Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a communication method and a communication device, relates to the field of communication, and can reduce the power consumption and complexity of terminal equipment. The method comprises the steps that positioning auxiliary information is received, the positioning auxiliary information is used for indicating that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information, the first configuration information comprises configuration information of a first reference signal sent by first network equipment, and the second configuration information comprises configuration information of a second reference signal sent by second network equipment; at least one of the following steps is executed: receiving a reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information; and receiving a reference signal from the second network equipment according to the second configuration information. The embodiment of the invention is used for positioning the terminal equipment.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Typically, the positioning methods for terminal devices include uplink positioning methods, downlink positioning methods, and uplink and downlink joint positioning methods. Taking the downlink positioning method as an example, the terminal device receives a downlink positioning reference signal from one or more positioning reference stations, performs positioning measurements, and obtains the location information of the terminal device. In order to perform downlink measurements, the terminal device needs to obtain corresponding auxiliary data, such as a cell identifier, timing information of the reference station, downlink reference signal configuration information, and synchronization signal information of the reference station. The positioning reference station here is, for example, a ground base station in a cellular positioning scenario or a satellite (or air base station) in a satellite system. The downlink reference signal configuration information includes beam information associated with the positioning reference signal resource, such as a reference signal resource identifier.

[0003] In satellite systems, on the one hand, the satellite moves very fast, and the ground cells covered by the satellite will move quickly, resulting in frequent changes in the beams associated with the positioning reference signal resources to be measured by the terminal device; on the other hand, the number of satellite beams is large. If real-time updates are used for positioning auxiliary data, the terminal device needs to receive auxiliary data frequently, and the power consumption of the terminal device is high. In addition, the terminal device needs to measure the reference signals of multiple beam directions of multiple satellites to obtain enough measurements for positioning, which will also lead to high power consumption and complexity of the terminal device. In cellular systems, similar problems also exist in scenarios where the terminal device moves at high speed (such as high-speed rail) and high-frequency positioning scenarios. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device, which can reduce the power consumption and complexity of terminal equipment.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, and optionally, the execution subject of the method may be a terminal device, or a component or device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device. It includes: receiving positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the first configuration information is associated with the second configuration information, the first configuration information includes the configuration information of the first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes the configuration information of the second reference signal sent by the second network device; performing at least one of the following steps: receiving the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information; receiving the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information.

[0006] The method can be applied to terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks. The terrestrial network is, for example, a 5G network, and the architecture of the non-terrestrial network is, for example, a transparent architecture and a regenerative architecture including satellites. The method can be performed by a terminal device that communicates with a wireless access network in the network. The first reference signal and the second reference signal can be understood as positioning reference signals, or signals that can be used for positioning. The reference signal from the first network device and the reference signal from the second network device received by the terminal device can also be a positioning reference signal. The first network device can be a serving network device of the terminal device, and the second network device can be a neighboring network device of the terminal device. There can be multiple second network devices.

[0007] Therefore, in the present application, when the positioning assistance information sent by the network side indicates that the configuration information of the first reference signal of the current serving network device (first network device) is associated with the configuration information of the second reference signal of the neighboring network device (second network device), when the terminal device performs positioning, the terminal device can receive the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information, and based on the information indicating the association between the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the terminal device can receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can clearly know which directions of the reference signal of the second network device or which beam directions to receive the reference signal. Compared with the problem that the terminal device needs to blindly measure the reference signal, that is, it is necessary to measure the reference signals of multiple beam directions of multiple network devices to obtain enough measurement quantities for positioning, resulting in high power consumption of the terminal device, the present application receives the beam direction indicated by the associated configuration information, and does not need to blindly measure the reference signals of multiple beam directions of multiple network devices. The implementation method has low power consumption of the terminal device and low implementation complexity. For example, in the positioning scenario of the satellite system, considering that the network knows the ephemeris information of the satellite, it can determine which satellites and which directions of reference signals the terminal device needs to measure in the future according to the moving direction of the satellite, and the network device can send positioning assistance information indicating the association between the first configuration information and the second configuration information to the terminal device. Compared with the problem that the terminal device needs to blindly measure the reference signals in multiple beam directions of multiple satellites to obtain enough measurements for positioning, resulting in high power consumption of the terminal device, in this application, the terminal device can receive reference signals in the direction indicated by the associated configuration information from the service satellite and the neighboring satellite, and does not need to blindly measure the reference signals in multiple beam directions of multiple satellites. The power consumption of the terminal device for positioning in the satellite system is low, and the implementation complexity is low. In addition, the terminal device can also perform positioning based on reference signals from multiple satellites to ensure positioning performance.

[0008] Moreover, when the terminal device moves fast or the network device moves fast, the beam associated with the positioning reference signal resource to be tested by the terminal device changes frequently, and the terminal device needs to frequently receive positioning assistance data from the network device for receiving the reference signal, and the power consumption of the terminal device is high. In comparison, in the implementation method of the present application of indicating the associated configuration information through positioning assistance information, the terminal device can receive the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information when it is within the cell coverage of the first network device, and receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information associated with the first configuration information. When the terminal device is within the cell coverage of the second network device, it can also receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information, and receive the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information associated with the second configuration information. The positioning assistance information does not need to be updated frequently, and the terminal device does not need to frequently receive positioning assistance data from the network device, the signaling overhead is low, and the power consumption of the terminal device is low. Optionally, the network device can send positioning assistance information to the terminal device at regular intervals, and does not need to send positioning assistance data every time the beam associated with the positioning reference signal resource to be tested by the terminal device changes, and the power consumption of the terminal device is low. In particular, when using a satellite system to locate a terminal device, considering that the rapid movement of the satellite causes the service cell of the terminal device to change frequently, the beam associated with the positioning reference signal resource to be tested by the terminal device changes frequently, and the terminal device needs to frequently receive positioning assistance data. The implementation method of the present application, which receives reference signals from multiple satellites (service satellites and neighboring satellites) according to the associated first configuration information and the second configuration information, even when the neighboring satellite becomes a service satellite, the terminal device can receive reference signals from multiple satellites according to the associated first configuration information and the second configuration information, and the terminal device does not need to receive positioning assistance data from the service satellite again. Optionally, the satellite can send positioning assistance information to the terminal device at regular intervals, and there is no need to send positioning assistance data every time the beam associated with the positioning reference signal resource to be tested by the terminal device changes, and the power consumption of the terminal device is low.

[0009] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information includes first configuration information and second configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can receive the reference signal / positioning reference signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information in the received positioning assistance information, and the power consumption and implementation complexity of the terminal device are low.

[0010] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: first reference signal resource information; first reference signal resource set information; information of the first network device; frequency information of the first reference signal; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; and a first reference signal index.

[0011] In this way, when the terminal device receives a reference signal from the first network device (serving network device) within the cell coverage of the first network device (serving network device), it receives a positioning reference signal or beam in the direction / beam direction indicated by the first reference signal resource information carried in the first configuration information, for example, and the terminal device does not need to blindly test the reference signals in multiple directions of the first network device, and the terminal device has low receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption. For example, the first reference signal resource information is the positioning reference signal resource information: PRS resource ID. When the terminal device receives the PRS from the first network device, it receives the PRS / beam in the direction / beam direction indicated by the PRS resource ID from the first network device, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption are low.

[0012] Similarly, in one possible design, the second configuration information includes at least one of the following: second reference signal resource information; second reference signal resource set information; second network device information; second reference signal frequency information; a cell identifier corresponding to the second network device; and a second reference signal index.

[0013] In this way, when the terminal device is within the cell coverage of the first network device and the second network device is used as a neighboring network device, when the terminal receives a reference signal from the second network device, it can also receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the direction / beam direction indicated by the second reference signal resource information carried by the second configuration information associated with the first configuration information, for example, and the terminal device does not need to blindly test multiple directional reference signals of the second network device, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device are low. For example, the second reference signal resource information is the positioning reference signal resource information: PRSresource ID. When the terminal device receives the PRS from the second network device, it receives the PRS / beam in the direction / beam direction indicated by the PRSresource ID from the second network device, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption are low.

[0014] In one possible design, the first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; and angle information of the first reference signal.

[0015] Similarly, in one possible design, the second reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a second reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the second reference signal; and angle information of the second reference signal.

[0016] That is, different reference signal resource identifiers or beam information of different reference signals or angle information of different reference signals mean beams in different directions. When the terminal device receives reference signals from the first network device and the second network device, it can receive beams in multiple directions for positioning. In this way, the terminal device can receive beams in multiple directions from the first network device and the second network device according to the information indicating beams in different directions, and can also receive enough beams for positioning. The power consumption of the terminal device is low, and the positioning performance of the terminal device can be guaranteed.

[0017] In one possible design, the reference signal is at least one of the following: a positioning reference signal PRS; a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block SSB. In this way, when the terminal device receives the PRS or SSB for positioning, it can receive the PRS or SSB from the first network device indicated in the positioning assistance information, and the PRS or SSB from the second network device associated with the PRS or SSB of the first network device, and perform positioning measurements based on the received PRS or SSB. For the terminal device, the receiving power consumption of the terminal device when receiving the PRS or SSB for positioning can be reduced, and the measurement power consumption of the terminal device for positioning measurement is also reduced, and the complexity of the terminal device for positioning is also low.

[0018] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS from the first network device is associated with the PRS or SSB from the second network device. In this way, the terminal device can receive the PRS from the first network device and the PRS from the second network device associated with the PRS of the first network device according to the positioning assistance information for positioning measurement, or receive the PRS from the first network device and the SSB from the second network device associated with the PRS of the first network device according to the positioning assistance information for positioning measurement, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device are low.

[0019] In one possible design, receiving the positioning assistance information includes: receiving the positioning assistance information from the first network device. For example, the first network device is a service network device of the terminal device, such as a service base station. The service base station is, for example, a base station in a terrestrial cellular network or a service satellite (or an air base station) in a satellite system. For example, the terminal device can receive the positioning assistance information sent by the first network device via a broadcast message. In this way, whether for a terrestrial cellular network or a satellite system, the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving a reference signal for positioning can be reduced.

[0020] In one possible design, receiving positioning assistance information includes: receiving positioning assistance information from a location management function network element. The location management function network element may be a (location management function, LMF) network element, which is applied in a terrestrial cellular network or a satellite system. The terminal device may directly receive the positioning assistance information from the LMF network element via a unicast message, or the terminal device may receive the positioning assistance information from the LMF network element via a first network device that is a serving network device, so that the terminal device receives the associated reference signal indicated by the positioning assistance information according to the positioning assistance information.

[0021] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, including: determining positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information, the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by a first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by a second network device; and sending the positioning assistance information.

[0022] Optionally, the positioning assistance information is used by the terminal device to perform at least one of the following steps: receiving a reference signal from a first network device according to first configuration information; receiving a reference signal from a second network device according to second configuration information.

[0023] The execution subject of the second aspect may be a first network device, which is a service network device of the terminal device, that is, the first network device determines the positioning assistance information and sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device. Alternatively, the execution subject of the second aspect may be an LMF network element, that is, the LMF network element determines the positioning assistance information and sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device. The execution subject of the second aspect may also be a component (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.) in the above-mentioned first network device or LMF network element, or may also be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first network device or LMF network element.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the second aspect and possible designs of the second aspect can be found in the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect.

[0025] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information includes first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0026] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: first reference signal resource information; first reference signal resource set information; information of the first network device; frequency information of the first reference signal; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; and a first reference signal index.

[0027] In one possible design, the first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; and angle information of the first reference signal.

[0028] In one possible design, the reference signal is at least one of the following: a positioning reference signal PRS; a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel PBCH block SSB.

[0029] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that a PRS sent by the first network device is associated with a PRS or SSB sent by the second network device.

[0030] In one possible design, sending the positioning assistance information includes: sending the positioning assistance information to the terminal device.

[0031] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: sending direction information of a terminal device, the direction information being used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal; and receiving a positioning reference signal from at least one network device.

[0032] The third aspect can be executed by a terminal device or a service network device of the terminal device. The execution subject of the third aspect can also be a component (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the above-mentioned terminal device or the service network device of the terminal device, or it can also be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device or the service network device function of the terminal device. The service network device can be a base station in a terrestrial cellular network or a satellite in a satellite system. For example, when the terminal device executes, the terminal device can send the direction information of the terminal device to the LMF network element. When the service network device executes, the service network device sends the direction information of the terminal device to the LMF network element. Then, the LMF network element can directly send the direction information of the terminal device to at least one network device, and at least one network device can determine the beam direction of sending the positioning reference signal to the terminal device according to the direction information of the terminal device. Alternatively, the LMF network element determines the configuration information of the positioning reference signal according to the direction information of the terminal device, and sends the configuration information of the positioning reference signal to at least one network device. The configuration information of different positioning reference signals corresponds to different transmission beam directions, which is equivalent to the LMF network element instructing at least one network device to adjust the beam direction of sending the positioning reference signal. The at least one network device includes network devices of a service cell and a neighboring cell of the terminal device.

[0033] Therefore, in the present application, for the terminal device, the reported direction information of the terminal device can help the serving network device / LMF network element determine the beam direction of the positioning reference signal of the network devices in the serving cell and the neighboring cell, so that the network devices in the serving cell and the neighboring cell adjust the direction of sending the positioning reference signal to point to the receiving direction of the terminal device, which is beneficial for the terminal device to receive sufficient positioning reference signals from the serving cell and the neighboring cell in a shorter time, thereby improving the positioning performance and positioning accuracy of the terminal device, and also reducing the positioning delay of the terminal device.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving direction information of a terminal device, the direction information being used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal; and sending a positioning reference signal.

[0035] The fourth aspect can be executed by the service network device of the terminal device or the LMF network element. The execution subject of the fourth aspect can also be the service network device execution of the above-mentioned terminal device or the component in the LMF network element (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or it can also be a logical module or software that can realize the service network device execution or LMF network element function of all or part of the terminal device. The beneficial effects of the fourth aspect can refer to the beneficial effect description of the third aspect.

[0036] In the third and fourth aspects:

[0037] In one possible design, the direction information includes at least one of the following information: receiving beam direction information of the terminal device; transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device; angle information of the terminal device relative to at least one network device; and location information of the terminal device.

[0038] This is equivalent to that, when the service network equipment / LMF network element has determined the direction information of the terminal device, it can determine the beam information of the positioning reference signal corresponding to the direction information of the terminal device based on the direction information of the terminal device, and the transmitting beam direction corresponding to the beam information points to the receiving beam direction corresponding to the direction information of the terminal device, which is conducive to the terminal device receiving a sufficient number of positioning reference signals from the service cell and neighboring cells in a shorter time.

[0039] In one possible design, at least one network device includes a first network device and at least one second network device; first configuration information of the first network device is associated with second configuration information of at least one second network device; the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by the second network device. The first reference signal and the second reference signal may both be positioning reference signals.

[0040] That is, the first aspect and the third aspect can be applied in combination. The terminal device can receive positioning assistance information, and determine the beam direction of receiving the positioning reference signal according to the first configuration information in the positioning assistance information and the second configuration information associated with the first configuration information. The terminal device can also send the direction information of the terminal device to the network side, so that when at least one network device sends a positioning reference signal to the terminal device, the sending beam direction of the positioning reference signal is determined. For example, the beam direction of the positioning reference signal sent by at least one network device is aligned with the beam direction of the positioning reference signal received by the terminal device, which is conducive to the terminal device receiving enough positioning reference signals from the service cell and the neighboring cell in a shorter time, thereby improving the positioning performance.

[0041] In one possible design, the first network device is a serving network device of the terminal device. For example, the serving network device may be a serving base station in a terrestrial cellular network or a serving satellite in a satellite system. When the terminal device is within the cell range of the serving base station or the serving satellite, the terminal device may receive configuration information of the first reference signal and configuration information of the second reference signal associated with the configuration information of the first reference signal from the serving base station or the serving satellite. In this way, it is beneficial for the terminal device to determine the beam information of the received positioning reference signal and reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device receiving the positioning reference signal.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit, used to receive positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information, the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by a first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by a second network device; the receiving unit is also used to perform at least one of the following steps: receiving a reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information; receiving a reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information.

[0043] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information includes first configuration information and second configuration information.

[0044] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: first reference signal resource information; first reference signal resource set information; information of the first network device; frequency information of the first reference signal; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; and a first reference signal index.

[0045] In one possible design, the first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; and angle information of the first reference signal.

[0046] In one possible design, the reference signal is at least one of the following: a positioning reference signal PRS; a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel PBCH block SSB.

[0047] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that a PRS from a first network device is associated with a PRS or SSB from a second network device.

[0048] In one possible design, the receiving unit is used to receive positioning assistance information from the first network device.

[0049] In one possible design, the receiving unit is used to receive positioning assistance information from a location management function network element.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a determination unit, used to determine positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information, the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by a first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by a second network device; a sending unit, used to send the positioning assistance information.

[0051] Optionally, the positioning assistance information is used by the terminal device to perform at least one of the following steps: receiving a reference signal from a first network device according to first configuration information; receiving a reference signal from a second network device according to second configuration information.

[0052] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information includes first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0053] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: first reference signal resource information; first reference signal resource set information; information of the first network device; frequency information of the first reference signal; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; and a first reference signal index.

[0054] In one possible design, the first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; and angle information of the first reference signal.

[0055] In one possible design, the reference signal is at least one of the following: a positioning reference signal PRS; a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel PBCH block SSB.

[0056] In one possible design, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that a PRS sent by the first network device is associated with a PRS or SSB sent by the second network device.

[0057] In one possible design, the sending unit is used to send positioning assistance information to the terminal device.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a sending unit for sending direction information of a terminal device, the direction information being used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal; and a receiving unit for receiving a positioning reference signal from at least one network device.

[0059] In one possible design, the direction information includes at least one of the following information: receiving beam direction information of the terminal device; transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device; angle information of the terminal device relative to at least one network device; and location information of the terminal device.

[0060] In one possible design, at least one network device includes a first network device and at least one second network device; first configuration information of the first network device is associated with second configuration information of at least one second network device; the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by the second network device.

[0061] In a possible design, the first network device is a serving network device of the terminal device.

[0062] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit, used to receive direction information of a terminal device, the direction information is used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal; and a sending unit, used to send a positioning reference signal.

[0063] In one possible design, the direction information includes at least one of the following information: receiving beam direction information of the terminal device; transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device; angle information of the terminal device relative to at least one network device; and location information of the terminal device.

[0064] In one possible design, at least one network device includes a first network device and at least one second network device; first configuration information of the first network device is associated with second configuration information of at least one second network device; the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by the second network device.

[0065] In a possible design, the first network device is a serving network device of the terminal device.

[0066] According to a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a module for executing the method according to any possible design of the first to fourth aspects.

[0067] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising one or more processors, wherein the processor is configured to execute the method described in any possible design of the first to fourth aspects.

[0068] In an optional manner, the communication device also includes a memory, a processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction stored in the memory so that the communication device executes a method as described in any possible design of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0069] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which computer instructions are stored. When the computer instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes a method as described in any possible design of the first to fourth aspects.

[0070] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to execute a method as described in any possible design of the first to fourth aspects.

[0071] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first communication device and a second communication device, the first communication device being used to execute the method as in the first aspect and any possible design of the first aspect, the second communication device being used to execute the method as in the second aspect and any possible design of the second aspect, or the first communication device being used to execute the method as in the third aspect and any possible design of the third aspect, the second communication device being used to execute the method as in the fourth aspect and any possible design of the fourth aspect.

[0072] It can be understood that any of the terminal devices, network devices, communication devices, chips, computer-readable storage media or computer program products provided above can be applied to the corresponding methods provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a positioning communication architecture based on a 5G core network in LTE and NR provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an NTN architecture of a transparent architecture and a regenerative architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a PRS beam to be tested by a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 4A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Figure 5 A beam association schematic diagram provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of adjusting the beam direction of a satellite transmitting a PRS according to UE direction information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] For ease of understanding, some examples of concepts related to the embodiments of the present application are provided for reference, as shown below.

[0083] 1. Locate the reference signal in the scene.

[0084] Downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS): can be used in new radio (NR) radio access technology (RAT-dependent) positioning services, for example, in downlink positioning methods and uplink and downlink joint positioning methods.

[0085] Uplink sounding reference signal (UL-SRS): In a broad sense, UL-SRS includes the uplink reference signal MIMO-SRS for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), R15 and earlier versions, and the uplink positioning reference signal dedicated to positioning (i.e., pos-SRS proposed in R16).

[0086] Among them, MIMO-SRS and pos-SRS can be used in uplink positioning method and uplink and downlink joint positioning method. When used for positioning, UL-SRS can also become an uplink positioning reference signal.

[0087] Positioning reference signal (PRS): includes downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS and uplink positioning reference signal UL-SRS.

[0088] Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal (sidelink PRS): A positioning reference signal transmitted on the sidelink and dedicated to the sidelink scenario.

[0089] 2. Transmission point, receiving point and send-receive node.

[0090] Transmission point (TP): It can also be called a transmission node or a sending node. A TP can represent a group of transmitting antennas (e.g., an antenna array (with one or more antenna elements)) that are geographically co-located. This concept applies to a cell, a portion of a cell, or a TP that only supports DL-PRS. A TP may include antennas of a base station, remote radio heads, remote antennas of a base station, antennas of a TP that only supports DL-PRS, etc. A cell may include one or more TPs.

[0091] Reception point (RP): It can also be called a receiving node. RP represents a group of receiving antennas (e.g., an antenna array (having one or more antenna elements)) that are geographically co-located. This concept applies to a cell, a portion of a cell, or an RP that only supports UL-SRS. RP may include an antenna of a base station, a radio frequency remote module, a remote antenna of a base station, an antenna of an RP that only supports UL-SRS, etc. A cell may include one or more RPs.

[0092] Transmission-reception point (TRP): refers to a group of antennas (eg, an antenna array (having one or more antenna elements)) geographically co-located and supporting at least one of TP and RP functions.

[0093] Among them, the above-mentioned base station can be, for example, a next-generation LTE base station (next-generation eNodeB, ng-eNB) or a next-generation NodeB (next-generation NodeB, gNB).

[0094] 3. Type of positioning method.

[0095] Depending on whether the reference signal is sent by the network device side or the terminal device side, the positioning methods can be divided into the following three categories:

[0096] Downlink positioning method: a positioning method based on the downlink, that is, the network device side sends a downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS, and the terminal device side performs positioning measurement to obtain the positioning result of the terminal device.

[0097] Uplink positioning method: a positioning method based on the uplink. That is, the terminal device sends an uplink positioning reference signal UL-SRS, and the network device performs positioning measurement to obtain the positioning result of the terminal device;

[0098] Uplink and downlink joint positioning method: a positioning method based on downlink and uplink. That is, both the network device side and the terminal device side need to send positioning reference signals, and the terminal device side and the network device side perform corresponding measurements respectively, and the terminal device or the network device obtains the positioning result of the terminal device.

[0099] 4. Algorithm type in positioning method.

[0100] Taking the terminal device as user equipment (UE) as an example, according to the different position calculation sides, the positioning method algorithms are mainly divided into the following three categories:

[0101] UE-based positioning method: The UE is responsible for position calculation (in the case of positioning assistance data) and can also provide UE measurement results.

[0102] UE-assisted / LMF-based positioning method: UE only provides measurement and does not perform position calculation. The location management function (LMF) network element is responsible for position calculation (in the case of positioning assistance data).

[0103] Standalone positioning method: The UE performs measurements and position calculations without network positioning assistance data.

[0104] 5. Satellite classification.

[0105] Satellites can be divided into the following three categories according to the altitude of their orbits:

[0106] Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite: referred to as "earth orbit satellite", the orbit altitude is about 300 to 1500 km. Most earth observation satellites, geodetic satellites, space stations and some new communication satellite systems use low earth orbit satellites, which have the characteristics of low latency, low cost and flexible networking.

[0107] Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): referred to as "medium-orbit satellite", the orbital altitude is about 7000 to 25000km, for example, commonly used for TV forwarding and navigation.

[0108] Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO): referred to as "high-orbit satellite", the orbit altitude is about 35786km, for example, it is often used for remote sensing and satellite phones.

[0109] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, "determine" can be replaced by "generate", "send" can be replaced by "output", and "receive" can be replaced by "input".

[0110] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0111] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN) or international mobile telecommunications (IMT) systems. The IMT system can be, for example, a long term evolution (LTE) or NR communication system, or can be used in other communication scenarios other than these two communication systems, such as a future 6G communication system.

[0112] In some scenarios, the embodiments of the present application may be applied to scenarios where an NTN or IMT system is used to locate a terminal device.

[0113] like Figure 1The figure shows a schematic diagram of a positioning communication architecture 10 based on a 5G core network in LTE and NR. The communication architecture 10 includes a 5G core network, a LMF network element, a 5G radio access network (5G-RAN) and a terminal device. In the positioning scenario, the 5G core network includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element and a location services (LCS) network element. The 5G-RAN includes at least one RAN node.

[0114] Among them, the AMF network element can receive location service requests related to the terminal device from the LCS network element, or the AMF network element itself can also start some location services on behalf of the terminal device and forward the location service request to the LMF network element. When the AMF network element obtains the location information returned by the terminal device, it feeds back the relevant location information to the LCS network element.

[0115] The LMF network element is responsible for supporting different types of location services for terminal devices, including positioning of terminal devices and delivering auxiliary data to terminal devices. Its control plane uses the enhanced service mobile location center (NR positioning protocolannex, NRPPa) message to exchange information, such as obtaining configuration information such as PRS and SRS; and transmits terminal device capability information, auxiliary data, and measurement information with the terminal device through the LTE positioning protocol (LTE positioning protocol, LPP) message. The LMF network element can also have other names, which are not limited in this application, so the LMF network element can be replaced by a core network device with positioning function.

[0116] RAN nodes can be, for example, gNB / ng-eNB, next-generation base stations in the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, and base stations in future mobile communication systems. RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, or donor nodes. Figure 1 As shown, in some scenarios, when the RAN node is a gNB / ng-eNB in ​​5G, the gNB / ng-eNB can provide measurement information for the terminal device and send the measurement information to the LMF network element.

[0117] In another application scenario, the cooperation of multiple RAN nodes can be used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) or a radio unit (RU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above-mentioned various protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the third generation partnership project (3GPP). RU can be used to implement the transceiver function of the radio frequency signal. CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated in the same RAN node, such as integrated in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU may be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0118] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, CU may be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), and RU may be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with a corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the RAN node. For the convenience of description, the following description takes a base station as an example of a RAN node.

[0119] The terminal device can measure downlink signals from 5G-RAN or other nodes, such as downlink positioning reference signals, and perform positioning based on the downlink signals.

[0120] In some scenarios, the terminal device may be, for example, a UE, a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device may be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0121] In an IMT system, base stations and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. Base stations and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0122] In the IMT system, the roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a mobile base station. For those terminals that access the wireless access network through the drone, the terminal is the base station; but for the base station, the drone is the terminal, that is, the base station and the drone communicate through the wireless air interface protocol. Of course, the base station and the drone can also communicate through the interface protocol between base stations. In this case, relative to the base station, the drone is also a base station. Therefore, base stations and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices.

[0123] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem including the base station functions. The control subsystem including the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device including the terminal device functions.

[0124] In this application, the base station sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on the downlink channel; the terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with the base station in the cell covered by the base station. The cell covered by the base station that has established a wireless connection with the terminal device is called the service cell of the terminal.

[0125] Under the communication architecture 10, 5G ground cellular positioning has studied a variety of positioning methods, including uplink / downlink time difference of arrival (UL / DL-TDOA), downlink angle of departure (DL-AOD), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AOA), multiple round trip time (Multi-RTT) and carrier phase positioning (CPP). Among them, UL / DL-TDOA and Multi-RTT algorithms are positioning technologies based on arrival time, that is, the receiving end needs to measure the arrival time of the signal sent by the sending end, and then convert it into the distance information between the two, and finally obtain the position of the target to be located based on the distance information. DL-AOD and UL-AOA are positioning technologies based on angles, that is, the receiving end measures the transmission angle or arrival angle of the reference signal sent by the sending end, and then infers the position of the target to be located based on the angle information between the receiving end and the sending end. Carrier phase positioning uses the phase measurement of the signals sent by multiple base stations to estimate the position of the UE.

[0126] For downlink positioning methods, such as DL-TDOA, the principle is to use the measurement of downlink positioning reference signals received by the terminal device from one or more positioning reference stations (such as base stations) and the location information of one or more positioning reference stations to obtain the location of the terminal device. In order to perform downlink measurements, the terminal device needs to obtain corresponding positioning assistance data, such as cell identity (ID), timing information of the positioning reference station, downlink reference signal configuration information, and synchronization signal information of the positioning reference station, etc. For details, please refer to the 3GPP protocol.

[0127] Table 1 shows an example of information in which the positioning assistance data is downlink reference signal configuration information.

[0128] Table 1 Downlink positioning reference signal configuration information

[0129]

[0130] Of course, the information shown in Table 1 above is part of the downlink reference signal configuration information, and the downlink reference signal configuration information may also include information other than the information shown in Table 1 above.

[0131] As for NTN, NTN is relative to the traditional terrestrial network, and adopts typical technologies such as satellites and high-altitude platforms (HAP) to participate in network deployment. Typical application scenarios of NTN include, for example, all-terrain coverage, signaling diversion, emergency communications, Internet of Things, and broadcasting services. NTN may include a space segment, a ground segment, and a user segment. Among them, the space segment includes satellites, the ground segment may include ground stations or gateway stations, ground base stations, and core network equipment, etc., and the user segment may include terminal devices 222 of satellite systems in various forms deployed on land, sea, and air. The types of terminal devices 222 can be found in the description of terminal devices above.

[0132] When NTN is used for satellite communication, NTN can also be called a satellite mobile communication system, which can perform satellite mobile communication. Satellite mobile communication can be understood as communication between radio communication stations on the earth (including the ground and the lower atmosphere) using satellites as relays. The gateway is the link formed by the satellite system. The function of the gateway station is mainly to provide an interface between the satellite mobile communication system and the ground fixed communication network and the ground mobile communication network to achieve interconnection; control the satellite terminal equipment 222 to access the satellite mobile communication system, and ensure that its signal is not interrupted during the communication process.

[0133] When NTN is used for satellite navigation, it can be called a satellite navigation system.

[0134] In some scenarios, NTN is a communication technology between terminal equipment and satellites based on new air interface technology developed by 3GPP. With the evolution of standard versions and market demand, NTN can be subdivided into IoT-NTN and NR-NTN. Satellite communications based on IoT-NTN, that is, non-terrestrial networks of the Internet of Things, are mainly based on high-orbit satellites. Satellite communications of NR-NTN, that is, the improved version based on 5G NR, are mainly based on low-orbit satellites.

[0135] Compared with traditional terrestrial cellular networks, the network architecture of NTN is slightly different from that of traditional terrestrial cellular access networks. But overall, the network architecture of NTN is similar to that of the 5G system and still includes two parts: 5GC and NG-RAN. 5GC includes AMF network elements and user plane function (UPF) network elements, and 5G RAN includes NG-RAN. During the standardization process, two modes of transparent architecture and regenerative architecture were discussed for the structure of NG-RAN.

[0136] like Figure 2 (a) in FIG. 1 shows an architecture diagram of a transparent architecture 20 of NTN. The transparent architecture 20 includes NG-RAN 203, 5GC 204 and terminal device 205. NG-RAN 203 includes satellite 201, NTN gateway 202 and gNB 206. Among them, satellite 201 and NTN gateway 202 can be understood as RRU in NR. The function of satellite 201 can be equivalent to RF relay. Satellite 201 can realize frequency conversion and RF amplifier in uplink and downlink directions. The service link and feeder link of satellite 201 both use 5G NR Uu interface. NTN gateway 202 can be a gateway station or a ground station. The transmission type of the transparent architecture 20 can be called transparent transmission, which is equivalent to the signal undergoing frequency conversion and signal amplification on the satellite. The transmission delay is from NTN gateway 202 through satellite 201 to terminal device 205. If the transparent architecture 20 is applied in the scenario of terminal device positioning, the ground base station in the 5G RAN 203 can send a reference signal for positioning to the terminal device 205 via the satellite 201. The satellite 201 is a device for forwarding the reference signal between the ground base station and the terminal device 205.

[0137] like Figure 2 (b) in FIG. 1 shows an architecture diagram of a NTN regeneration architecture 21. The regeneration architecture includes NG-RAN 212, 5GC 214 and terminal equipment 215. Among them, NG-RAN 212 includes satellite 211 and NTN gateway 213. Among them, satellite 211 can be understood as a satellite base station gNB, the service link can use the NR Uu port, and the feeder link can use the satellite private air interface (satellite radio interface, SRI). Different satellite base stations can communicate through the Xn port, and the satellite base station and the terminal equipment 215 can communicate through the NR Uu port. The transmission type of the regeneration architecture 21 can be called non-transparent transmission. Among them, the satellite 211 has some or all base station functions, needs to support some or all transmission protocols, and the transmission delay is from the satellite 211 to the terminal equipment 215. If the regeneration architecture 21 is applied to the scenario of terminal equipment positioning, the satellite 211 can directly send a reference signal for positioning to the terminal equipment 215.

[0138] Due to the limitations of antenna deployment of satellites and terminal devices, positioning methods based on downlink arrival time difference or round-trip time are more commonly used. Specifically, existing satellite positioning methods mainly include the following two categories:

[0139] The first type is a positioning method based on a single satellite, that is, using a satellite as a positioning reference station for positioning. Specifically, methods such as Multi-RTT, TDOA (multiple times of a single satellite), Doppler, and carrier phase positioning can be used. The advantage of this type of positioning method is that it has a low requirement for satellite density (theoretically, a single satellite is sufficient), but at the same time, due to its reliance on a single satellite for positioning, it also faces the problems of low accuracy and high latency.

[0140] The second type is a multi-satellite positioning method, which uses multiple satellites (at least 4) as positioning reference stations for positioning. Specific methods include Multi-RTT, TDOA (single moment of multiple satellites), and carrier phase positioning. Due to the large number of positioning reference stations, this type of positioning method has a higher positioning accuracy. However, it requires that there are multiple satellites (at least 4) within the visible range of the terminal device. This type of method has high requirements for satellite density and also places requirements on interaction and coordination between satellites.

[0141] In the satellite positioning scenario, the terminal device also needs to obtain corresponding positioning assistance data, but the positioning reference station in this scenario refers to the satellite (or air base station), and the positioning reference signal may also be different from the existing PRS, SRS, etc.

[0142] Considering the current ground cellular positioning scenario, the ground base station is usually stationary, but the satellite flies at a high speed, and the ground cell coverage slides quickly, causing the PRS resource (PRS beam) to be tested of the terminal device to change frequently. Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the PRS beam to be tested by the terminal device. Assume that there are satellites 1, 2 and 3 on orbit 1, and satellites 4, 5 and 6 on orbit 2, and the cells covered by satellites 1 to 6 correspond to cells 1 to 6 respectively. Assume that beam p_q represents beam q in cell p, at time t1, the service cell of the terminal device 30 is cell 5, and the beams to be tested of the terminal device 30 are beam 5_2, beam 2_4, beam 3_3, beam 3_4 and beam 6_1. At time t2, due to the rapid movement of the satellite, the service cell of the terminal device 30 is cell 4, and the beams to be tested of the terminal device 30 are beam 1_4, beam 2_3, beam 4_1, beam 4_2, and beam 5_1. If satellite positioning still uses the existing technology, the network equipment needs to update the positioning assistance data in real time, and the terminal device 30 needs to frequently receive the positioning assistance data, resulting in high power consumption of the terminal device 30. In addition, the terminal device 30 does not know which satellites' beams are currently aimed at the terminal device. The terminal device 30 needs to measure PRSs from multiple beam directions of the service satellite / neighboring satellite, which also leads to problems of high power consumption and complexity of the terminal device 30.

[0143] Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to an IMT system, for example, to a terrestrial cellular positioning scenario or a terrestrial cellular communication scenario. The method can also be applied to a satellite system, such as a satellite communication scenario in NTN or a satellite navigation positioning scenario. In the method, the positioning assistance information sent by the network side indicates that the network device of the current service cell is associated with the reference signal configuration information of the network device of the neighboring area. In this way, the terminal device can receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can clearly know which directions of the reference signal of the second network device is received, or which beam directions of the reference signal. Compared with the problem that the terminal device needs to blindly measure the reference signal, that is, it is necessary to measure the reference signals of multiple beam directions of multiple network devices to obtain enough measurement quantities for positioning, resulting in high power consumption of the terminal device, the beam direction indicated by the receiving associated configuration information of the present application does not need to blindly measure the reference signals of multiple beam directions of multiple network devices, and the power consumption of the terminal device is low, and the implementation complexity is low.

[0144] Moreover, in the implementation method of the present application of indicating the associated configuration information through positioning auxiliary information, the terminal device can receive the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information when it is within the cell coverage of the first network device, and receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information associated with the first configuration information. When the terminal device is within the cell coverage of the second network device, it can also receive the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information, and receive the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information associated with the second configuration information. The positioning auxiliary information does not need to be updated frequently, and the terminal device does not need to frequently receive positioning auxiliary data from the network device, the signaling overhead is low, and the power consumption of the terminal device is low. Optionally, the network device can send positioning auxiliary information to the terminal device at regular intervals, and there is no need to send positioning auxiliary data every time the beam associated with the positioning reference signal resource to be measured by the terminal device changes, and the power consumption of the terminal device is low.

[0145] In an embodiment of the present application, the reference signal may be a reference signal used for positioning, such as an uplink positioning reference signal SRS, a downlink positioning reference signal PRS, a sidelink positioning reference signal (sidelink PRS), etc., or may be other non-positioning-specific reference signals, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc. The present application does not limit the type of reference signal.

[0146] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) connected state as an example for explanation. The present application is also applicable to the case where the terminal device is in a non-connected state, such as an RRC idle state (RRC_idle) and an RRC inactive state (RRC_inactive). When the terminal device is in a non-connected state, one possible implementation method is to page the terminal device back to a connected state and then execute the embodiment of the present application. Another possible implementation method is that the terminal device can directly perform positioning measurements in a non-connected state and then perform positioning based on the measurement results.

[0147] The following is an introduction to the embodiments of the present application.

[0148] like Figure 4 The figure is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the method includes the following process.

[0149] 401. A network device sends positioning assistance information to a terminal device, where the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information. The first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by a first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by a second network device.

[0150] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives positioning assistance information from the network device.

[0151] In some embodiments, the first network device is a serving network device of the terminal device or a network device corresponding to a serving cell, and the second network device is a network device corresponding to a neighboring area of ​​the serving cell. The number of the second network devices may be one or more. When the number of the second network devices is multiple, it is equivalent to that there are multiple neighboring areas of the serving cell of the terminal device.

[0152] In some embodiments, the network device that sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device is a first network device. The network device sending the positioning assistance information to the terminal device may include: the first network device sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the positioning assistance information from the first network device.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first network device is a base station or a satellite, and the second network device may also be a base station or a satellite. Optionally, in a satellite system, a satellite that supports a regenerative architecture may also be referred to as a base station. The present application may also be applicable to scenarios where ground base stations and satellites are jointly positioned, that is, some of the multiple second network devices are ground base stations and some are satellites. The following embodiments of the present application are all described by taking base stations and satellites collectively referred to as base stations as an example, the first network device is a service base station for a terminal device, and the second network device is a neighboring base station of the service base station.

[0154] Exemplarily, when the first network device is base station 1, the second network device is base station 2, and the terminal device is UE, base station 1 sends positioning assistance information to the UE, and the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the configuration information of the first reference signal sent by base station 1 is associated with the configuration information of the second reference signal sent by base station 2. In one possible implementation, base station 1 obtains the positioning assistance information from the LMF network element, for example, base station 1 obtains the positioning assistance information from the LMF network element through an NRPPa message (such as assistance information control). In another possible implementation, base station 1 obtains the positioning assistance information from base station 2 or other base stations, for example, base station 1 obtains the positioning assistance information from base station 2 or other base stations through an Xn interface.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first network device may send positioning assistance information to the terminal device within the cell coverage of the first network device. For example, the first network device may send the positioning assistance information through existing broadcast information (such as posSIB (system information block) or other SIB). Alternatively, the first network device may send the positioning assistance information through RRC information. Alternatively, the first network device may send the positioning assistance information through new positioning broadcast information (independent of the existing posSIB information).

[0156] In some embodiments, the LMF network element sends positioning assistance information to the terminal device, for example, the LMF network element sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device via an LPPProvideAssistanceData message. When the first network device is a serving base station of the terminal device and the second network device is a neighboring base station of the serving base station, the LMF network element can send positioning assistance information to the terminal device via the first network device.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first reference signal and the second reference signal are both reference signals used for positioning.

[0158] 402. The terminal device performs at least one of the following steps: receiving a reference signal from a first network device according to first configuration information; and receiving a reference signal from a second network device according to second configuration information.

[0159] In some embodiments, when the terminal device receives the above positioning assistance information, it can receive reference signals from the first network device and the second network device according to the association between the first configuration information and the second configuration information indicated in the positioning assistance information. This is equivalent to the terminal device receiving the reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information, and receiving the reference signal from the second network device according to the second configuration information associated with the first configuration information.

[0160] As mentioned above, the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by the second network device. The reference signal received by the terminal device from the first network device may be different from or the same as the first reference signal; the reference signal received by the terminal device from the second network device may be different from or the same as the second reference signal.

[0161] In some embodiments, the reference signal received by the terminal device from the first network device and the reference signal received from the second network device are at least one of the following: PRS and SSB.

[0162] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device. In some embodiments, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device.

[0163] Exemplarily, the reference signals are all PRS, that is, the terminal device receives the PRS from the first network device, and receives the PRS from the second network device. For example, when the downlink positioning method is adopted, base station 1 is the serving base station, and base station 2 is the neighboring base station, in a possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the PRS from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the PRS from base station 2 according to the second configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 2). In another possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the PRS from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information of the association between the PRS configuration information of the first network device and the SSB configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the PRS from the base station 2 according to the second configuration information (i.e., the SSB configuration information of the base station 2). In this way, the UE can clearly know which PRSs of the base station 2 are received, or the PRSs in which beam directions. The UE performs positioning measurement based on the PRSs obtained from the base station 1 and the PRSs obtained from the base station 2.

[0164] Alternatively, take the case where both reference signals are SSB, that is, the terminal device receives the SSB from the first network device and receives the SSB from the second network device as an example. For example, when the downlink positioning method is adopted, base station 1 is the serving base station, and base station 2 is the neighboring base station, in one possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the SSB from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the SSB from base station 2 according to the second configuration information (that is, the SSB configuration information of base station 2). In another possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the SSB from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information of the association between the PRS configuration information of the first network device and the PRS configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the SSB from base station 2 according to the second configuration information (i.e., the PRS configuration information of base station 2). In this way, the UE can clearly know which SSBs of base station 2 are received, or which SSBs in which beam directions. The UE performs positioning measurement based on the SSBs obtained from base station 1 and the SSBs obtained from base station 2.

[0165] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information or the SSB configuration information of the second network device.

[0166] Exemplarily, the reference signals are all SSB, that is, the terminal device receives the SSB from the first network device, and receives the SSB from the second network device. For example, when the downlink positioning method is adopted, base station 1 is the serving base station, and base station 2 is the neighboring base station, in one possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the SSB from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the SSB configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the SSB from base station 2 according to the second configuration information (that is, the SSB configuration information of base station 2). In another possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the SSB from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the SSB configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information of the association between the SSB configuration information of the first network device and the PRS configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the SSB from base station 2 according to the second configuration information (i.e., the PRS configuration information of base station 2). In this way, the UE can clearly know which SSBs of base station 2 are received, or which SSBs in which beam directions. The UE performs positioning measurements based on the SSBs obtained from base station 1 and the SSBs obtained from base station 2.

[0167] Alternatively, take the case where all reference signals are PRS, that is, the terminal device receives the PRS from the first network device, and receives the PRS from the second network device as an example. For example, when the downlink positioning method is adopted, base station 1 is the serving base station, and base station 2 is the neighboring base station, in one possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the PRS from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the PRS from base station 2 according to the second configuration information (that is, the PRS configuration information of base station 2). In another possible implementation, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the SSB configuration information of the second network device. The UE can receive the PRS from base station 1 according to the first configuration information (that is, the SSB configuration information of base station 1). Based on the indication information of the association between the SSB configuration information of the first network device and the SSB configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the PRS from the base station 2 according to the second configuration information (i.e., the SSB configuration information of the base station 2). In this way, the UE can clearly know which PRSs of the base station 2 are received, or the PRSs in which beam directions. The UE performs positioning measurement based on the PRSs obtained from the base station 1 and the PRSs obtained from the base station 2.

[0168] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information or SSB configuration information of the second network device. The UE receives the PRS from the first network device and the SSB from the second network device; or the UE receives the SSB from the first network device and the PRS from the second network device.

[0169] In some further embodiments, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the SSB configuration information of the first network device is associated with the PRS configuration information or the SSB configuration information of the second network device. The UE receives the PRS from the first network device and the SSB from the second network device; or the UE receives the SSB from the first network device and the PRS from the second network device.

[0170] It should be noted that the number of second network devices described in the above embodiment can be multiple, and the number of base stations 2 in the example here can also be multiple. This is equivalent to the UE performing positioning measurement based on the reference signal received by base station 1 as a serving base station and multiple reference signals received from multiple base stations 2.

[0171] In this way, if the UE moves at a fast speed, the service cell of the UE may change frequently, and the UE may need to frequently receive reference signal configuration information from different service cells to update the positioning assistance data. When applying the positioning assistance information of the present application, the network side, such as the service base station / LMF network element, indicates to the UE the configuration information of the reference signal sent by the neighboring base station associated with the configuration information of the reference signal sent by the service base station. Optionally, by indicating the validity of the positioning assistance information, such as indicating the expiration time (ExpiryTime) of the positioning assistance information, or whether it is valid (valueTag), the UE can update the positioning assistance information when the positioning assistance information is invalid or about to be invalid, which can effectively reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the UE. In some cases, even if the service cell of the UE changes, if the positioning assistance information on the UE side includes the reference signal configuration information of the changed service cell, the UE can also measure the reference signal associated with the positioning assistance information, without trying to receive reference signals in all directions, which can also effectively reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the UE.

[0172] In some embodiments, when applied to a satellite system, such as a satellite navigation and positioning system, the ground base station may be replaced by a satellite (or an aerial base station), and the reference signal used for positioning may also be different from the reference signal in the IMT system.

[0173] Considering that in the satellite positioning scenario, due to the fast movement speed of the satellite, the service satellite / service cell of the UE may change frequently. According to the existing technology, the UE needs to frequently receive reference signal configuration information from different service satellites to update the positioning assistance data. In the case where the positioning assistance information of the present application is applied, the service satellite / LMT indicates to the UE the reference signal configuration information of the neighboring satellite associated with the reference signal configuration information of the service satellite. Optionally, it can also be implemented as in the IMT system, by indicating the validity of the positioning assistance information, such as the expiration time or whether it is valid, the UE updates the positioning assistance information when the positioning assistance information is invalid or about to be invalid, which can effectively reduce the UE's receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption. In some cases, even if the UE's service cell changes in the satellite system, if the positioning assistance information on the UE side includes the reference signal configuration information of the changed service cell, the UE can measure the reference signal of the satellite associated in the positioning assistance information, without trying to receive reference signals in all directions, which can also effectively reduce the UE's receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption.

[0174] Here we refer to the diagram for an example. Figure 5 The figure shows a beam association diagram. Assume that the satellite is moving in the direction of Figure 5In the direction shown, the cells corresponding to satellites 1 to 6 are cells 1 to 6 in sequence. The serving cell of UE at time t1 is cell 1, which is the cell covered by satellite 1, and satellite 1 is the serving satellite of UE, that is, the first network device mentioned above can be understood as satellite 1 here. Beam p_q represents beam q in cell p, and satellite 1 can send positioning assistance information to UE within the coverage of cell 1. The configuration information of the first reference signal indicated by the positioning assistance information includes the information of beam 1_4 sent by satellite 1. There are multiple second network devices, that is, when there are multiple second reference signals, the beams of the multiple second reference signals include beams of multiple neighboring satellites, for example, the multiple neighboring satellites include satellite 2, satellite 4 and satellite 5, and the beams sent by the multiple neighboring satellites include beam 2_3 of satellite 2, beam 4_1 and beam 4_2 of satellite 4, and beam 5_1 of satellite 5. The configuration information of the second reference signal includes the information of any one of beams 2_3, beam 4_1, beam 4_2 and beam 5_1 sent by satellite 2, satellite 4 and satellite 5. In this way, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the configuration information of the first reference signal sent by the first network device is associated with the configuration information of the second reference signal sent by the second network device, which can be understood as indicating that the information of beam 1_4 sent by satellite 1 is associated with the information of beam 2_3 sent by satellite 2, beam 4_1 and beam 4_2 sent by satellite 4, and beam 5_1 sent by satellite 5. At time t1, the UE is located in the direction of beam 1_4 of the serving cell (cell 1), and can receive the reference signal in the direction of beam 1_4 according to the configuration information of the first reference signal, and receive the reference signals in the directions of beam 2_3, beam 4_1, beam 4_2, and beam 5_1 according to the above association relationship, and perform positioning measurement based on the reference signals in these five associated beam directions.

[0175] In some embodiments, the network device may update the positioning assistance information based on the operation of the satellite, for example, indicating the validity of the positioning assistance information. Figure 5 As shown, assuming that the UE moves into the range of cell 2 at the next time t2, the positioning assistance information sent by the network device may be invalid compared with the time t1. At this time, the positioning assistance information indicates that the information of beam 2_4 sent by satellite 2 is associated with the information of beam 3_3 sent by satellite 3, the information of beam 3_4, the information of beam 5_2 sent by satellite 5, and the information of beam 6_1 sent by satellite 6. At time t2, the UE is located in the direction of beam 2_4 of the serving cell (cell 2), and can receive the reference signal in the direction of beam 2_4 according to the configuration information of the first reference signal, and receive the reference signals in the directions of beam 3_3, beam 3_4, beam 5_2 and beam 6_1 according to the above association relationship, and perform positioning measurement according to the reference signals in the five associated beam directions.

[0176] In this way, compared with the base station's need to update the positioning assistance data in real time, the UE needs to frequently receive the positioning assistance data for positioning measurement, and the UE needs to measure the reference signals in the beam directions from multiple base stations for positioning measurement, which brings about the high power consumption and high complexity of the UE. The present application receives the reference signal according to the configuration information of the associated reference signal indicated by the positioning assistance information or the associated beam information, which can effectively reduce the UE's receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption, and also reduce the complexity of UE positioning.

[0177] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance information in the present application includes first configuration information and second configuration information.

[0178] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: first reference signal resource information; first reference signal resource set information; first network device information; first reference signal frequency information; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; and a first reference signal index.

[0179] In some embodiments, for example, when applied in a downlink positioning scenario:

[0180] The first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; and angle information of the first reference signal.

[0181] Exemplarily, when the first reference signal resource information includes a first reference signal resource identifier, the first reference signal resource identifier is, for example, a PRS resource identifier, that is, a PRS resource ID. Optionally, one PRS resource ID corresponds to one beam ID. When the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, the first PRS resource identifier is, for example, the DL-PRSresource ID shown in Table 1. When the first reference signal resource information is the beam information of the first reference signal, the beam information of the first reference signal is, for example, the beam ID of the PRS. When the first reference signal resource information is the angle information of the first reference signal, the angle information of the first reference signal is, for example, at least one of the angle of departure (angle of departure, AOD) and the angle of arrival (angle of arrival, AOA) of the PRS.

[0182] The first reference signal resource set information is a PRS resource set identifier, that is, the above-mentioned PRS resource set ID. Optionally, one PRS resource set ID corresponds to at least one PRS resource ID. When the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, the first PRS resource set identifier is, for example, the DL-PRS resource set ID shown in Table 1.

[0183] The information of the first network device is an identifier of the first base station or an identifier of the first TRP. Optionally, one TRP ID corresponds to at least one DL-PRS resource set ID. When the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, the information of the first network device is, for example, the DL-PRS ID shown in Table 1.

[0184] The frequency information of the first reference signal is a PFL identifier / frequency point identifier, that is, a PFL ID. Optionally, one PFL ID corresponds to at least one TRP ID.

[0185] The cell identifier corresponding to the first network device is a Cell ID. Optionally, one Cell ID corresponds to at least one SSBindex.

[0186] The first reference signal index is identification information of the first reference signal, for example, index.

[0187] Similar to the first configuration information, the second configuration information includes at least one of the following: second reference signal resource information; second reference signal resource set information; second network device information; second reference signal frequency information; cell identifier corresponding to the second network device; second reference signal index. For a detailed description of the second configuration information, please refer to the description of the first configuration information above.

[0188] Similar to the first reference signal resource information, the second reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: a second reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the second reference signal; angle information of the second reference signal. For a detailed description of the second reference signal resource information, please refer to the description of the first reference signal resource information above.

[0189] Exemplarily, the positioning assistance information can be used to indicate that the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device is associated with the second reference signal resource identifier of the second network device. It can be understood that the positioning assistance information indicates that at least one PRS resource of the first network device is associated with at least one PRS resource of the second network device. Optionally, the PRS resource of the second network device can be indicated by one or more of PFL ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resourceID. For example, the PRS resource of the second network device can be indicated by PFL ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, that is, the partial TRP ID corresponding to the PFL ID, the partial PRS resource set ID corresponding to the TRPID, the partial PRS resource ID corresponding to the PRS resource set ID and the directly indicated PRS resource ID are associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PFL ID, at least one TRP ID, at least one PRS resource set ID and at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device. Alternatively, the PRS resource of the second network device can be indicated by TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, that is, part of the PRS resource set ID corresponding to the TRP ID of the second network device, part of the PRS resource ID corresponding to the PRS resource set ID and the directly indicated PRS resource ID are associated with the PRSresource ID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one TRP ID, at least one PRS resource set ID and at least one PRS resourceID of the second network device.Alternatively, the PRS resource of the second network device may be indicated by the PRS resource set ID and the PRS resource ID, that is, the PRS resource ID corresponding to the PRS resource set ID of the second network device and the directly indicated PRS resource ID are associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PRS resource set ID and at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device. In this way, the terminal device receives a reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resourceID of the first network device, and based on the indication information of associating at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device with at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device, receives a reference signal from the second network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0190] Alternatively, the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device is associated with the second reference signal resource set information of the second network device, which can be understood as the positioning assistance information indicating that at least one PRS resource of the first network device is associated with at least one PRS resource set of the second network device. Optionally, the PRS resource of the second network device may be indicated by one or more of the PFL ID, TRP ID, and PRS resource set ID. For example, the PRS resource set of the second network device may be indicated by the PFL ID, the TRP ID, and the PRSresource set ID, that is, the partial TRP ID corresponding to the PFL ID, the partial PRSresource set ID corresponding to the TRP ID, and the directly indicated PRS resource set ID are associated with the PRS resourceID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PFL ID, at least one TRP ID, and at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device. Alternatively, the PRS resource set of the second network device may be indicated by the TRP ID and the PRS resource set ID, that is, the partial PRS resource set ID corresponding to the TRP ID and the directly indicated PRS resource set ID are associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one TRP ID and at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device. Alternatively, the PRS resource set of the second network device may be indicated by the PRS resource set ID, that is, the PRSresource set ID directly indicated by the positioning assistance information is associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device.In this way, the terminal device receives a reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device, and based on the indication information associating at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device with at least one PRSresource set ID of the second network device, receives a reference signal from the second network device according to at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0191] Alternatively, the positioning assistance information indicates that the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device is associated with the information of the second network device, which can be understood as the positioning assistance information indicating that at least one PRSresource of the first network device is associated with at least one TRP of the second network device. Optionally, the information of the second network device can be indicated by one or more of the PFL ID and the TRP ID. For example, the TRP of the second network device can be indicated by the PFL ID and the TRP ID, that is, the partial TRP ID included in the PFL ID and the directly indicated TRP ID are associated with the PRSresource ID of the first network device, wherein the TRP ID corresponding to the TRP ID included in the positioning assistance information, the PRSresource set ID corresponding to the TRP ID, the PRS resource ID corresponding to each PRS resource set ID, and the directly indicated TRPID are associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device, and the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PFL ID and at least one TRP ID of the second network device. Alternatively, the TRP of the second network device can be directly indicated by the TRP ID, that is, the positioning assistance information includes at least one PRSresource ID of the first network device and at least one TRP ID of the second network device. In this way, the terminal device receives a reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device, and based on the indication information associating at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device with at least one TRP ID of the second network device, receives a reference signal from the second network device according to at least one TRP ID of the second network device, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0192] Alternatively, the positioning assistance information indicates that the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device is associated with the frequency information of the second reference signal, which can be understood as the positioning assistance information indicating that at least one PRSresource of the first network device is associated with at least one PFL of the second reference signal. Optionally, the frequency information of the second reference signal is indicated by the PFLID. This means that the TRP ID corresponding to the PFL ID, the PRS resource set ID corresponding to the TRP ID, and the PRS resource ID corresponding to the PRS resource set ID are associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device. The positioning assistance information includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PFL ID of the second reference signal. In this way, the terminal device receives the reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device, and based on the indication information that at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device is associated with at least one PFL ID of the second network device, receives the reference signal from the second network device according to at least one PFL ID of the second network device, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0193] Of course, the first configuration information can also be implemented as the example of the second configuration information described above. For example, the positioning assistance information indicates that the first reference signal resource set identifier of the first network device is associated with the first reference signal resource identifier of the second network device. It can be understood that the positioning assistance information indicates that the PRS resource set of the first network device is associated with the PRS resource of the second network device. Exemplarily, the PRS resource set of the first network device can be indicated by the PFL ID, TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by the TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or directly by the PRS resource set ID. The PRS resource of the second network device can be indicated by the PFL ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by the TRP ID, PRS resourceset ID and PRS resource ID, or by the PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or directly by the PRS resource ID. In this way, the terminal device receives a reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resource set ID of the first network device, and based on the indication information associating at least one PRS resource set ID of the first network device with at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device, receives a reference signal from the second network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0194] Alternatively, the positioning assistance information indicates that the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device is associated with the cell identifier of the second network device, which can be understood as the positioning assistance information indicating that at least one PRSresource of the first network device is associated with at least one Cell of the second network device. The Cell of the second network device can be indicated by the Cell ID. This means that the SSB index included in the Cell ID is associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device. For example, the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device can be indicated by the PFL ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by the TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by the PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or directly by the PRS resource ID. The cell identifier of the second network device can be indicated by the Cell ID. In this way, the terminal device receives the reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device, and based on the indication information that at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device is associated with at least one Cell ID of the second network device, receives the reference signal from the second network device according to at least one Cell ID of the second network device, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0195] Alternatively, the positioning assistance information indicates that the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device is associated with the second reference signal index, which can be understood as the positioning assistance information indicating that at least one PRS resource of the first network device is associated with at least one SSB of the second reference signal. Exemplarily, the first reference signal resource identifier of the first network device can be indicated by PFL ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by TRPID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or directly by PRS resource ID. The SSB of the second reference signal can be indicated by CellID and SSB index, or directly by SSB index. When the SSB of the second reference signal is indicated by CellID and SSB index, part of the SSB index included in the Cell ID and the directly indicated SSB index are associated with the PRS resource ID of the first network device. In this way, the terminal device receives a reference signal from the first network device according to at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device, and based on the indication information associating at least one PRSresource ID of the first network device with at least one SSB index of the second reference signal, receives a second reference signal according to at least one SSB index of the second reference signal, so as to reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device.

[0196] In this way, for the terminal device, the terminal device receives PRS or SSB for positioning measurement according to the association relationship indicated by the currently received positioning assistance information. The range of the reference signal used by the terminal device for positioning measurement is smaller, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device are both smaller.

[0197] In some embodiments, the present application may also define an information set for implementing the above-mentioned positioning assistance information, and the information set includes the above-mentioned first configuration information and second configuration information.

[0198] Exemplarily, the information set includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device. The PRS resource IDs of the first network device and the second network device can be indicated by PFL ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by TRP ID, PRSresource set ID and PRS resource ID, or by PRS resource set ID and PRSresource ID, or by PRS resource ID.

[0199] Alternatively, the information set includes at least one PRS resource ID of the first network device and at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device, and the at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device can be indicated by PFL ID, TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by PRS resource set ID.

[0200] Alternatively, the information set includes at least one PRS resource set ID of the first network device and at least one PRS resource ID of the second network device, and the at least one PRS resource set ID of the first network device can be indicated by PFL ID, TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by PRS resource set ID.

[0201] Alternatively, the information set includes at least one PRS resource set ID of the first network device and at least one PRS resource set ID of the second network device, and the at least one PRSresource set ID of the first network device and the second network device can be indicated by PFL ID, TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by TRP ID and PRS resource set ID, or by PRS resource set ID.

[0202] Alternatively, the information set includes at least one of a PRS resource ID and a PRS resource set ID of the first network device associated with at least one of a Cell ID of the second network device and an SSB index of the second reference signal.

[0203] In this way, for the terminal device, the terminal device receives PRS or SSB for positioning measurement according to the information in the information set indicated by the currently received positioning auxiliary information. The range of the reference signal used by the terminal device for positioning measurement is small, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device are small. In some scenarios, for the terminal device, if it is still within the valid time range of the positioning auxiliary information, and the terminal device happens to be within the range of another cell associated with the information in the information set, the terminal device receives the reference signal corresponding to the information in the information set, and the reference signal range to be measured by the terminal device remains unchanged. The terminal device does not need to receive new auxiliary data, and the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device are low.

[0204] In some embodiments, when the first network device sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device within the cell coverage of the first network device through a broadcast message, the serving base station of the terminal device may broadcast the positioning assistance information to the UE within the cell coverage of the serving base station. The broadcast message may be a posSIB newly defined in the present application, and the posSIB includes the positioning assistance information. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the posSIB sent by the first network device.

[0205] In this way, the present application can indicate the validity of posSIB, for example, indicating the expiration time of posSIB or whether it is valid, and the UE can update posSIB when posSIB is invalid or about to be invalid. Within the valid time range of posSIB, the terminal device can receive the reference signal according to the association relationship indicated by the posSIB, which can avoid the problem of high reception power consumption and large storage space caused by the need to frequently update the positioning assistance data in posSIB when the positioning assistance data is carried in posSIB.

[0206] If applied in a satellite system, considering that the satellite moves at a fast speed, the LMF network element can obtain the running direction and position of each satellite associated with the LMF network element in real time, and know the beam direction of the associated satellite. A possible implementation method is that the LMF network element sends the positioning assistance information to the service satellite, and the service satellite sends posSIB to the terminal devices within its coverage. Wherein, when posSIB includes positioning assistance information, within the effective time range of the posSIB, the terminal device can receive reference signals for positioning from multiple satellites according to the positioning assistance information in the posSIB received from the service satellite, which can also reduce the receiving power consumption of the terminal device and reduce the storage space requirement of the terminal device. Wherein, the transmission format of posSIB in the satellite system may be different from the transmission format of posSIB in the IMT system.

[0207] In some embodiments, when the LMF network element sends the positioning assistance information to the terminal device via a unicast message, the unicast message may be an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message, that is, the LPP message includes the positioning assistance information. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the LPP message sent by the LMF network element.

[0208] Exemplarily, the LMF network element may first send an NRPPa message to the serving base station (first network device) of the terminal device, and the NRPPa message includes the second positioning assistance information. Based on the second positioning assistance information, the serving base station may send the first positioning assistance information to the UE, for example, by carrying the first positioning assistance information through an RRC message or a MAC control element (MAC control element, MAC CE). The first positioning assistance information and the second positioning assistance information may be the same or different.

[0209] In some embodiments, based on the positioning assistance information, the terminal device can perform positioning measurement according to the positioning assistance information. Figure 4 As shown, the method may also include the following process.

[0210] 403. The terminal device performs positioning measurement according to the received reference signal to obtain measurement information.

[0211] In some embodiments, the terminal device may perform positioning measurement based on a reference signal received from the first network device according to the first configuration information and a reference signal received from the second network device according to the second configuration information to obtain measurement information / measurement quantity.

[0212] Exemplarily, the configuration information of the first reference signal indicates the PRS resource of the first network device, the configuration information of the second reference signal indicates the PRS resource of the second network device, the terminal device receives the PRS from the first network device on the PRSresource of the first network device, and receives the PRS from the second network device on the PRS resource of the second network device, and the terminal device performs positioning measurement based on the PRS from the first network device and the PRS from the second network device.

[0213] Alternatively, the configuration information of the first reference signal indicates the PRS resource of the first network device, the configuration information of the second reference signal indicates the SSB of the second network device, the terminal device receives the PRS from the first network device on the PRS resource of the first network device, and receives the SSB from the second network device on the PRS resource of the second network device, and the terminal device performs positioning measurement based on the PRS from the first network device and the SSB from the second network device.

[0214] Here, the number of second network devices is multiple, or the number of second reference signals is multiple, that is, the terminal device can perform positioning measurement based on the PRS from the first network device and the PRS / SSB of multiple second network devices.

[0215] 404. The terminal device calculates the position according to the measurement information and the positioning auxiliary information to obtain the position information of the terminal device.

[0216] Exemplarily, if UE-based positioning is used, the above measurement information is used by the UE to locally calculate the UE's position.

[0217] Alternatively, step 404 may also be replaced by: the terminal device sends measurement information to the network device, and the network device calculates the position according to the measurement information and the positioning auxiliary information to obtain the position information of the terminal device.

[0218] Exemplarily, if UE-assisted / LMF-based positioning is used, the UE may send the above-mentioned measurement information to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element will calculate the position of the UE, or the UE may first send the measurement information to the serving base station, and the serving base station may then send the measurement information to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element F will calculate the position of the UE.

[0219] For other non-positioning scenarios, such as data communication scenarios, the measurement information can be used for power control, beam management or other communication purposes.

[0220] The positioning assistance data here may be existing positioning assistance data, for example including the location and timing information of the base station, etc., which is different from the positioning assistance information in this application.

[0221] In some embodiments, if step 403 and step 404 are applied in a satellite navigation or positioning scenario, the terminal device can calculate the location information of the terminal device based on the received reference signal, and the position, trajectory and ephemeris information of the service satellite and neighboring satellites received from the service satellite / LMF network element.

[0222] Therefore, the present application indicates the association between the configuration information of the reference signal of the serving base station / satellite and the configuration information of the reference signal of the neighboring base station / satellite through the network, so that the terminal device can receive the reference signals of the serving base station / satellite and the neighboring base station / satellite based on the association, which can effectively reduce the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption on the terminal device side, reduce signaling overhead, and ensure positioning performance.

[0223] In addition, in the scenario of the satellite system, considering the fast movement speed of the satellite and the short service time of the satellite beam, the UE may not be able to receive enough reference signals in a short time, and the positioning requirements cannot be met, and the positioning performance cannot be guaranteed. For example, the typical single-beam coverage radius is 40 kilometers (km) and the service time is about 10s. Therefore, in this application, the direction information of the UE can be sent by the UE or the base station, and the network device can determine the configuration information of the positioning reference signal. For example, the network device can determine the configuration information of the positioning reference signal that the beam direction is aligned with the area where the UE is located. In this way, for the UE, sufficient positioning reference signals can be received in a short time to improve the positioning performance.

[0224] like Figure 6 The figure is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the method includes the following process.

[0225] 601. A terminal device sends direction information of the terminal device, where the direction information is used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal. Then, step 602, step 603, or step 605 is executed.

[0226] In some embodiments, the terminal device sends the direction information of the terminal device to the LMF network element. When the at least one network device is multiple, it includes a serving network device and a neighboring network device of the terminal device.

[0227] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send the UE's direction information to the serving base station, and accordingly, the serving base station receives the terminal device's direction information sent by the UE. The serving base station then sends the terminal device's direction information to the LMF network element, and accordingly, the LMF network element receives the terminal device's direction information sent by the serving base station.

[0228] In some embodiments, step 601 may also be replaced by the serving network device sending the direction information of the terminal device to the LMF network element. Here, the serving network device is, for example, a serving base station. For example, the serving base station can determine the direction information of the direction in which the terminal device is located.

[0229] In some embodiments, the direction information of the terminal device may include at least one of the following information: receiving beam direction information of the terminal device; transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device; angle information of the terminal device relative to at least one network device; and location information of the terminal device. The at least one network device may include, for example, a serving network device and a neighboring network device of the terminal device.

[0230] Exemplarily, if applied in a downlink positioning method, the UE's receiving beam direction information is, for example, at least one of PRSresource ID, PRS resource set ID, SSB index, and CSI-RS ID. That is, when different IDs or index values ​​are different, the directions of the receiving beams are different. When the LMF network element receives at least one of PRS resource ID, PRSresource set ID, SSB index, and CSI-RS ID, it can determine the UE's receiving beam direction.

[0231] Similarly, the transmit beam direction information of the terminal device may also be at least one of PRS resource ID, PRS resource set ID, SSB index and CSI-RS ID. If applied in the uplink positioning method, the LMF network element can determine the transmit beam direction of the UE when receiving at least one of PRS resource ID, PRS resource set ID, SSB index and CSI-RS ID.

[0232] The angle information of the terminal device relative to at least one network device is, for example, AoD information of the UE relative to the serving base station and / or the neighboring base station.

[0233] The location information of the terminal device can be understood as the location information of the terminal device, such as the positioning result of the previous moment, or the positioning result obtained by other positioning methods. The coarse location information is, for example, the three-dimensional coordinate information of the UE relative to the serving base station and the neighboring base station, or the longitude and latitude information of the UE.

[0234] For example, the UE may send the UE direction information to the LMF network element via an LPP message. For another example, the UE may send the UE direction information to the serving base station via an RRC message, and the serving base station then sends the UE direction information to the LMF network element.

[0235] Optionally, the LMF network element may first request the UE for positioning assistance data through an LPP message, such as LPP request assistance data. Of course, the UE direction information may also be carried through other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0236] In some embodiments, the serving network device may directly send the direction information of the terminal device to the LMF network element, and the direction information of the terminal device may include at least one of the following information: the receiving beam direction information of the terminal device, the transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device, and the angle information of the terminal device relative to the network device of the serving cell. The receiving beam direction information and the transmitting beam direction information here can be referred to the above description, and the angle information here is, for example, AoA.

[0237] Exemplarily, if the UE's service base station sends the UE's direction information to the LMF network element, the service base station may send an NR positioning protocol annex (NRPPa) message to the LMF network element, and the NRPPa message includes the UE's direction information. In some scenarios, optionally, the LMF network element first requests the UE's direction information from the service base station and at least one of the neighboring base stations through a TRP information request (information request) message; in response to the TRP information request message, the service base station and at least one of the neighboring base stations send a TRP information response (information request) message to the LMF network element, and the TRP information response message includes the UE's direction information. Of course, the message type here is only for example, and the UE's direction information can also be reported through other types of messages.

[0238] 602. The LMF network element sends the direction information of the terminal device to at least one network device. Then, step 605 is executed.

[0239] In some embodiments, the LMF network element may further process the received direction information of the terminal device and send it to at least one network device, or the LMF network element may directly forward the received direction information of the terminal device to at least one network device.

[0240] Exemplarily, when the serving network device and the neighboring network device of the terminal device receive the direction information of the terminal device, the beam information for sending the positioning reference signal to the terminal device can be determined according to the direction information of the terminal device, which is equivalent to the serving network device and the neighboring network device adjusting the beam direction for sending the positioning reference signal with reference to the direction information of the terminal device. For example, in the serving network device and the neighboring network device, the correspondence between multiple direction information of the terminal device and multiple beam information for sending the positioning reference signal is stored, and the serving network device and the neighboring network device can determine the beam direction for sending the positioning reference signal according to the correspondence.

[0241] 603. The LMF network element determines configuration information of the positioning reference signal according to the direction information of the terminal device, where the configuration information of the positioning reference signal is used to instruct at least one network device to adjust the beam direction of sending the positioning reference signal.

[0242] 604. The LMF network element sends configuration information of the positioning reference signal to at least one network device.

[0243] In some embodiments, the LMF network element sends configuration information of the positioning reference signal to the service network device and the neighboring network device of the terminal device, and accordingly, the service network device and the neighboring network device receive the configuration information of the positioning reference signal sent by the LMF network element.

[0244] In some embodiments, the LMF network element can determine the positioning reference signal resource identifier of the service network device and the neighboring network device to send the positioning reference signal to the terminal device based on the direction information of the terminal device, and generate configuration information of the positioning reference signal, and the configuration information of the positioning reference signal includes the positioning reference signal resource identifier.

[0245] Exemplarily, the positioning reference signal is PRS, and the LMF network element stores the correspondence between the direction information of the terminal device and the PRS resource ID / beam ID of the PRS. The LMF network element can determine the PRS resource ID / beam ID of the service network device and the neighboring network device to send the PRS to the terminal device based on the direction information of the terminal device. The configuration information of the positioning reference signal generated by the LMF network element includes the determined PRS resource ID / beam ID of the service network device and the neighboring network device.

[0246] Since different PRS resource IDs / beam IDs correspond to different PRS beam directions, the service network device and the neighboring network device can send the PRS beam on the resources corresponding to the PRS resource ID / beam ID according to the PRS resource ID / beam ID, which is equivalent to the service network device and the neighboring network device adjusting the beam direction of sending PRS.

[0247] In this way, when at least one network device is a ground base station / satellite, when the serving base station and the neighboring base station adjust the beam direction of sending PRS, the UE can receive sufficient PRS in a shorter time, which can improve the positioning performance of the UE.

[0248] Especially in satellite systems, considering the fast movement speed of satellites, UE may not be able to receive enough PRS. If the present application is applied to report the direction information of the UE so that the serving satellite and the neighboring satellite adjust the beam direction of the PRS to align with the direction of the UE, the UE can receive more PRS in a short time for positioning measurement.

[0249] For example, Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method of adjusting the beam direction of a satellite transmitting a PRS according to the UE's direction information. Assume that the cells corresponding to satellites 1 to 6 are as follows: Figure 7 Cells 1 to 6 are shown in the figure. The serving satellite of the UE at time t1 is satellite 5, the serving cell is cell 5, the neighboring satellites include satellite 2, satellite 3 and satellite 6, and the neighboring cells include cell 2, cell 3 and cell 6. The direction information reported by the UE to the serving satellite indicates that the receiving beam of the UE is beam 5_2. For example, the direction information includes the beam ID of the receiving beam 5_2. When the serving satellite receives the direction information of the UE, the serving satellite can determine the neighboring satellites of the serving satellite and the beams of the neighboring satellites sending PRS, and can align the beam set of the receiving beam 5_2 of the UE. For example, the beam set includes the transmission beam 2_4 of the neighboring satellite 2, the transmission beam 3_3 or the transmission beam 3_4 of the neighboring satellite 3, the transmission beam 5_2 of the neighboring satellite 5, and the transmission beam 6_1 of the neighboring satellite 6. The service satellite can send configuration information of the positioning reference signal to Satellite 2, Satellite 3, Satellite 5 and Satellite 6. The configuration information of the positioning reference signal is used to instruct Satellite 2, Satellite 3, Satellite 5 and Satellite 6 to send PRS to the UE on the resources indicated by the beam ID in the beam set, which is equivalent to adjusting the beam direction of Satellite 2, Satellite 3, Satellite 5 and Satellite 6 to send PRS to the UE.

[0250] 605. The serving network device sends the direction information of the terminal device to the neighboring network device.

[0251] In some embodiments, the serving network device receives the direction information from the terminal device, and the serving network device sends the direction information of the terminal device to the neighboring network device of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the neighboring network device receives the direction information of the terminal device sent by the serving network device. For example, the serving base station may send the direction information of the UE to the neighboring base station via the Xn interface, and the neighboring base station receives the direction information of the UE sent by the serving base station via the Xn interface.

[0252] Based on the direction information of the terminal device, the service network device and the neighboring network device can determine the beam information for sending the positioning reference signal to the terminal device, which is equivalent to the service network device and the neighboring network device adjusting the beam direction for sending the positioning reference signal with reference to the direction information of the terminal device.

[0253] 606. The service network device sends positioning assistance data to the terminal device.

[0254] In some embodiments, the implementation of positioning assistance data may refer to the description in Table 1 above.

[0255] In some embodiments, the service network device sends positioning assistance data to the terminal device, including the UE's service base station sending positioning assistance data to the UE, or the LMF network element sending positioning assistance data to the UE through the UE's service base station.

[0256] 607. At least one network device sends a positioning reference signal to the terminal device.

[0257] Accordingly, the terminal device receives a positioning reference signal from at least one network device.

[0258] In some embodiments, the at least one network device includes a serving network device and a neighboring network device of the terminal device. The positioning reference signal is, for example, a PRS or an SSB.

[0259] Therefore, in the present application, for the terminal device, the reported direction information of the terminal device can help the serving base station / LMF network element determine the beam direction of the positioning reference signal of the network equipment in the serving cell and the neighboring cell, so that the network equipment in the serving cell and the neighboring cell can adjust the direction of sending the positioning reference signal to point to the receiving direction of the terminal device, which is beneficial for the terminal device to receive sufficient positioning reference signals from the serving cell and the neighboring cell in a shorter time, thereby improving the positioning performance and positioning accuracy of the terminal device, and also reducing the positioning delay of the terminal device.

[0260] Moreover, for the network equipment in the service cell and neighboring cell of the terminal device, if the beam direction of the positioning reference signal sent by the network device is adjusted according to the direction information of the terminal device, it is equivalent to that the network device can clarify the beam direction of the positioning reference signal sent by the network device to the terminal device according to the direction information of the terminal device. This can avoid the problem of high power consumption of the network device caused by multiple requests for positioning reference signals from the network device when the terminal device cannot be located, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of the network device.

[0261] In some embodiments, Figure 4 The corresponding embodiments and Figure 6The corresponding embodiments can be used in combination. That is, the terminal device can execute the step of the terminal device receiving the positioning assistance information in the present application, instructing the terminal device to receive the PRS on the PRS resource / SSB with the associated relationship indicated by the positioning assistance information. Optionally, the terminal device can also send the direction information of the terminal device so that the network side can determine the beam direction of at least one network device sending the positioning reference signal to the terminal device. In this way, not only the receiving power consumption and measurement power consumption of the terminal device receiving the positioning reference signal are reduced, but also the terminal device can receive enough positioning reference signals to improve the positioning performance.

[0262] In some scenarios, although the reference signal / positioning reference signal is PRS or SSB as an example in the embodiments of the present application, in other scenarios, the reference signal / positioning reference signal can also be at least one of the following information: channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS); demodulation reference signal (DM-RS); phase reference signal (TRS); phase noise tracking reference signal (PT-RS). Of course, the reference signal / positioning reference signal can also be other types besides the signal types exemplified in the embodiments of the present application.

[0263] It is understandable that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and the network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0264] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The following is a schematic diagram of the structure of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be as follows: Figure 1 One of the terminal device or network device (e.g., eNB / gNB / LMF network element) or LMF network element shown in Figure 2The terminal device or network device (eg, satellite / base station) shown may also be a communication module (eg, chip or chipset) applied to these devices. The relevant communication device is used to implement signal transmission, for example, it can be used to transmit the positioning reference signal mentioned above.

[0265] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 80 includes a receiving unit 801, a sending unit 802 and a processing unit 803. The communication device 80 is used to implement the above Figure 4 and Figure 6 The functions of the terminal device or network device or LMF network element in the method embodiment shown.

[0266] When the communication device 80 is used to implement Figure 4 and Figure 6 The functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown are as follows: the receiving unit 801 can be used to receive positioning assistance information, receive reference signals / positioning reference signals, and receive positioning assistance data. The sending unit 802 can be used to send direction information of the terminal device and send measurement information. The processing unit 803 can be used to perform positioning measurement and position calculation.

[0267] When the communication device 80 is used to implement Figure 4 and Figure 6 The functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown are: the receiving unit 801 is used to receive the direction information of the terminal device and the configuration information of the positioning reference signal; the sending unit 802 is used to send positioning assistance information, positioning assistance data and reference signal / positioning reference signal; the processing unit 803 is used to determine the beam information of the positioning reference signal sent by the network device according to the configuration information of the positioning reference signal.

[0268] When the communication device 80 is used to implement Figure 4 and Figure 6 The functions of the LMF network element in the method embodiment shown are as follows: the receiving unit 801 can be used to receive the measurement information sent by the terminal device and the direction information of the receiving terminal device. The sending unit 802 can be used to send the positioning assistance information and the configuration information of the positioning reference signal. The processing unit 803 can be used to determine the configuration information of the positioning reference signal.

[0269] For a more detailed description of the receiving unit 801, the sending unit 802 and the processing unit 803, please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 6 The method is described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0270] like Fig. 9As shown, the communication device 90 includes a processor 910 and optionally a transceiver 920. The processor 910 and the transceiver 920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the transceiver 920 can be an interface circuit or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 90 can also include a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 910 or storing input data required by the processor 910 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 910 executes instructions.

[0271] When the communication device 90 is used to implement Figure 4 and Figure 6 When the method shown in FIG. 1 is used, the processor 910 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 803, and the transceiver 920 is used to implement the functions of the receiving unit 801 and the sending unit 802; or, the processor 910 is used to implement Figure 4 and Figure 6 The transceiver 920 may be an interface chip or a separate IP module integrated in the interface chip.

[0272] When the communication device 90 is an interface chip applied to a terminal device, the interface chip of the terminal device implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The interface chip of the terminal device sends data to the network device / LMF network element, which can be understood as the data is first generated by other modules (such as source data components) in the terminal device, and then sent to the interface chip of the terminal device by these modules.

[0273] When the above-mentioned communication device 90 is an interface chip applied to a network device / LMF network element, the interface chip of the network device / LMF network element implements the function of the network device / LMF network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The interface chip on the receiving side receives data from the terminal device, which can be understood as the data is first received by the interface chip of the network device / LMF network element, and then sent by the interface chip of the network device / LMF network element to the data processing component of the terminal device.

[0274] In the present application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be that A sends it directly to B, or that A sends it to B indirectly through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be that entity B directly receives the information sent by entity A, or that entity B indirectly receives the information sent by entity A through other entities. The entities A and B here can be the sending side or the receiving side, or they can be modules inside the sending side or the receiving side. The sending and receiving of data can be the information interaction between the sending side and the receiving side, for example, the information interaction between the source device and the host device; the sending and receiving of data can also be the information interaction between different modules inside a device, for example, the information interaction between the interface chip on the sending side and the interface chip on the receiving side.

[0275] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0276] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, register, hard disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0277] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instruction may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape; it may also be an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc; it may also be a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid-state hard disk. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0278] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0279] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes 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, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0280] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive positioning assistance information, where the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information, where the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by a first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by a second network device; Do at least one of the following steps: receiving a reference signal from the first network device according to the first configuration information; A reference signal is received from the second network device according to the second configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning assistance information includes the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first configuration information includes at least one of the following: the first reference signal resource information; The first reference signal resource set information; information of the first network device; frequency information of the first reference signal; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; The first reference signal index.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: A first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; Angle information of the first reference signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The reference signal is at least one of the following: Positioning reference signal PRS; Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel PBCH block SSB.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS from the first network device is associated with the PRS or SSB from the second network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The receiving of positioning assistance information comprises: The positioning assistance information is received from the first network device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The receiving of positioning assistance information comprises: The positioning assistance information is received from a location management function network element.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine positioning assistance information, where the positioning assistance information is used to indicate that first configuration information is associated with second configuration information, where the first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by a first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by a second network device; The positioning assistance information is sent.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The positioning assistance information includes the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The first configuration information includes at least one of the following: the first reference signal resource information; The first reference signal resource set information; information of the first network device; frequency information of the first reference signal; a cell identifier corresponding to the first network device; The first reference signal index.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first reference signal resource information includes at least one of the following: A first reference signal resource identifier; beam information of the first reference signal; Angle information of the first reference signal.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: The reference signal is at least one of the following: Positioning reference signal PRS; Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel PBCH block SSB.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The positioning assistance information is used to indicate that the PRS sent by the first network device is associated with the PRS or SSB sent by the second network device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that: Sending the positioning assistance information includes: The positioning assistance information is sent to the terminal device.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending direction information of a terminal device, where the direction information is used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal; A positioning reference signal is received from the at least one network device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The direction information includes at least one of the following information: The receiving beam direction information of the terminal device; Transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device; Angle information of the terminal device relative to the at least one network device; The location information of the terminal device.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that The at least one network device comprises a first network device and at least one second network device; Associating the first configuration information of the first network device with the second configuration information of the at least one second network device; The first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by the second network device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The first network device is a serving network device of the terminal device.

20. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receiving direction information of a terminal device, where the direction information is used by at least one network device to determine configuration information of a positioning reference signal; The positioning reference signal is sent.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The direction information includes at least one of the following information: The receiving beam direction information of the terminal device; Transmitting beam direction information of the terminal device; Angle information of the terminal device relative to the at least one network device; The location information of the terminal device.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The at least one network device comprises a first network device and at least one second network device; Associating the first configuration information of the first network device with the second configuration information of the at least one second network device; The first configuration information includes configuration information of a first reference signal sent by the first network device, and the second configuration information includes configuration information of a second reference signal sent by the second network device.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The first network device is a serving network device of the terminal device.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises one or more processors configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

28. A chip, characterized in that: The chip stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 23 is executed.

29. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, and the second communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 15, or the first communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 19, and the second communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 20 to 23.

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