating the transmit power of the first signal in the first signal. After receiving the first signal, the first device can determine the transmit power of the first signal.

[0224] Here, the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device may be preset in the first device, or may be reported to the first device by the anchor device.

[0225] Here, the first device determines the location of the anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the signal characteristics of the received first signal. In some embodiments, the signal characteristics of the first signal include at least one of the following: characteristics of the information carried by the first signal, characteristics of the transmission direction of the first signal, and characteristics of the transmission resource of the first signal. The first signal carries at least one of the following information: an identifier of the anchor device, an identifier of the second device, an identifier of the first device, fifth information, sixth information, seventh information, and eighth information; the fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, and the identifier of the first device.

[0226] The anchor device responds to the second signal and sends the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device performs backscattering based on the second signal and sends the first signal. After the first device determines the position of the anchor device, it can determine the path loss from the anchor device to the first device based on the received power of the first signal and the transmitted power of the first signal. The path loss from the second device to the first device can be determined based on the received power of the third signal and the transmitted power of the third signal. Further, the position of the second device can be determined based on information such as the phase and / or angle of the first signal and the third signal, as well as the position of the anchor device and the determined path loss. As an example: the first device determines which anchor device the path loss from the second device to the first device is consistent with based on the power spectrum map, thereby approximately determining the position of the second device.

[0227] The anchor device responds to the second signal and sends the first signal. In some implementations, the anchor device backscatters the third-party signal provided by the third-party device, thereby sending the first signal. The anchor device carries the transmit power of the first signal in the first signal (the transmit power of the first signal is determined based on the transmit power of the third-party device and the backscatter communication loss of the anchor device). After the first device receives the first signal and determines the position of the anchor device, the path loss from the anchor device to the first device can be determined based on the receive power of the first signal and the transmit power of the first signal. The path loss from the second device to the first device can be determined based on the receive power of the third signal and the transmit power of the third signal. Further, the position of the second device can be determined based on information such as the phase and / or angle of the first and third signals, the position of the anchor device, and the determined path loss.

[0228] Here, the third signal is a signal sent by the second device based on the scheduling of the third control signal. The first device sends the third control signal to the second device, and the third control signal is used to schedule the second device to send the third signal.

[0229] In some embodiments, the third control signal includes at least one of the following:

[0230] third information, where the third information is used to instruct the second device to send a third signal at a specified time;

[0231] The fourth information is used to instruct the second device to transmit a third signal having specified signal characteristics. The specified signal characteristics include at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted using specified transmission resources, and the signal strength falls within a specified strength range. Optionally, the transmission resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and code domain resources.

[0232] In the above schemes, Scheme 1 can be implemented in combination with either Scheme A or Scheme B to form different schemes. Scheme 2 can be implemented in combination with either Scheme A or Scheme B to form different schemes.

[0233] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application take into account the simple structure, low complexity, and low cost of zero-power devices, which can support backscatter communication and are expected to be deployed on a large scale and at a high density. Large-scale and high-density deployment of zero-power devices can support more accurate positioning, especially in indoor environments, which can greatly improve positioning accuracy.

[0234] The following is an example of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, which is not limited to the following application examples. More application examples based on the above solution fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0235] Application Example 1

[0236] This application example corresponds to a combination of Option 1 and Option A in the above-mentioned solutions, wherein this application example adopts Option 1) in Option A and the solutions related to Method A-2).

[0237] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a positioning system. As shown in Figure 6 , the positioning system includes a positioning device (i.e., a first device), a target device (i.e., a second device), and two anchor devices. Here, the positioning device is taken as a network device (e.g., a base station), the target device is taken as a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone), and the anchor device is taken as an electronic tag. Figure 6 illustrates a positioning system including two anchor devices, but is not limited to this. The number of anchor devices can be any number, such as one, three, four, dozens, or hundreds. The anchor devices support backscatter communication and can be, for example, zero-power devices. ① The positioning device sends a first control signal to the anchor device. The first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication. The positioning device sends a second control signal to the target device. The second control signal is used to schedule the second device to transmit a positioning signal (i.e., a second signal). The first control signal and the second control signal can be the same signal or different signals. In Figure 6 , the first control signal and the second control signal are collectively referred to as control signals. ② The target device transmits a positioning signal (i.e., a second signal) based on the scheduling of the second control signal. The second signal can be sent by the target device to the positioning device and simultaneously received by the two anchor devices near the target device. ③ The two anchor devices backscatter the received positioning signals, thereby sending backscattered signals (i.e., first signals). The positioning device receives the backscattered signals sent by the two anchor devices. The positioning device then locates the target device based on the backscattered signals sent by the received anchor devices and the positioning signal sent by the target device.

[0238] FIG7 shows a positioning flow chart of the positioning system shown in FIG6. As shown in FIG7, when the positioning device needs to locate the target device, it can locate the target device based on the positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device. The anchor devices shown in FIG7 include the two anchor devices shown in FIG6. The process shown in FIG7 includes the following steps:

[0239] Step 701: The positioning device sends a second control signal to the target device, where the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal.

[0240] Step 702: The positioning device sends a first control signal to the anchor device assisting in positioning. The first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first control signal and the second control signal may be carried on the same signaling for transmission, and the type of the signaling may be broadcast signaling, multicast signaling, or unicast signaling, which is not limited in this application. If the type of the signaling is broadcast signaling, all devices may receive the signaling. If the type of the signaling is multicast signaling, the devices in the group may receive the signaling, and the anchor device and the target device belong to the devices in the group. If the type of the signaling is unicast signaling, a specific device may receive the signaling, and the target device may be a specific device, and the anchor device may not discard the unicast signaling for the target device but receive the signaling like the target device, or the anchor device may be a specific device, and the target device may not discard the unicast signaling for the anchor device but receive the signaling like the anchor device.

[0242] In some embodiments, the first control signal and the second control signal may be transmitted via different signaling, which may be unicast signaling, which is not limited in this application. Here, the signaling carrying the second control signal may be transmitted earlier than, simultaneously with, or later than the signaling carrying the first control signal.

[0243] Here, the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal, and reference may be made to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0244] Here, the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication, and reference may be made to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0245] Step 703: The target device sends a positioning signal based on the scheduling of the second control signal.

[0246] Here, the type of positioning signal can be a signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, etc.; it can also be a new signal. This application does not limit this. In addition, the positioning signal can be a signal generated spontaneously by the target device or a signal backscattered by the target device from other signals. The signal characteristics of the positioning signal need to be determined based on the scheduling of the second control signal. Here, the signal characteristics of the positioning signal can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0247] Step 704: The anchor device determines whether the received positioning signal meets the first condition based on the first control signal, and if so, backscatters the received positioning signal.

[0248] Here, the specific implementation of the first condition can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0249] Step 705: The positioning device locates the target device based on the received positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device.

[0250] Here, the specific implementation of the positioning device positioning the target device can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0251] Application Example 2

[0252] This application example corresponds to a combination of Option 2 and Option A in the above-mentioned solutions, wherein this application example adopts Option 1) in Option A and the solutions related to Method A-2).

[0253] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of a positioning system. As shown in Figure 8 , the positioning system includes a positioning device (i.e., a first device), a target device (i.e., a second device), and two anchor devices. Here, the positioning device is taken as a network device (e.g., a base station), the target device is taken as a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone), and the anchor device is taken as an electronic tag. Figure 8 illustrates a positioning system including two anchor devices, but is not limited to this. The number of anchor devices can be any number, such as one, three, four, tens, or hundreds. The anchor devices support backscatter communication and can, for example, be zero-power devices. ① The positioning device sends a second control signal to the target device. The second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal (i.e., a second signal). The second control signal is referred to as the control signal in Figure 8 . ② The target device sends a positioning signal (i.e., a second signal) based on the scheduling of the second control signal. The second signal can be sent by the target device to the positioning device and simultaneously received by the two anchor devices near the target device. ③ The two anchor devices backscatter the received positioning signal, thereby sending a backscatter signal (i.e., a first signal). The positioning device receives the backscatter signals sent by the two anchor devices. Afterwards, the positioning device locates the target device based on the received backscatter signal sent by the anchor device and the positioning signal sent by the target device.

[0254] FIG9 shows a positioning flow chart of the positioning system shown in FIG8. As shown in FIG9, when the positioning device needs to locate the target device, it can locate the target device based on the positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device. The anchor devices shown in FIG9 include the two anchor devices shown in FIG8. The process shown in FIG9 includes the following steps:

[0255] Step 901: The positioning device sends a second control signal to the target device, where the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal.

[0256] Here, the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal, and reference may be made to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0257] Step 902: The target device sends a positioning signal based on the scheduling of the second control signal.

[0258] The positioning signal type may be any signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, etc.; or it may be a new signal. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. In addition, the positioning signal may be a signal generated autonomously by the target device or a signal generated by the target device backscattering other signals.

[0259] The signal characteristics of the positioning signal need to be determined based on the scheduling of the second control signal. Here, the signal characteristics of the positioning signal can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0260] Step 903: The anchor point device determines whether the received positioning signal meets the first condition based on the first control signal, and if so, performs backscattering on the received positioning signal.

[0261] Here, the specific implementation of the first condition can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0262] Step 904: The positioning device locates the target device based on the received positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device.

[0263] Here, the specific implementation of the positioning device positioning the target device can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0264] Application Example 3

[0265] This application example corresponds to a combination of Solution 1 and Solution B in the above-mentioned solution, wherein this application example adopts a solution related to method B-1) in Solution B.

[0266] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a positioning system. As shown in Figure 10 , the positioning system includes a positioning device (i.e., a first device), a target device (i.e., a second device), and two anchor devices. Here, the positioning device is taken as a network device (e.g., a base station), the target device is taken as a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone), and the anchor device is taken as an electronic tag. Figure 10 illustrates the positioning system as including two anchor devices, but is not limited to this. The number of anchor devices can be any number, such as one, three, four, tens, or hundreds. The anchor devices support backscatter communication and can be, for example, zero-power devices. ① The positioning device sends a first control signal to the anchor device. The first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication. The positioning device sends a second control signal to the target device. The second control signal is used to schedule the second device to transmit a positioning signal (i.e., a second signal). The first control signal and the second control signal can be the same signal or different signals. In Figure 10 , the first control signal and the second control signal are collectively referred to as control signals. ② The target device transmits a positioning signal (i.e., a second signal) based on the scheduling of the second control signal. The second signal can be sent by the target device to the positioning device. ③ The two anchor devices backscatter the received first control signal, thereby sending a backscatter signal (i.e., the first signal). The positioning device receives the backscatter signals sent by the two anchor devices. The positioning device then locates the target device based on the received backscatter signals sent by the anchor devices and the positioning signal sent by the target device.

[0267] FIG11 shows a positioning flow chart of the positioning system shown in FIG10. As shown in FIG11, when the positioning device needs to locate the target device, it can locate the target device based on the positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device. The anchor devices shown in FIG11 include the two anchor devices shown in FIG10. The process shown in FIG11 includes the following steps:

[0268] Step 1101: The positioning device sends a second control signal to the target device, where the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal.

[0269] Step 1102: The positioning device sends a first control signal to the anchor device assisting in positioning. The first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

[0270] In some embodiments, the first control signal and the second control signal may be carried on the same signaling for transmission, and the type of the signaling may be broadcast signaling, multicast signaling, or unicast signaling, which is not limited in this application. If the type of the signaling is broadcast signaling, all devices may receive the signaling. If the type of the signaling is multicast signaling, the devices in the group may receive the signaling, and the anchor device and the target device belong to the devices in the group. If the type of the signaling is unicast signaling, a specific device may receive the signaling, and the target device may be a specific device, and the anchor device may not discard the unicast signaling for the target device but receive the signaling like the target device, or the anchor device may be a specific device, and the target device may not discard the unicast signaling for the anchor device but receive the signaling like the anchor device.

[0271] In some embodiments, the first control signal and the second control signal may be transmitted via different signaling, which may be unicast signaling, which is not limited in this application. Here, the signaling carrying the second control signal may be transmitted earlier than, simultaneously with, or later than the signaling carrying the first control signal.

[0272] Here, the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a positioning signal, and reference may be made to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0273] Here, the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication, and reference may be made to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0274] Step 1103: The target device sends a positioning signal based on the scheduling of the second control signal.

[0275] The positioning signal type may be any signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, etc.; or it may be a new signal. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. In addition, the positioning signal may be a signal generated autonomously by the target device or a signal generated by the target device backscattering other signals.

[0276] The signal characteristics of the positioning signal need to be determined based on the scheduling of the second control signal. Here, the signal characteristics of the positioning signal can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0277] Step 1104: The anchor device determines whether the received first control signal meets the first condition based on the first control signal, and if so, performs backscattering on the received first control signal.

[0278] Here, the specific implementation of the first condition can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0279] Step 1105: The positioning device locates the target device based on the received positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device.

[0280] Here, the specific implementation of the positioning device positioning the target device can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0281] It should be noted that the interaction between the anchor device and the positioning device (i.e., steps 1102 and 1104), and the interaction between the positioning device and the target device (i.e., steps 1101 and 1103) can be decoupled. The interaction between the anchor device and the positioning device can be earlier than or simultaneous with the interaction between the positioning device and the target device. When the interaction between the anchor device and the positioning device is earlier than the interaction between the positioning device and the target device, the interaction between the positioning device and the target device needs to occur within a specific time period after the interaction between the anchor device and the positioning device. In this way, it can be ensured that the interaction result between the anchor device and the positioning device is applicable to the positioning of the target device.

[0282] Application Example 4

[0283] This application example corresponds to Solution A in the above solution, wherein this application example adopts the solution related to Option 2) and Mode A-2) in Solution A.

[0284] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of a positioning system. As shown in Figure 12 , the positioning system includes a positioning device (i.e., a first device), a target device (i.e., a second device), and four anchor devices. Here, the positioning device is taken as an example, a network device (e.g., a base station), the target device is taken as an example, and the anchor device is taken as an electronic tag. Figure 12 illustrates the positioning system as including four anchor devices, but is not limited to this embodiment. The number of anchor devices can be any other number. The anchor devices support backscatter communication and can, for example, be zero-power devices. ① The target device sends a first positioning request signal to the anchor device and a second positioning request signal to the positioning device. The first positioning request signal and the second positioning request signal can be the same signal or different signals. The first positioning request signal and the second positioning request signal are collectively referred to as positioning request signals in Figure 12 . ② The four anchor devices backscatter the received first positioning request signal, thereby transmitting backscatter signals (i.e., first signals). The positioning device receives the backscatter signals transmitted by the four anchor devices. The positioning device then locates the target device based on the received backscatter signals transmitted by the anchor devices and the positioning signal transmitted by the target device. ③The positioning device sends the positioning results to the target device.

[0285] FIG13 shows a positioning flow chart of the positioning system shown in FIG12. As shown in FIG13, when the positioning device needs to locate the target device, it can send a positioning request signal to the positioning device and the anchor device. The positioning device locates the target device based on the positioning signal (which can be a second positioning request signal) sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device. The anchor devices shown in FIG13 include the four anchor devices shown in FIG12. The process shown in FIG13 includes the following steps:

[0286] Step 1301: The target device sends a first positioning request signal to the anchor device, and sends a second positioning request signal to the positioning device.

[0287] Here, the target device wants to obtain its own location and first sends a second positioning request signal to the positioning device to request the positioning device to return its own location. The target device can also send a first positioning request signal to the anchor device to request the anchor device to assist in positioning itself. In some embodiments, the first positioning request signal can serve as the incoming signal (i.e., the second signal) from the anchor device, and the anchor device backscatters the first positioning request signal. Here, the signal characteristics of the first positioning request signal can refer to the description of the signal characteristics of the second signal in the above solution.

[0288] In some embodiments, the first positioning request signal and the second positioning request signal may be carried on the same signaling for transmission (or the first positioning request signal and the second positioning request signal are the same signal), and the type of the signaling may be broadcast signaling, multicast signaling, or unicast signaling, which is not limited in this application. If the type of the signaling is broadcast signaling, all devices can receive the signaling. If the type of the signaling is multicast signaling, the devices in the group can receive the signaling, and the anchor device and the positioning device belong to the devices in the group. If the type of the signaling is unicast signaling, a specific device can receive the signaling, and the positioning device may be a specific device, and the anchor device will not discard the unicast signaling for the positioning device but will receive the signaling like the positioning device, or the anchor device may be a specific device, and the positioning device will not discard the unicast signaling for the anchor device but will receive the signaling like the anchor device.

[0289] In some embodiments, the first positioning request signal and the second positioning request signal may be transmitted via different signaling (or the first positioning request signal and the second positioning request signal are different signals). The signaling may be unicast signaling, which is not limited in this application. Here, the signaling carrying the second positioning request signal may be transmitted earlier than, simultaneously with, or later than the signaling carrying the first positioning request signal.

[0290] Step 1302: The anchor device determines whether the received first positioning request signal meets a first condition. If so, the anchor device performs backscattering on the received first positioning request signal.

[0291] Here, the specific implementation of the first condition can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0292] Step 1303: The positioning device locates the target device based on the received positioning signal sent by the target device and the backscattered signal sent by the anchor device.

[0293] Here, the specific implementation of the positioning device positioning the target device can refer to the aforementioned related solutions.

[0294] Step 1304: The positioning device returns the positioning result of the target device to the target device.

[0295] This application example can be implemented in combination with Solution 1 or Solution 2 in the above solutions.

[0296] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can enable the first device to locate the second device based on the assistance of the anchor device. Even if there are multiple devices in the positioning system, the first device can schedule the anchor device so that the anchor device only backscatters the signals that meet the first condition, thereby achieving accurate positioning of the second device and avoiding interference caused by signals from other devices. Alternatively, the anchor device can backscatter the signals that meet the first condition through predefined information instead of scheduling based on the first device, thereby achieving accurate positioning of the second device and avoiding interference caused by signals from other devices. On the other hand, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application also supports the solution in which the second device requests the location of the first device. In this way, the first device only locates the second device that requests the location, thereby improving positioning efficiency.

[0297] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0298] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not imply a precedence in the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of signals or data, where "downlink" is used to indicate the first direction of transmission of signals or data from a site to a user equipment in a cell, "uplink" is used to indicate the second direction of transmission of signals or data from a user equipment in a cell to a site, and "sidelink" is used to indicate the third direction of transmission of signals or data from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0299] FIG14 is a first schematic diagram of the structure of a positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first device. As shown in FIG14 , the positioning device includes:

[0300] The receiving unit 1401 is configured to receive a first signal sent by an anchor device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to a second signal received by the anchor device;

[0301] The positioning unit 1402 is configured to locate the second device based on the received first signal.

[0302] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal that satisfies a first condition, and the first condition is a condition related to the positioning of the second device.

[0303] In some implementations, the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device; or, the first condition is determined based on predefined information.

[0304] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a sending unit 1403; when the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device, the sending unit 1403 is configured to send the first control signal to the anchor device, the first control signal being used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication and / or the first control signal being used to indicate the first condition.

[0305] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0306] The first sub-condition is that the signal reception time is within the specified time window;

[0307] The second sub-condition is that the signal has a specified signal characteristic.

[0308] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent by the second device.

[0309] In some implementations, the second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal; or, the second signal is a signal sent autonomously by the second device.

[0310] In some embodiments, when the second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal, the sending unit 1403 is used to send the second control signal to the second device, and the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send the second signal.

[0311] In some embodiments, the second control signal includes at least one of the following:

[0312] first information, where the first information is used to instruct the second device to send a second signal at a specified time;

[0313] The second information is used to instruct the second device to send a second signal with a specified signal characteristic.

[0314] In some embodiments, when the second signal is a signal autonomously sent by the second device, the second signal is a first positioning request signal, and the first positioning request signal is used to request to obtain the location information of the second device.

[0315] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent by the first device.

[0316] In some implementations, the second signal is a first control signal sent by the first device, where the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

[0317] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1401 is configured to receive a second signal sent by a second device;

[0318] The positioning unit 1402 is configured to locate the second device based on the received first signal and the received second signal.

[0319] In some embodiments, the positioning unit 1402 is configured to determine a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the received first signal; and determine a location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information:

[0320] transmit power of the second signal;

[0321] received power of the second signal;

[0322] the phase of the second signal;

[0323] received power of the first signal;

[0324] transmit power of the first signal;

[0325] a phase of the first signal;

[0326] Backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

[0327] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1401 is configured to receive a third signal sent by the second device;

[0328] The positioning unit 1402 is configured to position the second device based on the received first signal and third signal.

[0329] In some embodiments, the positioning unit 1402 is configured to determine a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on the received first signal; and determine a location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information:

[0330] transmit power of the third signal;

[0331] received power of the third signal;

[0332] the phase of the third signal;

[0333] received power of the first signal;

[0334] transmit power of the first signal;

[0335] a phase of the first signal;

[0336] Backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

[0337] In some implementations, the third signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the third control signal.

[0338] In some implementations, the sending unit 1403 is configured to send a third control signal to the second device, where the third control signal is used to schedule the second device to send a third signal.

[0339] In some embodiments, the third control signal includes at least one of the following:

[0340] third information, where the third information is used to instruct the second device to send a third signal at a specified time;

[0341] The fourth information is used to instruct the second device to send a third signal with a specified signal characteristic.

[0342] In some embodiments, the specified signal characteristics include at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted through specified transmission resources, and the signal strength meets a specified strength range.

[0343] In some implementations, the transmission resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and code domain resources.

[0344] In some implementations, the positioning unit 1402 is configured to determine a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on a signal characteristic of the received first signal.

[0345] In some embodiments, the first signal carries at least one of the following information: an identifier of the anchor device, an identifier of the second device, an identifier of the first device, fifth information, sixth information, seventh information, and eighth information; the fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, and the identifier of the first device.

[0346] In some implementations, the sending unit 1403 is configured to send the positioning result of the second device to the second device.

[0347] In some implementations, the receiving unit 1401 is configured to receive a second positioning request signal sent by a second device, where the second positioning request signal is used to request location information of the second device.

[0348] In some implementations, the first device is a network device and the second device is a terminal; or, the first device is a first terminal and the second device is a second terminal; or, the first device is a terminal and the second device is a network device.

[0349] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned positioning device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the positioning method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0350] FIG15 is a second schematic diagram of the structural composition of a positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a second device. As shown in FIG15 , the positioning device includes:

[0351] The sending unit 1501 is configured to send a first signal to the first device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device; the first signal is used by the first device to locate the second device.

[0352] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal that satisfies a first condition, and the first condition is a condition related to the positioning of the second device.

[0353] In some implementations, the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device; or, the first condition is determined based on predefined information.

[0354] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a receiving unit 1502; when the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device, the receiving unit 1502 is configured to receive the first control signal sent by the first device, the first control signal being used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication and / or the first control signal being used to indicate the first condition.

[0355] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0356] The first sub-condition is that the signal reception time is within the specified time window;

[0357] The second sub-condition is that the signal has a specified signal characteristic.

[0358] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent by the second device.

[0359] In some implementations, the second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal; or, the second signal is a signal sent autonomously by the second device.

[0360] In some embodiments, the second control signal includes at least one of the following:

[0361] first information, where the first information is used to instruct the second device to send a second signal at a specified time;

[0362] The second information is used to instruct the second device to send a second signal with a specified signal characteristic.

[0363] In some embodiments, when the second signal is a signal autonomously sent by the second device, the second signal is a first positioning request signal, and the first positioning request signal is used to request to obtain the location information of the second device.

[0364] In some embodiments, the second signal is a signal sent by the first device.

[0365] In some implementations, the second signal is a first control signal sent by the first device, where the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

[0366] In some embodiments, the specified signal characteristics include at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted through specified transmission resources, and the signal strength meets a specified strength range.

[0367] In some implementations, the transmission resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and code domain resources.

[0368] In some embodiments, the first signal carries at least one of the following information: an identifier of the anchor device, an identifier of the second device, an identifier of the first device, fifth information, sixth information, seventh information, and eighth information; the fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, and the identifier of the first device.

[0369] In some implementations, the first device is a network device and the second device is a terminal; or, the first device is a first terminal and the second device is a second terminal; or, the first device is a terminal and the second device is a network device.

[0370] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned positioning device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the positioning method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0371] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a first device, an anchor device, or a second device. The communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 includes a processor 1610, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0372] Optionally, as shown in FIG16 , the communication device 1600 may further include a memory 1620. The processor 1610 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1620 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0373] The memory 1620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1610 , or may be integrated into the processor 1610 .

[0374] Optionally, as shown in FIG16 , the communication device 1600 may further include a transceiver 1630 , and the processor 1610 may control the transceiver 1630 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0375] The transceiver 1630 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1630 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0376] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may specifically be the first device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0377] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may specifically be an anchor device in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the anchor device in each method in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0378] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may specifically be the second device of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0379] Figure 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1700 shown in Figure 17 includes a processor 1710, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0380] Optionally, as shown in FIG17 , the chip 1700 may further include a memory 1720. The processor 1710 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1720 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0381] The memory 1720 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1710 , or may be integrated into the processor 1710 .

[0382] Optionally, the chip 1700 may further include an input interface 1730. The processor 1710 may control the input interface 1730 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0383] Optionally, the chip 1700 may further include an output interface 1740. The processor 1710 may control the output interface 1740 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0384] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0385] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the anchor device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the anchor device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here.

[0386] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0387] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0388] FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 1800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG18 , the communication system 1800 includes a first device 1810 , an anchor device 1820 , and a second device 1830 .

[0389] Among them, the first device 1810 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the first device in the above method, the anchor device 1820 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the anchor device in the above method. For the sake of simplicity, and the second device 1830 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the second device in the above method, they will not be repeated here.

[0390] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0391] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0392] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0393] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0394] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0395] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the anchor device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the anchor device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0396] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0397] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0398] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0399] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the anchor device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the anchor device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0400] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0401] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0402] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0403] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the anchor device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the anchor device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0404] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0405] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0406] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0407] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0408] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0409] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0410] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0411] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A positioning method, comprising: The first device receives a first signal sent by the anchor device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device; The first device locates the second device based on the received first signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The second signal is a signal that satisfies a first condition, and the first condition is a condition related to the positioning of the second device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device; or, The first condition is determined based on predefined information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: When the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device, the method further includes: The first device sends a first control signal to the anchor device, where the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication and / or the first control signal is used to indicate the first condition.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The first condition includes at least one of the following: A first sub-condition, wherein the first sub-condition is that the reception time of the signal is within a specified time window; The second sub-condition is that the signal has a specified signal characteristic.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The second signal is a signal sent by the second device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal; or, The second signal is a signal autonomously sent by the second device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: When the second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal, the method further includes: The first device sends the second control signal to the second device, where the second control signal is used to schedule the second device to send the second signal.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein The second control signal includes at least one of the following: first information, where the first information is used to instruct the second device to send the second signal at a specified time; Second information, where the second information is used to instruct the second device to send the second signal having a specified signal characteristic.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein: In a case where the second signal is a signal autonomously sent by the second device, the second signal is a first positioning request signal, and the first positioning request signal is used to request obtaining location information of the second device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The second signal is a signal sent by the first device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The second signal is a first control signal sent by the first device, and the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein The method further comprises: receiving, by the first device, the second signal sent by the second device; Positioning, by the first device, the second device based on the received first signal, including: The first device locates the second device based on the received first signal and the second signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and 13, wherein Positioning, by the first device, the second device based on the received first signal, including: The first device determines, based on the received first signal, a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal; The first device determines the location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information: the transmit power of the second signal; received power of the second signal; a phase of the second signal; received power of the first signal; the transmit power of the first signal; a phase of the first signal; The backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 11 and 12, wherein The method further comprises: receiving, by the first device, a third signal sent by the second device; Positioning, by the first device, the second device based on the received first signal, including: The first device locates the second device based on the received first signal and the third signal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 11, 12, and 15, wherein Positioning, by the first device, the second device based on the received first signal, including: The first device determines, based on the received first signal, a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal; The first device determines the location of the second device based on the location of the anchor device and at least one of the following information: the transmission power of the third signal; the received power of the third signal; a phase of the third signal; received power of the first signal; the transmit power of the first signal; a phase of the first signal; The backscatter communication loss of the anchor device.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein The third signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of a third control signal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein The method further comprises: The first device sends a third control signal to the second device, where the third control signal is used to schedule the second device to send the third signal.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein The third control signal includes at least one of the following: third information, where the third information is used to instruct the second device to send the third signal at a specified time; Fourth information, where the fourth information is used to instruct the second device to send the third signal having a specified signal characteristic.

20. The method according to any one of claims 5, 9 and 19, wherein: The specified signal characteristics include at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted through specified transmission resources, and the signal strength meets a specified strength range.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein The transmission resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and code domain resources.

22. The method according to claim 14 or 16, wherein The first device determining, based on the received first signal, a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal, including: The first device determines a location of an anchor device corresponding to the first signal based on a signal characteristic of the received first signal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein The first signal carries at least one of the following information: the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, the identifier of the first device, the fifth information, the sixth information, the seventh information, and the eighth information; The fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein After the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal, the method further includes: The first device sends a positioning result of the second device to the second device.

25. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein Before the first device locates the second device based on the received first signal, the method further includes: The first device receives a second positioning request signal sent by the second device, where the second positioning request signal is used to request obtaining location information of the second device.

26. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein The first device is a network device, and the second device is a terminal; or, The first device is a first terminal, and the second device is a second terminal; or, The first device is a terminal, and the second device is a network device.

27. A positioning method, comprising: The anchor device sends a first signal to the first device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device; The first signal is used by the first device to locate the second device.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The second signal is a signal that satisfies a first condition, and the first condition is a condition related to the positioning of the second device.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein The first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device; or, The first condition is determined based on predefined information.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein When the first condition is determined based on a first control signal sent by the first device, the method further includes: The anchor device receives a first control signal sent by the first device, where the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication, and the first control signal is used to indicate the first condition.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, wherein The first condition includes at least one of the following: A first sub-condition, wherein the first sub-condition is that the reception time of the signal is within a specified time window; The second sub-condition is that the signal has a specified signal characteristic.

32. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein The second signal is a signal sent by the second device.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein The second signal is a signal sent by the second device based on scheduling of the second control signal; or, The second signal is a signal autonomously sent by the second device.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein The second control signal includes at least one of the following: first information, where the first information is used to instruct the second device to send the second signal at a specified time; Second information, where the second information is used to instruct the second device to send the second signal having a specified signal characteristic.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein: In a case where the second signal is a signal autonomously sent by the second device, the second signal is a first positioning request signal, and the first positioning request signal is used to request obtaining location information of the second device.

36. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein The second signal is a signal sent by the first device.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein The second signal is a first control signal sent by the first device, and the first control signal is used to schedule the anchor device to perform backscatter communication.

38. The method according to claim 31 or 34, wherein The specified signal characteristics include at least one of the following: the signal carries specified information, the signal is transmitted through specified transmission resources, and the signal strength meets a specified strength range.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein The transmission resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and code domain resources.

40. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 39, wherein The first signal carries at least one of the following information: the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device, the identifier of the first device, the fifth information, the sixth information, the seventh information, and the eighth information; The fifth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the second device, the sixth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device and the identifier of the first device, the seventh information is calculated based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device, and the eighth information is calculated based on the identifier of the anchor device, the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the first device.

41. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 40, wherein The first device is a network device, and the second device is a terminal; or, The first device is a first terminal, and the second device is a second terminal; or, The first device is a terminal, and the second device is a network device.

42. A positioning device, applied to a first device, comprising: a receiving unit, configured to receive a first signal sent by an anchor device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to a second signal received by the anchor device; A positioning unit is configured to locate the second device based on the received first signal.

43. A positioning device, applied to an anchor device, comprising: a sending unit, configured to send a first signal to the first device, where the first signal is a backscattered signal corresponding to the second signal received by the anchor device; The first signal is used by the first device to locate the second device.

44. A communication device comprising: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26, or the method according to any one of claims 27 to 41.

45. A chip comprising: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26, or the method according to any one of claims 27 to 41.

46. ​​A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26, or the method according to any one of claims 27 to 41.

47. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions, the computer program instructions causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 26, or any one of claims 27 to 41.

48. A computer program, the computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 26, or any one of claims 27 to 41.

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