Positioning method, device and system

Abstract

Provided are a positioning method, device and system, the method being executed by a user equipment, the method comprising: in an inactive state, if leaving a current first cell, starting a timer, and before the timer times out, storing a first positioning channel sounding reference signal, the first positioning channel sounding reference signal is obtained by the user equipment according to a first positioning channel sounding reference signal resource, and the first positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is allocated by a base station comprising the first cell; and if the first cell is accessed again before timeout of the timer, sending the first positioning channel detection reference signal to perform positioning. According to the invention, a positioning function can be maintained under the condition that UE sends cell reselection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a positioning method, device and system. Background Art

[0002] The fifth generation mobile communication technology (New Radio, NR) adds an inactive state of radio resource control (RRC) for user equipment (UE), which is simply recorded as the inactive state. When the UE is in the inactive state, the discontinuous reception mode is used to save network resources and reduce UE power consumption.

[0003] Although this state can reduce power consumption, it also has some problems. For example, when the UE is in the inactive state, if a cell reselection occurs in the same radio network architecture (RNA), the UE's positioning function will fail and the UE can no longer be located. Therefore, how to maintain the UE's positioning function when the UE reselects a cell becomes a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a positioning method, device and system, which can maintain the positioning function when the UE sends a cell reselection.

[0005] In the first aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which is executed by a UE, and includes: in an inactive state, if the UE leaves the current first cell, starting a timer, and saving a first positioning SRS (Sounding Reference Signals, SRS) before the timer times out, wherein the first positioning SRS is obtained by the UE based on a first positioning SRS resource, and the first positioning SRS resource is allocated by a base station including the first cell; if the UE re-accesses the first cell before the timer times out, sending the first positioning SRS for positioning.

[0006] The positioning method provided in the present application can start a timer when an inactive UE leaves the current cell, that is, the first cell, and continue to save the first positioning SRS used for positioning without deleting it. Before the timer times out, as long as the UE returns to the first cell, since the UE can continue to send the saved first positioning SRS, the positioning of the UE can be maintained without interruption, that is, when the UE returns to the current cell after cell reselection, the positioning function of the UE is maintained.

[0007] Optionally, if the UE leaves the first cell and accesses another cell in the same RNA as the first cell, the timer is started, and the timer can be defined as a positioning failure protection timer.

[0008] Optionally, the time of the timer can be determined according to the tolerance of the UE positioning interval in the scene the UE is currently in. In this way, it can be ensured that within the tolerance of positioning, if the first cell is returned, the first positioning SRS positioning is sent, and if the first cell is not returned, other operations are performed to ensure that the positioning function remains uninterrupted within the tolerance.

[0009] Optionally, when the start timer times out, if the UE reconnects to the first cell, the first positioning SRS continues to be saved, and if the UE accesses other cells, the first positioning SRS is deleted. If the UE accesses other cells, the first positioning SRS is no longer needed for positioning, and timely deletion can increase storage space.

[0010] In one possible implementation, it also includes: if it is determined to access the second cell when the timer times out, a recovery request is sent to the base station, wherein the recovery request is used to request restoration of the connection, and the base station includes the second cell, and the second cell and the first cell are in the same RNA; restoring the connection, and receiving a second positioning SRS resource, the second positioning SRS resource is a positioning SRS resource allocated by the base station to the UE based on the second cell; obtaining a second positioning SRS according to the second positioning SRS resource; and sending the second positioning SRS for positioning.

[0011] When the timer expires, the UE enters other cells with the same RNA as the first cell, such as the second cell, and sends a recovery request to the base station to request the base station to reallocate the positioning SRS resources matching the second cell to the UE. After the base station allocates the second positioning SRS resources, the UE obtains the second positioning SRS based on the allocated second positioning SRS resources and broadcasts the second positioning SRS to ensure that cell reselection occurs in the cell of the same RNA. The UE can also obtain the second positioning SRS again after deleting the first positioning SRS and send it to maintain the positioning function.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the restoration request further includes a specific cause value, wherein the specific cause value is used to request restoration of the connection and configuration of the UE to an inactive state, and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value.

[0013] Adding a specific cause value in the recovery request can indicate to the base station that the UE needs to reestablish the connection and reallocate the positioning SRS resources. The specific cause value is a value agreed upon or preset in advance by the base station and the UE. The value can use the reserved value of the existing protocol or be newly added, which will not increase the transmission overhead.

[0014] In the second aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which is executed by a base station, and the base station includes a first cell and a second cell in the same RNA. The method includes: if a recovery request sent by a UE is received, configuring the UE to a connected state, wherein the recovery request is used to request recovery of the connection, and the UE leaves the first cell, and when a timer expires, accesses the second cell; sending a second positioning SRS resource to the UE, and the second positioning SRS resource is allocated based on the second cell; receiving the second positioning SRS sent by the UE for positioning.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the recovery request also includes a specific cause value, and the specific cause value is used to request recovery of the connection and configuration of the UE to an inactive state, and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value, and sending the second positioning SRS resource to the UE includes: sending the second positioning SRS resource to the UE according to the specific cause value, and configuring the UE to the inactive state.

[0016] In the third aspect, the present application provides a UE, including: an RRC module, used to start a timer in an inactive state if the UE leaves the current first cell, and save a first positioning SRS before the timer expires, wherein the first positioning SRS is obtained and saved by the UE based on the first positioning SRS resources, and the first positioning SRS resources are allocated by the base station including the first cell; a sending module, used to send the first positioning SRS for positioning if the UE re-accesses the first cell before the timer expires.

[0017] In one possible implementation, it also includes: the sending module is also used to send a recovery request to the base station if it is determined to access the second cell when the timer times out, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, and the base station includes the second cell, and the second cell and the first cell are in the same RNA; the RRC module is also used to restore the connection; the receiving module is used to receive a second positioning SRS resource, and the second positioning SRS resource is the positioning SRS resource allocated by the base station to the UE based on the second cell; the RRC module is also used to obtain a second positioning SRS according to the second positioning SRS resource; the sending module is also used to send the second positioning SRS for positioning.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the restoration request further includes a specific cause value, wherein the specific cause value is used to request restoration of the connection and configuration of the UE to an inactive state, and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a base station, comprising a first cell and a second cell in the same RNA, and comprising: an RRC module, for configuring the UE to a connected state if a receiving module receives a recovery request sent by the UE, wherein the recovery request is used to request recovery of the connection, the UE leaves the first cell, and accesses the second cell when a timer expires; a sending module, for sending a second positioning SRS resource to the UE, the second positioning SRS resource being allocated based on the second cell; the receiving module, further for receiving the second positioning SRS sent by the UE for positioning.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the recovery request also includes a specific cause value, and the specific cause value is used to request recovery of the connection and configuration of the UE to an inactive state. The specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value, and the sending module is further used to send the second positioning SRS resource to the UE according to the specific cause value; the RRC module is further used to configure the UE to the inactive state according to the specific cause value.

[0021] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a system, comprising: a UE and a base station, wherein the UE is used to implement part or all of the operations of any possible implementation method of the first aspect; and the base station is used to implement part or all of the operations of any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0022] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising at least one processor and a storage medium, wherein the at least one processor and the storage medium are coupled, and when the at least one processor executes a program or instruction, the communication device implements part or all of the operations of the third aspect and any possible implementation method of the third aspect.

[0023] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor and a storage medium, wherein the at least one processor and the storage medium are coupled, and when the at least one processor executes a program or instruction, the communication device implements part or all of the operations of the fourth aspect and any possible implementation method of the fourth aspect.

[0024] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements part or all of the operations included in the method described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementation method of any of the preceding aspects.

[0025] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement part or all of the operations included in the method described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0026] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip, comprising: a port circuit and a processor. The port circuit is connected to the processor, and the processor is used to enable the chip to perform part or all of the operations included in the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0027] It should be understood that the second to tenth aspects of the present application are consistent with or corresponding to the technical solutions of the first aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0029] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of a system 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 is a flowchart of another positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of another UE provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 7 is a structural diagram of a base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device 30 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device 40 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig.10 It is a structural diagram of a system 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions in the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments.

[0040] The term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0041] The terms "first" and "second" in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order of objects. For example, a first target object and a second target object are used to distinguish different target objects rather than to describe a specific order of target objects.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0043] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" refers to two or more than two. For example, multiple processing units refer to two or more processing units; multiple systems refer to two or more systems.

[0044] For ease of understanding, the following first explains the relevant nouns or terms used in the embodiments of the present application:

[0045] 1. 5G positioning formula (5th Generation Ultra Low Transmit Time Difference ofArrival, 5G UL TDoA)

[0046] It is a formula used for positioning based on uplink transmission time difference in 5G networks. The UE's position can be determined by calculating the time difference of the received signal transmitted between different base stations.

[0047] 2. RNA

[0048] Defines the combination of radio access technology and network structure. RNA includes base stations, core network and business support system, and realizes the functions of wireless communication network through these components. In the same RNA, UE performs cell reselection without informing the network (i.e. the base station of the cell).

[0049] 3. Base Station

[0050] The device that communicates with the UE. In the 5G network, the base station is usually called gNB (gNodeB). It can provide high-speed, low-latency and large-capacity services, and can support more UEs to access at the same time.

[0051] 4. SRS

[0052] The reference signal sent by the UE in the uplink is used for channel quality estimation and synchronization. SRS resources refer to the resources for obtaining uplink channel quality. In NR, SRS resources are configured by signaling SRS-Resource, including the position in the time domain and the starting position in the frequency domain.

[0053] The method for positioning UE can be applied in the following aspects: Figure 1 In the system shown in FIG. 1 , the system 100 may include a UE 10, a first base station 20, a second base station 30, and a third base station 40. The UE 10 may be Figure 1 If the UE is in an inactive state, the UE can be positioned using the 5G UL TDoA technology. Figure 1 UE 10 sends a positioning SRS, and the first base station 20, the second base station 30 and the third base station 40 locate the position of the UE by receiving the transmission time difference of the positioning SRS. The principle is: if the difference in distance between UE 10 and two fixed points (any two base stations among the three base stations) is a constant value, a hyperbola can be determined, and the three base stations can at least obtain the following Figure 1 Among the two hyperbolas, the position where the hyperbolas are closest is the position of UE 10.

[0054] However, since the UE is in the Inactive state, once the UE reselects a cell, such as moving from the first cell to the second cell, the UE will delete the positioning SRS generated in the cell (such as srs-PosRRC-Inactive). In this case, if the second cell that the UE re-enters is in another RNA, it will trigger the base station to restore the connection and reallocate the positioning SRS resources so that the UE can generate a positioning SRS for positioning. However, if the UE returns to the first cell, or the second cell it enters is in the same RNA as the first cell, the network will not be notified, that is, the base station cannot perceive that the UE has left the first cell and entered a cell in the same RNA, and the recovery of the connection cannot be triggered. At this time, because the UE has deleted the positioning SRS, the UE cannot be located.

[0055] In order to solve this problem, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method that can keep the positioning of the UE effective. Figure 2 is a flow chart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which can be applied in the following situations: Figure 3 In the system 200 shown, the system 200 includes a UE 10 and a base station 20, and the base station 20 includes at least two cells, which are recorded as a first cell and a second cell, and the first cell and the second cell are in the same RNA. Figure 2 As shown, the method is applied in a UE, including but not limited to steps S101 and S102.

[0056] S101. When the UE is in an inactive state and leaves the current first cell, a timer is started, and a first positioning SRS is saved before the timer expires, wherein the first positioning SRS is obtained by the UE based on a first positioning SRS resource, and the first positioning SRS resource is allocated by a base station including the first cell.

[0057] Reference Figure 3 For example, when the UE accesses the first cell, the base station 20 of the first cell allocates a first positioning SRS resource to the UE based on the first cell. The UE obtains an SRS based on the first positioning SRS resource, which is recorded as the first positioning SRS, and sends the first positioning SRS outward for positioning. The positioning method refers to Figure 1 The method shown. In order to avoid the situation where the UE cannot be positioned due to the deletion of the first positioning SRS after leaving the first cell and returning to the first cell shortly after, a timer is configured in the UE, and the timer can be defined as a positioning failure protection timer (such as tPosProtect). When the UE leaves the first cell, the UE starts the positioning failure protection timer. Before the timer expires, the UE keeps saving the first positioning SRS, that is, does not delete the first positioning SRS.

[0058] Exemplarily, the time of the timer may be determined according to the tolerance of the UE positioning interval in the scene in which the UE is currently located, for example, Figure 3 The provided base station 20 includes cells, such as the first cell and the second cell, and needs to locate the UE therein once every 1 minute, so the timer can be set to 1 minute, etc.

[0059] S102: If the UE re-accesses the first cell before the timer expires, the UE sends a first positioning SRS for positioning.

[0060] After the positioning failure protection timer starts, the UE continues to save the first positioning SRS. In this way, as long as the UE returns to the first cell from other cells, such as the second cell, before the timeout, it can continue to use the saved first positioning SRS. Positioning is achieved by sending the first positioning SRS, which will not cause the positioning function to fail.

[0061] In one example, when the UE returns to the first cell, the positioning failure protection timer can be stopped. For example, when the UE returns to the first cell and sends the first positioning SRS, the positioning failure protection timer is stopped, that is, the state before the UE reselects the cell is restored.

[0062] The positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application can start the timer when an inactive UE leaves the cell, and continue to save the first positioning SRS used for positioning. Before the timeout, as long as the UE returns to the cell, the positioning of the UE can be kept uninterrupted, that is, when the UE returns to the current cell after cell reselection, the positioning function of the UE is maintained.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the UE does not return to the first cell when the timer expires. An embodiment of the present application provides another positioning method, which can also maintain the positioning function of the UE in this case. Figure 4 is a flow chart of another positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the method is executed by the UE and the base station, and includes steps S201 to S210.

[0064] The embodiments of this application are Figure 3 The scenario shown is used as an example for explanation, but is not limited to this. Figure 3 , the base station 20 includes a first cell and a second cell, and the second cell and the first cell are in the same RNA.

[0065] S201. When the UE is in an inactive state and leaves the first cell in which it is currently located, a positioning failure protection timer is started.

[0066] After the UE leaves the first cell, various movement situations may occur. If after the UE leaves the first cell, it returns to the first cell before the positioning failure protection timer times out, step S202 is executed; if when the positioning failure protection timer times out, the UE accesses a cell of the same RNA as the first cell, such as the second cell, then step S204 is executed. When the positioning failure protection timer times out, it includes entering the second cell before or when the positioning failure protection timer times out, that is, it only needs to be determined that the UE is in the second cell at the time when the positioning failure protection timer times out; if the UE accesses a cell of another RNA when the timer times out, the process of restoring the request connection will be triggered. The cells in the same or different RNAs can be cells of the same base station or different base stations, and are not limited to the examples of the embodiments of the present application.

[0067] Exemplarily, if the UE leaves the first cell and accesses another cell in the same RNA as the first cell, the positioning failure protection timer is started, and the positioning method for entering other cells refers to entering the second cell, which will not be described in detail.

[0068] Exemplarily, when the positioning failure protection timer is started and times out, if the UE reconnects to the first cell, the first positioning SRS continues to be saved; if the UE accesses another cell, the first positioning SRS is deleted.

[0069] S202. UE sends a first positioning SRS for positioning.

[0070] S203: When the base station receives a first positioning SRS sent by the UE, the base station positions the UE according to the first positioning SRS.

[0071] The method for the base station to perform positioning according to the first positioning SRS is as follows Figure 1 , no more details.

[0072] S204. The UE sends a recovery request to the base station, where the recovery request is used to request recovery of the connection.

[0073] Since the first cell and the second cell are in the same RNA, if the UE leaves the first cell and enters the second cell, the network (i.e., the base station) is usually unable to perceive that the UE has reselected the cell, and therefore will not reallocate new positioning SRS resources to the UE. In the embodiment of the present application, once the UE's timer times out, if the UE is in the first cell, it continues to send the first positioning SRS to facilitate positioning by the base station. If the UE is not in the first cell, it is necessary to re-request the base station to allocate new positioning SRS resources. When requesting to restore the connection, the recovery request is also equivalent to requesting the base station to allocate positioning SRS resources, and a new positioning SRS has been obtained based on the reallocated positioning SRS resources.

[0074] Exemplarily, when the timer expires, if the UE determines to access another cell other than the first cell, such as accessing the second cell, the UE deletes the saved first positioning SRS resource.

[0075] S205: If the base station receives a recovery request sent by the UE, where the recovery request is used to request recovery of the connection, the base station configures the UE to a connected state.

[0076] Optionally, the recovery request includes a specific reason value, that is, the recovery request carries a specific reason value, and the specific reason value is a preset or pre-agreed value. The base station can determine the need to allocate positioning SRS resources to the UE based on the specific reason value, and then allocate second positioning SRS resources to the UE based on the second cell.

[0077] For example, the recovery request sent by the UE may be a request of the standard RRC recovery request (ResumeRequest) process, and the specific cause value may be a value pre-agreed by the UE and the base station in order to recover the positioning. For example, in the current scenario, the UE may agree with the base station that the specific cause value is spare 5. If the base station identifies the spare 5 in the standard RRC recovery request (ResumeRequest) process initiated by the UE, it can be known that the UE is requesting the allocation of positioning SRS resources. Alternatively, the specific cause value may be defined in the standard, such as spare 5, such as spare5. Optionally, if the specific cause value is defined in the standard, the reserved value of the existing protocol may be used, or a new value may be added.

[0078] Optionally, the base station may first restore the UE to a connected state according to the UE's recovery request, and after allocating a second positioning SRS resource to the UE, if the UE has no other transmission requirements, the UE may be reconfigured to an inactive state to save overhead.

[0079] S206. The base station sends a second positioning SRS resource to the UE based on the second cell.

[0080] The base station determines that a positioning SRS resource needs to be allocated to the UE according to a specific reason value. For example, if the UE is currently in the second cell, the base station can configure a second positioning SRS resource based on the second cell and send it to the UE.

[0081] For example, the base station determines the starting position of the second SRS resource in the time domain and calculates the starting position of the second SRS resource in the frequency domain according to the time domain and frequency domain of the second cell.

[0082] S207. The UE resumes the connection and receives a second positioning SRS resource.

[0083] S208. The UE obtains a second positioning SRS according to the second positioning SRS resources.

[0084] S209. UE sends a second positioning SRS.

[0085] The UE broadcasts the second positioning SRS so that the base station can perform positioning after receiving it.

[0086] S210. The base station receives a second positioning SRS sent by the UE to perform positioning.

[0087] The base station positioning method can refer to Figure 1 , no more details.

[0088] The inactive positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application can start the positioning failure protection timer when the UE leaves the current first cell, that is, the source cell, and continue to save the first positioning SRS resources used for positioning. Before the timeout, as long as the UE returns to the first cell, the UE can continue to broadcast the first positioning SRS, so as to keep the base station's positioning of the UE uninterrupted, that is, maintain the UE's positioning function. If the timer times out, the UE enters other cells, such as the second cell, even if the second cell and the first cell are in the same RNA, it is necessary to send a recovery request to the base station to request the base station to reallocate the positioning SRS resources matching the second cell to the UE, and then broadcast the second positioning SRS based on the allocated second positioning SRS resources, so that the base station can locate the UE based on the received second positioning SRS to maintain the UE's positioning function.

[0089] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 5 As shown, UE 10 includes: an RRC module 101, a sending module 102 and a timer 103.

[0090] RRC module 101 is used to start timer 103 when leaving the current first cell in an inactive state, and save the first positioning SRS before timer 103 expires, wherein the first positioning SRS is obtained and saved by the UE based on the first positioning SRS resources, and the first positioning SRS resources are allocated by the base station including the first cell.

[0091] The sending module 102 is configured to send a first positioning SRS for positioning if the first cell is re-accessed before the timer expires.

[0092] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another UE provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 6As shown, UE 10 includes: an RRC module 101, a sending module 102, a timer 103 and a receiving module 104.

[0093] The sending module 102 is also used to send a recovery request to the base station if it is determined to access the second cell when the timer 103 times out, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, the base station includes the second cell, and the second cell and the first cell are in the same RNA.

[0094] The RRC module 101 is also used to restore the connection.

[0095] The receiving module 104 is configured to receive a second positioning SRS resource, where the second positioning SRS resource is a positioning SRS resource allocated by the base station to the UE based on the second cell.

[0096] The RRC module 101 is further configured to obtain a second positioning SRS according to the second positioning SRS resources.

[0097] The sending module 102 is further configured to send a second positioning SRS for positioning.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the recovery request also includes a specific cause value, wherein the specific cause value is used to request the recovery of the connection and the configuration of the UE to an inactive state (Inactive state), and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value. After receiving the recovery request carrying the specific cause value, the base station can recover the connection, and according to the second cell configuration and sending the second positioning SRS resource to the UE, and then according to the specific cause value, configure the UE to an inactive state.

[0099] The UE provided in the embodiment of the present application can maintain the positioning function without interruption when the cell reselection occurs in an inactive state (Inactive state) and no recovery request is initiated due to RNA update or other reasons. If the UE reselects back to the source cell (i.e., the first cell) before the timer expires, the first positioning SRS is still saved and can continue to be sent, that is, the positioning function can continue to be used and will not cause positioning interruption. If the timer times out and the UE does not reselect back to the source cell, for example, it enters a second cell with the same RNA as the source cell, the UE actively initiates a recovery request (resume request) to regain the second positioning SRS resources allocated by the base station for positioning, obtains the second positioning SRS based on the second positioning SRS resources and sends it to achieve the positioning function.

[0100] It should be understood that Figure 5 and Figure 6The modules shown are only examples, and the RRC module 101, the sending module 102, the timer 103 and the receiving module 104 can refer to the method part in the embodiment of the present application to perform their operations, or perform variations of their operations. In the embodiment of the present application, the RRC module 101 of the UE 10 can be specifically used to save and process SRS configuration, and is responsible for cell reselection, protocol state transition, etc.

[0101] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a base station provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, the base station 20 includes: an RRC module 201, a sending module 202 and a receiving module 203. Among them, the base station 20 is a serving cell base station of the UE, which is responsible for providing the user plane and control plane protocol functions of the wireless access network for the UE. In an embodiment of the present application, the base station 20 includes a first cell and a second cell in the same RNA.

[0102] If the UE returns to the first cell before the timer expires, the base station 20 continues to position the UE according to the received first positioning SRS. If the UE leaves the first cell and is determined to have accessed the second cell when the timer expires, the UE sends a recovery request to the base station 20.

[0103] The RRC module 201 is configured to configure the UE to a connected state if the receiving module 203 receives a recovery request sent by the UE.

[0104] The recovery request is used to request the recovery of the connection.

[0105] The sending module 202 is used to send a second positioning SRS resource to the UE, where the second positioning SRS resource is allocated based on the second cell.

[0106] The receiving module 203 is further configured to receive a second positioning SRS sent by the UE to perform positioning.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the recovery request also includes a specific cause value, which is used to request the recovery of the connection and the configuration of the UE to an inactive state, and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value. The sending module 202 is further used to send a second positioning SRS resource to the UE according to the specific cause value; the RRC module 201 is further used to configure the UE to an inactive state according to the specific cause value.

[0108] The base station 20 provided in the embodiment of the present application can timely allocate positioning SRS resources for positioning based on the cell where the UE is located, thereby keeping the positioning function uninterrupted.

[0109] It should be understood that Figure 7The modules shown are only examples, and the RRC module 201, the sending module 202 and the receiving module 203 can refer to the method part in the embodiment of the present application to perform their operations, or perform variations of their operations. In the embodiment of the present application, the RRC module 201 of the base station can be specifically used to allocate SRS resources, process UE protocol state transitions, etc.

[0110] In addition, if Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device 30 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 The device 30 shown includes a transceiver unit 301 and a processing unit 302. The device 30 can be used to execute the methods S101 to S102 or S201 to S210 in the above embodiments. When the device 20 is used to execute the methods S101 to S102 or S201 to S210 in the above embodiments, the device 30 is equivalent to the UE exemplified in the method, or the device 30 is equivalent to the base station exemplified in the method.

[0111] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The functional units in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. For example, in the above embodiment, the transceiver unit 301 and the processing unit 302 can be the same unit or different units; the transceiver unit 301 and the processing unit 302 can be the same unit or different units. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware, such as a chip, or in the form of software functional units.

[0112] In addition, the present application embodiment also provides a device 40, see Fig. 9 As shown, Fig. 94 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device 40 of the embodiment of the present application. The device 40 may include a processor 401, a memory 402 coupled to the processor 401, and a transceiver 403. The transceiver 403 may be a communication interface, an optical module, etc., for receiving messages or data information, etc. The processor 401 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP) or a combination of a CPU and a NP, for executing the forwarding processing related steps in the device exemplified in the above embodiment. The processor may also be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof. The processor 401 may refer to one processor or may include multiple processors. The memory 402 may include a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM); the memory may also include a non-volatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 402 may also include a combination of the above-mentioned types of memories. The memory 402 may refer to a memory, or may include multiple memories for storing program instructions. In one embodiment, the memory 402 stores computer-readable instructions, and the computer-readable instructions include multiple software modules, such as a sending module, a radio resource control module and a receiving module. After executing each software module, the processor 401 may perform corresponding operations according to the instructions of each software module. In this embodiment, the operation performed by a software module actually refers to the operation performed by the processor 401 according to the instructions of the software module. Optionally, the processor 401 may also store program codes or instructions for executing the embodiments of the present application. In this case, the processor 401 does not need to read the program codes or instructions from the memory 402.

[0113] The device 40 can be used to execute the method in the above embodiment. Specifically, the device 40 can be used as a UE to execute the operations in methods S101 to S102 or S201 to S210. For example, the processor 402 is used to start a timer in an inactive state if it leaves the current first cell, and before the timer times out, the storage medium 403 saves the first positioning SRS, wherein the first positioning SRS is obtained by the UE based on the first positioning SRS resources, and the first positioning SRS resources are allocated by the base station including the first cell; the communication interface 401 can be used to send the first positioning SRS for positioning if it re-accesses the first cell before the timer times out.

[0114] Alternatively, the device 40 may perform the operations in methods S101 to S102 or S201 to S210 as a base station. For example, if the communication interface 401 receives a recovery request sent by the UE, the processor 402 configures the UE to a connected state, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, the UE leaves the first cell, and when the timer times out, accesses the second cell; the communication interface 401 sends a second positioning SRS resource to the UE, and the second positioning SRS resource is allocated based on the second cell; and the second positioning SRS sent by the UE is received for positioning.

[0115] The present application also provides a system, see Fig.10 As shown, Fig.10 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a system 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The system 300 may include a UE 10 and a base station 20. The structure of the UE 10 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , the structure of the base station 20 refers to Figures 7 to 9 The system can refer to the method part in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation, such as being applicable to Figure 3-Figure 5 A method is provided, performing its operations, or performing a variation of its operations.

[0116] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which instructions are stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is executed on a processor, part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments are implemented.

[0117] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed on a processor, implements part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0118] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, including: an interface circuit and a processor. The interface circuit and the processor are connected, and the processor is used to enable the chip to perform part or all of the operations in any method of any of the above embodiments.

[0119] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the chip system implements part or all of the operations of any one of the methods of any one of the embodiments described above.

[0120] Optionally, the processor in the chip system may be one or more. The processor may be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

[0121] Optionally, the memory in the chip system may also be one or more. The memory may be integrated with the processor or may be separately arranged with the processor, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Exemplarily, the memory may be a non-transient processor, such as a read-only memory ROM, which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or may be arranged on different chips respectively. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the type of memory and the arrangement of the memory and the processor.

[0122] Exemplarily, the chip system can be an FPGA, an ASIC, a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, an NP, a digital signal processing circuit (DSP), a microcontroller (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips.

[0123] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0124] Those skilled in the art can 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.

[0125] In the several embodiments provided in the present 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 only schematic. For example, the division of units is only a logical business division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, 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 an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0126] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0127] In addition, each business unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software business units.

[0128] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software business unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, Random Access Memory, disk or CD-ROM and other media that can store program codes.

[0129] Those skilled in the art should be aware that in one or more of the above examples, the services described in this application can be implemented with hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these services can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that a general or special-purpose computer can access.

[0130] The above specific implementation methods further describe in detail the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of the present application.

[0131] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is executed by a user equipment and includes: In an inactive state, if the current first cell is left, a timer is started, and before the timer times out, a first positioning channel sounding reference signal is saved, wherein the first positioning channel sounding reference signal is obtained by the user equipment according to a first positioning channel sounding reference signal resource, and the first positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is allocated by a base station including the first cell; If the first cell is accessed again before the timer times out, the first positioning channel sounding reference signal is sent to perform positioning.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: If it is determined to access the second cell when the timer times out, sending a recovery request to the base station, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, the base station includes the second cell, and the second cell and the first cell are in the same wireless network architecture; Restoring the connection, and receiving a second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource, where the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is a positioning channel sounding reference signal resource allocated by the base station to the user equipment based on the second cell; Obtaining a second positioning channel sounding reference signal according to the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource; The second positioning channel sounding reference signal is sent to perform positioning.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The restoration request further includes a specific cause value, wherein the specific cause value is used to request restoration of the connection and configuration of the user equipment to an inactive state, and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value.

4. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a base station, the base station includes a first cell and a second cell in the same wireless network architecture, and the method includes: If a recovery request sent by a user equipment is received, configuring the user equipment to a connected state, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, the user equipment leaves the first cell, and accesses the second cell when the timer times out; Sending a second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource to the user equipment, where the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is allocated based on the second cell; A second positioning channel sounding reference signal sent by the user equipment is received to perform positioning.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The restoration request further includes a specific cause value, the specific cause value is used to request restoration of the connection and configuration of the user equipment to an inactive state, the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value, The sending a second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource to the user equipment comprises: According to the specific cause value, the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is sent to the user equipment, and the user equipment is configured to the inactive state.

6. A user equipment, characterized in that: include: A radio resource control module, configured to start a timer in an inactive state if the user equipment leaves the current first cell, and save a first positioning channel sounding reference signal before the timer times out, wherein the first positioning channel sounding reference signal is obtained and saved by the user equipment according to a first positioning channel sounding reference signal resource, and the first positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is allocated by a base station including the first cell; The sending module is used to send the first positioning channel detection reference signal for positioning if the first cell is re-accessed before the timer expires.

7. The user equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that Also includes: The sending module is further configured to send a recovery request to the base station if it is determined to access the second cell when the timer times out, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, the base station includes the second cell, and the second cell and the first cell are in the same wireless network architecture; The radio resource control module is further used to restore the connection; A receiving module, configured to receive a second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource, where the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is a positioning channel sounding reference signal resource allocated by the base station to the user equipment based on the second cell; The wireless resource control module is further configured to obtain a second positioning channel sounding reference signal according to the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource; The sending module is further used to send the second positioning channel sounding reference signal to perform positioning.

8. The user equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that The restoration request further includes a specific cause value, wherein the specific cause value is used to request restoration of the connection and configuration of the user equipment to an inactive state, and the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value.

9. A base station, characterized in that: The base station includes a first cell and a second cell in the same wireless network architecture, including: A radio resource control module, configured to configure the user equipment to a connected state if the receiving module receives a recovery request sent by the user equipment, wherein the recovery request is used to request to restore the connection, and the user equipment leaves the first cell and accesses the second cell when the timer times out; A sending module, configured to send a second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource to the user equipment, where the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource is allocated based on the second cell; The receiving module is further used to receive a second positioning channel sounding reference signal sent by the user equipment to perform positioning.

10. The base station according to claim 9, characterized in that: The restoration request further includes a specific cause value, the specific cause value is used to request restoration of the connection and configuration of the user equipment to an inactive state, the specific cause value is a preset or pre-agreed value, The sending module is specifically configured to send the second positioning channel sounding reference signal resource to the user equipment according to the specific cause value; The radio resource control module is further configured to configure the user equipment to the inactive state according to the specific cause value.

11. A system, characterized in that: include: The user equipment according to any one of claims 6 to 8; A base station as claimed in claim 9 or 10.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is implemented, or the method according to claim 4 or 5 is implemented.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to be implemented, or enable the method according to claim 4 or 5 to be implemented.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to be implemented, or enable the method according to claim 4 or 5 to be implemented.

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