Positioning method and communication device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of positioning, and discloses a positioning method and a communication device. The method comprises the steps that a network device receives a first signal and a second signal, a first port of the network device is connected with one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected with one end of a second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are arranged in parallel; the first signal is a signal from a third signal sent by the terminal device to the first port through a first transmission path, the second signal is a signal from the third signal to the first port through a second transmission path, and the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position to the first port; the second transmission path is a transmission path from the second reference position to the first port; and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are determined according to the first signal and the second signal, so that two TOAs can be obtained even if only one network device exists, and positioning of the terminal device is realized.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] A leaky coaxial cable, also known as a leakage cable, a leak cable, or a leaky feeder, is a special transmission cable after artificial grooving. The grooved holes can enable the wireless signals outside the leaky cable to be transmitted into the leaky cable, and the wireless signals inside the leaky cable to be transmitted outside the leaky cable, so as to realize the communication between the network device connected to the leaky cable and the terminal device near the leaky cable. In other words, the leaky cable can provide wireless coverage similar to an antenna and is widely used in environments such as subways and tunnels, and some indoor scenarios as well.

[0003] Currently, at least two network devices are required in the positioning technology based on leaky cables to achieve the positioning of the terminal device, and the application scenarios are relatively limited. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a positioning method and a communication device, which can realize the positioning of a terminal device even when there is only one network device and can be applicable to a variety of application scenarios.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by a network device, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the network device, without limitation. Among them, a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line. The first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0006] Taking the network device as the execution entity as an example, the method includes: the network device receives a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device reaches the first port through a first transmission path. The second signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through a second transmission path. Among them, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. And, according to the first signal and the second signal, determine the time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0007] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky coaxial cables.

[0008] In the above embodiment, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be achieved based on the difference between the two TOAs, and it can be applied to a variety of application scenarios.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the network device determines the first time of arrival TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the second TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first signal and the second signal, specifically as follows: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first information, the first signal, and the second signal, where the first information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and / or the first information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

[0010] Through the above implementation manner, the network device can use the first information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because the distance between the terminal device and the network device is relatively close, or the distance between the terminal device and the end of the section where the transmission line is deployed is relatively close and two TOAs cannot be obtained, and the positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The network device may also receive a fourth signal and a fifth signal. The fourth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the third transmission path, and the fifth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path, where the third transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port; and, according to the fourth signal and the fifth signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0012] Through the above implementation manner, even if there is only one network device, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be achieved based on the difference between the four TOAs, and it can be applied to a variety of application scenarios and improve the positioning accuracy.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

[0014] Through the above implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, can compensate for the signal energy lost during the transmission of the signal in the transmission line, can improve the accuracy of the TOA obtained based on the signal subsequently, and thus can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the network device may also send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device; or, the network device may also determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0016] Through the above implementation, the location information of the terminal device can be determined by the core network device or can also be determined by the network device, and the implementation is flexible.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path. Specifically, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter, where the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and / or the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line.

[0018] Through the above implementation, the network device can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by a network device, or can also be executed by components (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the network device, without limitation. Among them, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line.

[0020] Taking the execution entity as a network device as an example, the method includes: The network device receives a first signal and a sixth signal. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device arrives at the first port through the first transmission path. The sixth signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the first port through the fifth transmission path. Wherein, the first transmission path is the transmission path between the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device and the first port. The fifth transmission path is the transmission path between the third reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device and the first port. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. And, according to the first signal and the sixth signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0021] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0022] In the above embodiment, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained. Thus, the positioning of the terminal device can be achieved based on the difference between the two TOAs, and it can be applied to various application scenarios.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the seventh signal. Specifically, it may be: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the second information, the first signal and the sixth signal. Wherein, the second information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and / or the second information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path.

[0024] Through the above implementation manner, the network device can use the second information to assist in determining the two TOAs for positioning. Thus, it can avoid the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the distance between the terminal device and the network device is relatively close, or the distance between the terminal device and the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed is relatively close, and can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The network device can also receive a fifth signal and a seventh signal. The fifth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the sixth transmission path. Wherein, the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position to the second port; and, based on the fifth signal and the seventh signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0026] Through the above implementation, even if there is one network device and one transmission line, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized based on the difference between these four TOAs, which can be applied to various application scenarios and improve the positioning accuracy.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the network device can also send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device; or, the network device can also determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0028] In a possible implementation, when the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, specifically: the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line.

[0029] In a third aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by a network device, or can also be executed by components in the network device (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0030] Taking the execution entity as a network device as an example, the method includes: The network device sends an eighth signal. The ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Wherein, the ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line.

[0031] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line can be leaky coaxial cables.

[0032] In the above embodiment, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized based on the difference between the two TOAs, and it can be applied to various application scenarios.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The network device can also send an eleventh signal. The twelfth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Wherein, the twelfth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0034] Through the above implementation manner, even if there is one network device, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized based on the difference between the four TOAs, it can be applied to various application scenarios, and the positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is configured to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

[0036] Through the above implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, can compensate for the signal energy lost during the transmission of the signal in the transmission line, can improve the accuracy of the TOA obtained based on the signal subsequently, and thus can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by a network device, or can also be executed by components in the network device (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation. Among them, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line.

[0038] Taking the execution entity as the network device as an example, the method includes: the network device sends an eighth signal, the ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device; wherein, the ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, the eleventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line.

[0039] Optionally, the first transmission line can be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0040] In the above embodiment, even if there is one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, and thus the positioning of the terminal device can be achieved based on the difference between the two TOAs, which can be applicable to various application scenarios.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The network device can also send an eleventh signal. The fifteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA of the twelfth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA of the tenth transmission path. The TOA of the twelfth transmission path and the TOA of the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Wherein, the fifteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0042] Through the above implementation, even if there is one network device and one transmission line, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized based on the difference between these four TOAs, which can be applied to various application scenarios and improve the positioning accuracy.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by the terminal device, or can also be executed by components in the terminal device (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0044] Taking the terminal device as the execution entity as an example, the method includes: The terminal device sends a third signal. The first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the first transmission path, and the second signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the second transmission path. The TOA of the first transmission path and the TOA of the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device reaches the first port of the network device through the first transmission path, and the second signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the second transmission path. Wherein, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0045] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line can be leaky coaxial cables.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The fourth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the third transmission path, and the fifth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the fourth transmission path. The fourth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the third transmission path, and the fifth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path. Among them, the third transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port. The TOA of the third transmission path and the TOA of the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

[0048] For the beneficial effects of the fifth aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the first aspect and its various possible implementations.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by components in the terminal device (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0050] Taking the terminal device as an example of the execution entity, the method includes: The terminal device sends a third signal. The first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the first transmission path, and the sixth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the fifth transmission path. The TOA of the first transmission path and the TOA of the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device arrives at the first port through the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the first port through the fifth transmission path. Wherein, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line.

[0051] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The fifth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the sixth transmission path. The fifth signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the second port through the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the second port through the sixth transmission path. Wherein, the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position to the second port. The TOA of the fourth transmission path and the TOA of the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0053] For the beneficial effects of the above sixth aspect and its various possible implementation manners, please refer to the beneficial effects of the foregoing second aspect and its various possible implementation manners.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by components in the terminal device (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0055] Taking the terminal device as an example of the execution entity, the method includes: The terminal device receives a ninth signal and a tenth signal. The ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path. The tenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal arrives at the terminal device through the eighth transmission path. The seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port of the network device to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line. The eighth transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel; and determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0056] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line can be leaky coaxial cables.

[0057] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal can specifically be: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the third information, the ninth signal, and the tenth signal. Wherein, the third information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and / or the third information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path.

[0058] In a possible implementation manner, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The terminal device can also receive a twelfth signal and a thirteenth signal. Wherein, the twelfth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the ninth transmission path. The thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal arrives at the terminal device through the tenth transmission path. The ninth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position. The tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; and determining the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the twelfth signal and the thirteenth signal. The TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is configured to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may further send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device.

[0061] For the beneficial effects of the seventh aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the third aspect and its various possible implementations described above.

[0062] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method. This method may be executed by a terminal device, or may also be executed by components (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the terminal device, without limitation.

[0063] Taking the terminal device as the execution entity as an example, the method includes: the terminal device receives a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal. The ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal sent by the network device reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the fourteenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path. The seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line; and, determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0064] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal. Specifically, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the sixth information, the ninth signal, and the fourteenth signal. Wherein, the sixth information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and / or the sixth information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path.

[0066] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The terminal device may further receive a fifteenth signal and a thirteenth signal. Wherein, the fifteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal sent by the network device reaches the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path. The twelfth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; and determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal. The TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may further send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device.

[0068] For the beneficial effects of the eighth aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the fourth aspect and its various possible implementations described above.

[0069] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device is used to execute the method described in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect and its possible implementations above. The communication device is, for example, a network device, or a functional module in a network device, such as a baseband device or a chip system, etc.

[0070] In a possible design, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0071] In another possible design, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement a sending function and a receiving function. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit), and when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module can be the same functional module, and this functional module is called the transceiver module, which can implement the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending module and the receiving module can be different functional modules, and the transceiver module is a general term for these functional modules.

[0072] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device is used to execute the methods described in the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof as described above. The communication device is, for example, a terminal device, or a functional module in a terminal communication device, such as a baseband device or a chip system, etc.

[0073] In a possible design manner, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0074] In another possible design, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement a sending function and a receiving function. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit), and when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module can be the same functional module, and this functional module is called the transceiver module, which can implement the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending module and the receiving module can be different functional modules, and the transceiver module is a general term for these functional modules.

[0075] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device. The communication device may include one or more processors. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. Wherein, the memory is used to store one or more computer programs or instructions. The one or more processors are used to execute the one or more computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the methods described in the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof as described above, or executes the methods described in the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof as described above.

[0076] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system. The communication system includes one or more of the following: the communication device described in the ninth aspect above, or the communication device described in the tenth aspect above. Optionally, the communication system may further include a core network device.

[0077] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions. When it runs, the methods described in the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof are implemented, or the methods described in the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof are implemented.

[0078] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product containing instructions. When it runs on a computer, the methods described in the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof are implemented, or the methods described in the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof are implemented.

[0079] In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip. The chip is coupled to a memory and is used to read and execute program instructions in the memory, so that the device where the chip is located implements the methods described in the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof, or implements the methods described in the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof.

[0080] For the technical effects that can be achieved by the ninth aspect to the fifteenth aspect and any possible design manners thereof, please refer to the technical effects that can be achieved by the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manners thereof accordingly, and no repeated description will be given. Description of the Drawings

[0081] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a positioning system;

[0082] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of a positioning method;

[0083] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of another positioning method;

[0084] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart of the first positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the first transmission path and the second transmission path provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application at different positions along a transmission line;

[0089] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the power delay profile provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] Figure 10 Schematic flowchart of a second positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of a seventh transmission path and an eighth transmission path provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of another communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of another communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of a third transmission path and a fourth transmission path provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of a ninth transmission path and a tenth transmission path provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of another communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] Figure 17 Schematic flowchart of a third positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] Figure 18 Schematic flowchart of a fourth positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] Figure 19 Schematic diagram of yet another communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] Figure 20 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] Figure 21 Schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0102] Before introducing the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below.

[0103] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) system, machine type communication (MTC) system, massive machine type communications (mMTC) system, enhance machine type communication (eMTC) system, internet of things (IoT) communication system, narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) system, short-range wireless communication system (such as sidelink, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth and other systems), wired network, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, device-to-device (D2D) communication system, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), vehicle networking communication system, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system (such as long term evolution (LTE) system), LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system (such as new radio (NR) system), future communication system (such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system), or other similar communication systems, without limitation.It should be understood that the system described in the embodiments of this application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. As known to those of ordinary skill in the art, with the evolution of the network architecture, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0104] Figure 1 An exemplary structural schematic diagram of a communication system to which the embodiments of this application are applicable is shown. Optionally, this communication system may also be referred to as a positioning system, without limitation. As Figure 1 shown, the communication system may include a user equipment (UE) and a carrier network part. The communication system may also include an application function (AF) network element and a location services (LCS) client.

[0105] The UE may be a user-side device with wireless transceiver functions. The UE may also be referred to as a terminal device, a terminal unit, a terminal, an access station, a UE station, a remote station, a wireless communication device, or a user device, etc. This terminal device may be used to connect people, things, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as including but not limited to the following scenarios: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC), IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, etc. For example, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver functions, a VR terminal, an AR terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a smart speaker in an IoT network, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0106] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. A wearable device may also be referred to as a wearable intelligent device or a smart wearable device, etc. It is a general term for devices developed by applying wearable technology to the intelligent design of daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, shoes, etc. And for the various terminal devices introduced above, if they are located on a vehicle (for example, placed inside or installed inside the vehicle), they can all be considered on-vehicle terminal devices. An on-vehicle terminal device is also referred to as an on-board unit (OBU) for example. The terminal device of the present application may also be an on-vehicle module, on-vehicle module group, on-vehicle component, on-vehicle chip, or on-vehicle unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-vehicle module, on-vehicle module group, on-vehicle component, on-vehicle chip, or on-vehicle unit.

[0107] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal device.

[0108] The operator network may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following network elements: location management function network element, unified data management network element, access management function network element, network exposure function, positioning management function network element, gateway mobile location center, and access network (AN), etc. In the above operator network, the part other than the access network part can be referred to as the core network (CN) part.

[0109] Among them, the location management function network element, which may also be referred to as a positioning server, is mainly responsible for the selection of positioning methods, triggering the positioning measurement process, obtaining measurement results from the base station or the terminal, performing location calculations based on the measurement results, and feeding back the calculation results to the access management function network element or the gateway mobile location center. In a 5G communication system, the location management function network element may be a location management function (LMF) network element. In future communication systems, the location management function network element may also have other names, which are not limited.

[0110] The access management function network element is responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator network. For example, functions such as mobile status management, allocation of user temporary identity identifiers, authentication and authorization. In a 5G communication system, this access management function network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the access management function network element may also have other names, which are not limited. Exemplarily, for positioning, the AMF network element is mainly responsible for selecting the LMF network element, triggering the LCS positioning process, and forwarding and relaying messages of each interface.

[0111] The unified data management network element is responsible for generating authentication credentials, user identity processing (such as storing and managing user permanent identities, etc.), and subscription data management. In a 5G communication system, this unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, this unified data management network element may also have other names, which are not limited. Exemplarily, for positioning, the UDM network element can determine whether the UE is allowed to be positioned and feedback the determination result to the AMF network element where the user (or gateway mobile location center, or network exposure function network element) is located.

[0112] The network exposure function network element is mainly responsible for the comprehensive capability exposure of the 5G network, and this comprehensive capability includes the positioning capability. In a 5G communication system, this network exposure function network element can be a network exposure function (NEF) network element. In future communication systems, the network exposure function network element may also have other names, which are not limited. Exemplarily, for positioning, the NEF network element supports two processes. One process is: for rough positioning (such as cell identity positioning), the NEF network element can follow a simplified process, that is, skip the gateway mobile location center and directly obtain the cell where the UE is located from the UDM network element and the AMF network element, and feedback the positioning result; the other process is: for precise positioning, the NEF network element needs to follow the entire process, that is, send a positioning request to the gateway mobile location center and obtain the positioning result from the gateway mobile location center.

[0113] The gateway mobile location center is mainly responsible for processing the positioning requests of the LCS client and feeding back the positioning results. For example, the gateway mobile location center can authenticate and authorize the LCS client, obtain the authorization information of the user to be located and the AMF network element where the user is located through the UDM network element, and forward the positioning request to the corresponding AMF network element for processing, etc. In the 5G communication system, this gateway mobile location center can be the gateway mobile location centre (GMLC). In future communication systems, the gateway mobile location center may also have other names, which are not limited.

[0114] The LCS client is mainly responsible for positioning upper-layer services, including but not limited to the following functions: map display, presentation of positioning results, and storage of historical locations, etc. For example, when the network provides the positioning result, the LCS client is responsible for the upper-layer application of the location service.

[0115] The AF mainly transmits the requirements of the application side to the network side. For example, quality of service (QoS) requirements or subscription to user status events, etc. The AF can be a third-party functional entity or an application service deployed by the operator, without limitation. Exemplarily, for positioning, the function of the AF is similar to that of the LCS client, the difference being that the LCS client is only a positioning service application, while the AF is a comprehensive application platform, and the positioning service application is one aspect of it.

[0116] The AN includes AN devices. The AN devices are used to connect terminal devices to a wireless network. As nodes in the access network, AN devices can also be referred to as access network network elements, base stations, radio access network (RAN) nodes (or devices, or network elements), access points (APs), small cells, network devices, network apparatuses, etc. The RAN can be an access network in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), for example, a 4G, 5G, or future-oriented 6G network. The RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network of two or more of the above networks. RAN devices can also be base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmission reception points (TRPs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in a 5G mobile communication system, base stations in a 6G mobile communication system, base stations in a future mobile communication system, or access nodes in a WiFi system, etc.

[0117] RAN devices can also be modules or units that perform some functions of a base station. For example, they can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). One CU can be connected to one DU, or one CU can be connected to multiple DUs, which can save costs and facilitate network expansion. That is to say, the access network device can be composed of one CU and one or more DUs. The CU and the DU are connected through the F1 interface, and the CU and the core network are connected through the next generation (NG) interface. Optionally, the CU can also be divided into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP), etc.

[0118] In a possible implementation, the CU can perform the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the base station, and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer; the DU can perform the functions of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also perform some or all of the functions of the Physical (PHY) layer. For specific descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, reference can be made to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The CU and the DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in the radio frequency device or the radio frequency unit, such as included in the remote radio unit (RRU), the active antenna unit (AAU), or the remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, the CU, the DU, or the RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be called the O-CU (Open CU), the DU can also be called the O-DU (Open DU), and the RU can also be called the O-RU (Open RU). Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), the DU, and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It can be understood that the base station can adopt a CU-DU separation architecture or not. The base station can adopt a CP-UP separation architecture or not.

[0119] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the network device.

[0120] As above, Figure 1 This mainly introduces the network elements that the embodiments of this application may involve. Figure 1 The communication system shown may also involve other network elements. For example, the core network may also include one or more of the following: a unified data repository (UDR) network element, a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, or an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, etc., Figure 1 which are not shown.

[0121] Figure 1Uu, LPP, NRPPa, N2, NL1, N8, N51, N52, N33, NL2, NL5, NL6, and Le are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the 3GPP standard protocol and are not restricted here.

[0122] It can be understood that Figure 1 the network elements or functions shown can be either network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned network elements or functions can be implemented by one device, jointly implemented by multiple devices, or be a functional module within a device, and no specific limitation is made thereto. Additionally, the embodiments of this application do not limit the names of the network elements in the communication system. For example, in communication systems of different standards, the network elements can have other names; for another example, when multiple network elements are integrated into the same physical device, the physical device can also have other names.

[0123] Next, the technical features involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced.

[0124] In the 3GPP standard, multiple positioning technologies are supported, including time of arrival (TOA) - based positioning technology and time difference of arrival (TDOA) - based positioning technology. TOA positioning determines the distance between the terminal device and the base station by measuring the time difference between the signal sent by the base station and received by the terminal device. TDOA positioning determines the position of the terminal device by measuring the transmission time delay difference between the terminal device and multiple base stations. According to different measurement objects, TDOA positioning includes downlink time difference of arrival (DL - TDOA) positioning technology and uplink time difference of arrival (UL - TDOA) positioning technology.

[0125] Please refer to Figure 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the principle of TDOA - based positioning. Figure 2 Taking three base stations (denoted as base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3 respectively) as an example. The terminal device sends a sounding reference signal (SRS). Correspondingly, base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3 receive the SRS. The three base stations respectively measure the TOA of the SRS from the terminal device to themselves and send the TOA to the positioning system, and the positioning system calculates the position of the terminal device.

[0126] Please refer toFigure 3 , which is a schematic diagram of a principle based on leakage cable positioning. In Figure 3 , a leakage cable ( Figure 3 illustrated by the thick black line in Figure 3 ) is used to connect between base station 1 and base station 2. Additionally, Figure 3 is illustrated with the scenario of a tunnel as an example, but is not limited thereto. Since electromagnetic waves are transmitted along the leakage cable, it is possible to use two base stations to achieve positioning of the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device sends SRS (

[0127] not shown in Figure 2 ), and the SRS is transmitted to the two base stations through the leakage cable; the two base stations receive the SRS, respectively measure the TOA of the SRS from the terminal device to itself, and send the TOA to the positioning system, and the positioning system calculates the position of the terminal device. Figure 3 It should be noted that

[0128] in

[0129] , the terminal device is taken as a mobile phone as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, "a plurality of" may refer to two or more. In view of this, "a plurality of" in the embodiments of the present application may also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, for example, understood as one, two or more. For example, "including at least one" means including one, two or more. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C, then what can be included is A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects. Specifically, there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Additionally, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and back associated objects.

[0131] Unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are generally used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to limit the order, time sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, the first transmission line and the second transmission line in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish two transmission lines, and do not limit the priority or importance of these two transmission lines, etc.

[0132] In addition, unless otherwise specified, the terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably, "according to" and "based on" can be used interchangeably, "if" and "when" can be replaced, and "when... " and "in the case of... " can be replaced.

[0133] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a circuit, a chip system, or a combined device or component that can implement the functions of the terminal device. This device can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices. For the terminal device, please refer to Figure 1 the relevant content of the illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0134] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be the network device, or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions, such as a circuit, a chip system, or a combined device or component that can implement the functions of the network device. This device can be installed in the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices. For the network device, please refer to Figure 1 the relevant content of the illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0135] Please refer to Figure 4 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 400 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication system 400 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least two transmission lines. Figure 4 is illustrated by taking one network device, one terminal device, and two transmission lines (denoted as the first transmission line and the second transmission line for example). And, Figure 4 the first transmission line and the second transmission line are represented by thick black lines therein. Among them, the network device includes one or more ports, and one of the ports is denoted as the first port. Figure 4 is illustrated by taking the network device including two ports as an example. As Figure 4As shown, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel. That is, the other end of the first transmission line is loop-connected to one end of the second transmission line. For example, the other end of the first transmission line is loop-connected to one end of the second transmission line through a jumper. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the material of the jumper. Optionally, the other end of the second transmission line may be connected to a load ( Figure 4 not shown in the figure) to dissipate useless signal energy. Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky cables, or both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be waveguides.

[0136] It should be noted that the parallel deployment can be understood as relative parallel deployment, or it can also be understood as approximate parallel deployment, etc., without limitation. In other words, the first transmission line and the second transmission line can be deployed strictly in a parallel manner, or the first transmission line and the second transmission line can also be deployed in an approximate parallel manner, without limitation.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line may also be connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, as Figure 5 shown. As Figure 5 shown, the communication system 400 may further include a signal amplification device. The signal amplification device is connected to the first transmission line through a jumper and is connected to the second transmission line through a jumper. The signal amplification device can be used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device. For example, the signal amplification device may receive a signal from the second transmission line, amplify the signal, and then send it to the first transmission line. As the signal is transmitted in the transmission line, the signal strength (or energy) of the signal gradually decreases. The lower the signal strength of the signal, the lower the accuracy of the TOA obtained by measuring the signal. When the transmission path of the signal is too long (for example, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed too long), the TOA may not be obtained based on the signal. In this implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, which can alleviate (or make up for) the signal energy (or signal strength) lost during the process of the signal being transmitted from the second transmission line to the first port, thereby improving the accuracy of the TOA and increasing the deployable length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line.

[0138] It should be noted that the communication system 400 may further include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device may be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (denoted as group X of transmission lines, where X is an integer greater than 1), and each group of transmission lines includes two transmission lines. The deployment manner of these two transmission lines may refer to the deployment manner of the first transmission line and the second transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port, which is connected to one end of a third transmission line, and the other end of the third transmission line is connected to one end of a fourth transmission line. Moreover, the third transmission line and the fourth transmission line are deployed in parallel. The third transmission line and the fourth transmission line may refer to the description of the first transmission line and the second transmission line and will not be elaborated herein. For the sake of brevity, hereinafter, an example in which the network device is connected to a group of transmission lines will be used for illustration.

[0139] It should be understood that the communication system 400 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned, or it may also only include some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiments, without limitation. For example, the communication system 400 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For specific reference, please refer to Figure 1 the description of the illustrated embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0140] Based on the communication system 400, the network device may receive the uplink signal of the terminal device through the first transmission line and the second transmission line to implement uplink positioning of the terminal device; or, the network device may also send a downlink signal to the terminal device through the first transmission line and the second transmission line to implement downlink positioning of the terminal device.

[0141] Next, the uplink positioning and downlink positioning will be introduced respectively in conjunction with the communication system 400.

[0142] Figure 6 Exemplarily, a flowchart of the first positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The first positioning method is applied to Figure 4 or Figure 5 the communication system 400 shown. Moreover, this embodiment is a scenario of uplink positioning. As Figure 6 shown, the method may include the following contents.

[0143] S601: The terminal device sends a third signal.

[0144] Correspondingly, the network device receives a first signal and a second signal.

[0145] In this embodiment, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the second reference position to the first port. That is to say, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the network device (or reach the first port of the network device) through two transmission paths (denoted as the first transmission path and the second transmission path). Among them, the third signal can be a positioning reference signal, such as SRS, and the specific implementation form of the third signal is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0146] The first transmission path can include the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. In a possible implementation manner, the first transmission path can also include the transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position. In other words, the first transmission path can be the transmission path from the first reference position to the first port, as Figure 7 shown; or the first transmission path can also be the transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position and then from the first reference position to the first port.

[0147] The second transmission path can include the transmission path from the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. In a possible implementation manner, the second transmission path can also include the transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position. In other words, the second transmission path can be the transmission path from the second reference position to the first port, as Figure 7 shown; or the second transmission path can also be the transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position and then from the second reference position to the first port.

[0148] The first reference position is located on the first transmission line. The first reference position can be understood as a point; or, the first reference position can also be understood as a small area. For example, this small area can be the area of the first transmission line for receiving the third signal. Exemplarily, the first reference position can be the first intersection point of the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the first transmission line; or the first reference position can also be a small area on the first transmission line including the first intersection point. The first straight line is perpendicular to the first transmission line. The first straight line is also perpendicular to the second transmission line.

[0149] The second reference position is located on the second transmission line. The second reference position can be understood as a point; alternatively, the second reference position can also be understood as a small area. For example, this small area can be the area on the second transmission line for receiving the third signal. Exemplarily, the second reference position can be the second intersection point of the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the second transmission line; or the second reference position can also be a small area on the second transmission line including this second intersection point.

[0150] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is referred to as the first signal. Correspondingly, the first signal can be the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the first transmission path; and the signal received by the network device through the second transmission path is referred to as the second signal. Correspondingly, the second signal can be the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the second transmission path.

[0151] It can be understood that S601 can also be expressed as S601a and S601b, Figure 6 which is illustrated by taking S601a and S601b as examples. In S601a, the terminal device sends the third signal, and the network device receives the first signal through the first transmission path; in S601b, the terminal device sends the third signal, and the network device receives the second signal through the second transmission path.

[0152] S602: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first signal and the second signal.

[0153] The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path can be used to determine the position information of the terminal device. For example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path according to the first signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the second signal. Among them, the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the third signal reaching the network device through the first transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the second transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the third signal reaching the network device through the second transmission path. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the network device to determine the TOA.

[0154] Figure 8 Exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the terminal device at different positions along the transmission line (for example, the first transmission line or the second transmission line). As Figure 8 shown, if the terminal device is located at position 1 and the terminal device is closer to the network device, then the power delay profile (PDP) of the first signal and the second signal can be as Figure 9as shown in (1) in; if the terminal device is located at position 2 and the distance between the terminal device and the network device is relatively moderate, then the power delay profiles of the first signal and the second signal can be as Figure 9 shown in (2) in; if the terminal device is located at position 3 and the terminal device is far from the network device, then the power delay profiles of the first signal and the second signal can be as Figure 9 shown in (3) in. Among them, PDP can refer to the relationship between the power of the signal received by the receiving end and the arrival time delay in the wireless channel. This PDP can be used to measure TOA. As Figure 9 shown, when the terminal device is in different positions, the interval between the two TOAs (which can also be referred to as the multipath time delay difference, or the time delay difference between the first transmission path and the second transmission path) is different, so that the position information of the terminal device can be determined by using the interval between the two TOAs. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs with time delay differences corresponding to the same signal can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized.

[0155] In a possible implementation manner, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first information, the first signal, and the second signal. This first information can also be referred to as fingerprint information (or fingerprint features, etc.) corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and the name of the first information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. This first information can include the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path; or, this first information can include the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path; or, this first information can include the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path. In one example, the network device can search the fingerprint information database according to the first information to obtain two reference TOAs corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to these two reference TOAs, the first signal, and the second signal. That is, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to these two reference TOAs, the TOA measured based on the first signal, and the TOA measured based on the second signal. In another example, the network device can also determine these two reference TOAs as the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, without measuring the TOA corresponding to the first signal and the TOA corresponding to the second signal, which can simplify the calculation process.

[0156] The fingerprint information database, which may also be referred to as a fingerprint feature database, etc., is not limited. Exemplarily, the network device can obtain the fingerprint information of the multipath channel (e.g., including a first transmission path and a second transmission path) measured when the beacon device is at different positions along the transmission line (e.g., the first transmission line or the second transmission line) through the beacon method, and construct a fingerprint information database. The fingerprint information database includes multiple groups of fingerprint information, and each group of fingerprint information can include: the fingerprint information of the multipath channel (e.g., two transmission paths) corresponding to the position of the beacon device, and two reference TOAs associated with the fingerprint information. The two reference TOAs associated with the fingerprint information can be understood as: two TOAs obtained by measuring the signal transmitted through the multipath channel corresponding to the fingerprint information.

[0157] Taking the first transmission line and the second transmission line as examples, each position where the beacon device is located corresponds to two transmission paths. Suppose the beacon device is located at three positions (such as position 1, position 2, and position 3). The fingerprint information of the two transmission paths corresponding to the beacon device at position 1 can be denoted as fingerprint information 1, and the two reference TOAs associated with fingerprint information 1 can be denoted as TOA1 and TOA2; the fingerprint information of the two transmission paths corresponding to the beacon device at position 2 can be denoted as fingerprint information 2, and the two reference TOAs associated with fingerprint information 2 can be denoted as TOA3 and TOA4; the fingerprint information of the two transmission paths corresponding to the beacon device at position 3 can be denoted as fingerprint information 3, and the two reference TOAs associated with fingerprint information 3 can be denoted as TOA5 and TOA6. Then, the fingerprint information database constructed by measuring the beacon device at positions 1, 2, and 3 can include three groups of fingerprint information, and these three groups of fingerprint information are respectively: {fingerprint information 1, TOA1 and TOA2}, {fingerprint information 2, TOA3 and TOA4}, and {fingerprint information 3, TOA5 and TOA6}.

[0158] For example, as Figure 9As shown in (1) therein, when the position of the terminal device is relatively close to the network device, the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path is smaller, the power of the first signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is larger, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path is larger, and the power of the second signal received by the network device through the second transmission path is smaller, which means that the power ratio between the first signal and the second signal is larger (or the power ratio corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path is larger, or the difference between the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path is larger). Thus, when the position of the terminal device is extremely close to the network device and the transmission line deployment interval is large, the second transmission path is longer, and the signal strength of the signal gradually decreases as the signal is transmitted. There may be a situation where the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path cannot be accurately obtained, resulting in the inability to locate the terminal device. In the above embodiment, the network device can use the first information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the terminal device cannot be located due to the inability to obtain two TOAs when the terminal device is relatively close to the network device.

[0159] For another example, as Figure 9 shown in (3) therein, when the position of the terminal device is close to the end of the interval section where the transmission line is deployed (for example, close to the end of the first transmission line that is not connected to the first port), the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path is close to the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, and the power of the first signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is also close to the power of the second signal received by the network device through the second transmission path, which means that the power ratio between the first signal and the second signal is approximately 1 (or the power ratio corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path is approximately 1, or the difference between the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path is small). Thus, when the position of the terminal device is extremely close to the end of the interval section where the transmission line is deployed, the network device may only measure a single TOA, resulting in the inability to locate the terminal device. In the above embodiment, the network device can use the first information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the terminal device cannot be located due to the inability to obtain two TOAs when the terminal device is relatively close to the end of the interval section where the transmission line is deployed.

[0160] In a possible implementation manner, if Figure 4 or Figure 5The shown communication system 400 includes X groups of transmission lines. Then, in S601, the network device can receive X first signals and X second signals, and in S602, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to X first transmission paths and the TOA corresponding to X second transmission paths according to the X first signals and X second signals. Wherein, X is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the X groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here. Further, the network device can perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the X first transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path; and perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the X second transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation manner, the network device can obtain 2X TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0161] Optionally, the first positioning method may further include S603 and S604; or the first positioning method may further include S605. Figure 6 It is represented by a dotted line in the figure. That is, the location information of the terminal device can be determined by the core network device, or the location information of the terminal device can also be determined by the network device.

[0162] S603: The network device sends the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device.

[0163] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path from the network device.

[0164] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. It should be understood that if Figure 4 or Figure 5 the shown communication system 400 includes X groups of transmission lines and the network device obtains 2X TOAs, then the network device can perform a mean operation on the 2X TOAs to obtain two TOAs and send these two TOAs to the core network device; or the network device can also directly send the 2X TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0165] S604: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0166] Exemplarily, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and the first parameter. Wherein, the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line, or the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line, or the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device to determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0167] S605: The network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0168] Exemplarily, the network device may determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and the first parameter. Wherein, the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line, or the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line, or the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the network device to determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0169] Through the above first positioning method, even if there is only one network device, at least two TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized and it can be applied to a variety of application scenarios.

[0170] The uplink positioning based on the communication system 400 is introduced above. Next, the downlink positioning based on the communication system 400 is introduced.

[0171] Figure 10 Exemplarily shows a schematic flowchart of the second positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The second positioning method is applied to Figure 4 or Figure 5 the communication system 400 shown. And, this embodiment is a scenario of downlink positioning. As Figure 10 shown, the method may include the following content.

[0172] S1001: The network device sends the eighth signal.

[0173] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the ninth signal and the tenth signal.

[0174] In this embodiment, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the second reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. That is to say, the eighth signal sent by the network device can reach the terminal device through two transmission paths (denoted as the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path). Among them, the eighth signal can be a positioning reference signal or a pilot signal, and the specific implementation form of the eighth signal in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. For the first reference position and the second reference position, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0175] The seventh transmission path can include the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position. In a possible implementation manner, the seventh transmission path can further include the transmission path from the first reference position to the terminal device. In other words, the seventh transmission path can be the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position, as Figure 11 shown; or the seventh transmission path can also be the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position and then from the first reference position to the terminal device.

[0176] The eighth transmission path can include the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position. In a possible implementation manner, the eighth transmission path can further include the transmission path from the second reference position to the terminal device. In other words, the eighth transmission path can be the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position, as Figure 11 shown; or the eighth transmission path can also be the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position and then from the second reference position to the terminal device.

[0177] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the seventh transmission path is called the ninth signal. Correspondingly, the ninth signal can be the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path; and the signal received by the terminal device through the eighth transmission path is called the tenth signal. Correspondingly, the tenth signal can be the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eighth transmission path.

[0178] It can be understood that S1001 can also be expressed as S1001a and S1001b, Figure 10 which are exemplified by S1001a and S1001b. In S1001a, the network device sends the eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the ninth signal through the seventh transmission path; in S1001b, the network device sends the eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the tenth signal through the eighth transmission path.

[0179] S1002: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal.

[0180] The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path according to the ninth signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the tenth signal. Among them, the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path. The specific implementation process of the terminal device determining the TOA in the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0181] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the third information, the ninth signal, and the tenth signal. The third information can also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the third information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The third information may include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path; or, the third information may include the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path; or, the third information may include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path. For the description of the third information, please refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated. In the above implementation manner, the terminal device can use the third information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be realized because the terminal device is too close to the network device and two TOAs cannot be obtained, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be realized because the terminal device is too close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed and two TOAs cannot be obtained.

[0182] In a possible implementation manner, if Figure 4 or Figure 5The communication system 400 shown includes X groups of transmission lines. Then, in S1001, the terminal device can receive X ninth signals and X tenth signals, and in S1002, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to X seventh transmission paths and the TOA corresponding to X eighth transmission paths based on the X ninth signals and X tenth signals. Herein, X is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the X groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated herein. Further, the terminal device can perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the X seventh transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path; and perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the X eighth transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation manner, the terminal device can obtain 2X TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0183] Optionally, the second positioning method may further include S1003 and S1004. Figure 10 It is indicated by a dashed line in the figure. That is, the location information of the terminal device can be determined by the core network device, but is not limited thereto.

[0184] S1003: The terminal device sends the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device.

[0185] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path from the terminal device.

[0186] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. For example, the terminal device can send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device through an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message or an RRC message. It should be understood that if Figure 4 or Figure 5 the communication system 400 shown includes X groups of transmission lines and the terminal device obtains 2X TOAs, then the terminal device can perform a mean operation on the 2X TOAs to obtain two TOAs and then send the two TOAs to the core network device; or the terminal device can also directly send the 2X TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0187] S1004: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path.

[0188] Exemplarily, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and the second parameter. Wherein, the second parameter includes the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the first transmission line, or the second parameter includes the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the second transmission line, or the second parameter includes the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the first transmission line and the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the second transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device to determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path.

[0189] In the above second positioning method, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, and it can be applied to various application scenarios.

[0190] In Figure 4 or Figure 5 In the communication system 400 shown, the other end of the second transmission line (i.e., the end not connected to the first transmission line) may be connected to a load. In another possible implementation, the network device may further include a second port, and the other end of the second transmission line may also be connected to the second port of the network device, as Figure 12 shown.

[0191] Please refer to Figure 12 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1200 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication system 1200 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least two transmission lines. Figure 12 In Figure 12 an example of one network device, one terminal device, and two transmission lines (such as denoted as the first transmission line and the second transmission line) is shown. And, Figure 12 In Figure 12 shown, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel. That is, the other end of the first transmission line is looped back to connect to one end of the second transmission line. For example, the other end of the first transmission line is looped back to connect to one end of the second transmission through a jumper. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the material of the jumper, etc. Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky cables, or both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be waveguides. For the parallel deployment, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0192] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line can also be connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, such as Figure 13 shown. As Figure 13 shown, the communication system 1200 may further include a signal amplification device. The signal amplification device is connected to the first transmission line through a jumper wire and is also connected to the second transmission line through a jumper wire. The signal amplification device can be used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device. For example, the signal amplification device can receive a signal from the second transmission line, amplify the signal, and then send it to the first transmission line. As another example, the signal amplification device can also receive a signal from the first transmission line, amplify the signal, and then send it to the second transmission line. As the signal is transmitted in the transmission line, the signal strength of the signal gradually decreases. The lower the signal strength of the signal, the lower the accuracy of the TOA obtained by measuring the signal. When the transmission path of the signal is too long (for example, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed too long), the TOA may not be obtained based on this signal. In this implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, which can alleviate the signal energy (or signal strength) lost during the process of the signal being transmitted from the second transmission line to the first port or from the first transmission line to the second port, thereby improving the accuracy of the TOA and increasing the deployable length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line.

[0193] It should be noted that the communication system 1200 may further include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device can be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (such as denoted as N groups of transmission lines, where N is an integer greater than 1). Each group of transmission lines includes two transmission lines, and the deployment method of these two transmission lines can refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line and the second transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port and a fourth port. The third port is connected to one end of the third transmission line, the other end of the third transmission line is connected to one end of the fourth transmission line, the other end of the fourth transmission line is connected to the fourth port, and the third transmission line and the fourth transmission line are deployed in parallel. The third transmission line and the fourth transmission line can refer to the description of the first transmission line and the second transmission line and will not be elaborated here. For the sake of simplicity, the following description will take the network device connected to a group of transmission lines as an example.

[0194] It should be understood that the communication system 1200 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned, or it may also only include some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiments, without limitation. For example, the communication system 1200 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For specific details, please refer to Figure 1 the description of the embodiments shown and will not be elaborated here.

[0195] In a possible implementation, based onFigure 12 or Figure 13 For the communication system 1200 shown above, the above first positioning method may further include: the network device may also receive a fourth signal and a fifth signal. Exemplarily, S601 may be replaced with: the terminal device sends a third signal; correspondingly, the network device receives the first signal, the second signal, the fourth signal, and the fifth signal. In this implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. Then, in addition to reaching the network device through the first transmission path and the second transmission path, the third signal sent by the terminal device can also reach the network device through two other transmission paths (denoted as the third transmission path and the fourth transmission path). Specifically, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the first reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the second reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the second reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the first reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the second port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the second reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the second reference position to the second port. For the first reference position and the second reference position, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0196] The third transmission path may include the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port. In a possible implementation, the third transmission path may further include the transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position. In other words, the third transmission path may be the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, as shown in Figure 14 ; or the third transmission path may also be the transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position and then from the second reference position to the second port.

[0197] The fourth transmission path may include the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port. In a possible implementation, the fourth transmission path may further include the transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position. In other words, the fourth transmission path may be the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, as shown in Figure 14 ; or the fourth transmission path may also be the transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position and then from the first reference position to the second port.

[0198] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the third transmission path is referred to as the fourth signal. Correspondingly, the fourth signal can be the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the third transmission path; and, the signal received by the network device through the fourth transmission path is referred to as the fifth signal. Correspondingly, the fifth signal can be the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path.

[0199] Further, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path according to the fourth signal and the fifth signal. The TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S602 can be replaced with: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path according to the first signal, the second signal, the fourth signal, and the fifth signal. For example, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path according to the first signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the second signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path according to the fourth signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path according to the fifth signal.

[0200] In one example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path according to the fourth information, the fourth signal, and the fifth signal. The fourth information can also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the third transmission path and the fourth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the fourth information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The fourth information can include the power value corresponding to the third transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path; or, the fourth information can include the power ratio between the third transmission path and the fourth transmission path; or, the fourth information can include the power value corresponding to the third transmission path, the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path, and the power ratio between the third transmission path and the fourth transmission path. For the description of the fourth information, please refer to the foregoing description of the first information and will not be repeated. Optionally, the fourth information can be the same as or different from the first information. In the above example, the network device can use the fourth information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed.

[0201] One example, if Figure 12 or Figure 13The shown communication system 1200 includes N groups of transmission lines. Then, the network device can receive N first signals, N second signals, N fourth signals, and N fifth signals. And based on the N first signals, N second signals, N fourth signals, and N fifth signals, the network device can determine the TOAs corresponding to N first transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to N second transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to N third transmission paths, and the TOAs corresponding to N fourth transmission paths. Here, N is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the N groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated further. Further, the network device can perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to each transmission path. For the specific method, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated further. Through this example, the network device can obtain 4N TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0202] In this implementation manner, the network device can send the TOAs corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOAs corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOAs corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOAs corresponding to the fourth transmission path to the core network device. Correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOAs corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOAs corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOAs corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOAs corresponding to the fourth transmission path. Alternatively, the network device can also perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOAs corresponding to the third transmission path, and perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to the second transmission path and the TOAs corresponding to the fourth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device. Correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on these two TOAs. Alternatively, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOAs corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOAs corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOAs corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOAs corresponding to the fourth transmission path. For the specific implementation process, please refer to the content of S603, S604, and S605 and will not be elaborated further.

[0203] In the above implementation manner, even if there is only one network device, at least four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, the positioning accuracy can be improved, and it can be applicable to various application scenarios.

[0204] In another possible implementation manner, based on Figure 12 or Figure 13For the communication system 1200 shown above, the second positioning method may further include: the network device may further send an eleventh signal; correspondingly, the terminal device may further receive a twelfth signal and a thirteenth signal. Exemplarily, S1001 may be replaced with: the network device sends an eighth signal and an eleventh signal; correspondingly, the terminal device receives a ninth signal, a tenth signal, a twelfth signal, and a thirteenth signal. Among them, the eleventh signal may be a positioning reference signal or a pilot signal, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation form of the eleventh signal. Optionally, the eleventh signal may be the same as or different from the eighth signal.

[0205] In this implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the terminal device. Then, the eighth signal sent by the network device through the first port can reach the terminal device through the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path, and the eleventh signal sent by the network device through the second port can reach the terminal device through two other transmission paths (denoted as the ninth transmission path and the tenth transmission path). Specifically, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the second reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the second reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. Among them, the first reference position, the second reference position, the seventh transmission path, and the eighth transmission path are as described above and will not be elaborated further.

[0206] The ninth transmission path may include the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position. In a possible implementation, the ninth transmission path may further include the transmission path from the second reference position to the terminal device. In other words, the ninth transmission path may be the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, as Figure 15 shown; or the ninth transmission path may also be the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position and then from the second reference position to the terminal device.

[0207] The tenth transmission path may include the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position. In a possible implementation, the tenth transmission path may further include the transmission path from the first reference position to the terminal device. In other words, the tenth transmission path may be the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position, as Figure 15 shown; or the tenth transmission path may also be the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position and then from the first reference position to the terminal device.

[0208] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the ninth transmission path is referred to as the twelfth signal. Correspondingly, the twelfth signal may be the signal of the eleventh signal reaching the second port through the ninth transmission path; and, the signal received by the terminal device through the tenth transmission path is referred to as the thirteenth signal. Correspondingly, the thirteenth signal may be the signal of the eleventh signal reaching the second port through the tenth transmission path.

[0209] Further, based on the twelfth signal and the thirteenth signal, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S1002 may be replaced with: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the ninth signal, the tenth signal, the twelfth signal, and the thirteenth signal. For example, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path according to the ninth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the tenth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path according to the twelfth signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the thirteenth signal.

[0210] In one example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the fifth information, the twelfth signal, and the thirteenth signal. The fifth information may also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the ninth transmission path and the tenth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the fifth information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The fifth information may include the power value corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path; or, the fifth information may include the power ratio between the ninth transmission path and the tenth transmission path; or, the fifth information may include the power value corresponding to the ninth transmission path, the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the power ratio between the ninth transmission path and the tenth transmission path. For the description of the fifth information, please refer to the foregoing description of the first information and will not be repeated. Optionally, the fifth information may be the same as or different from the third information. In the above example, the terminal device can use the fifth information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the network device is close to the terminal device, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the network device is close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed.

[0211] One example, if Figure 12 or Figure 13The shown communication system 1200 includes N groups of transmission lines. Then, the terminal device can receive N ninth signals, N tenth signals, N twelfth signals, and N thirteenth signals. And based on the N ninth signals, N tenth signals, N twelfth signals, and N thirteenth signals, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to N seventh transmission paths, the TOA corresponding to N eighth transmission paths, the TOA corresponding to N ninth transmission paths, and the TOA corresponding to N tenth transmission paths. Here, N is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the N groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated further. Further, the terminal device can perform an averaging operation on the TOA corresponding to each transmission path. For the specific method, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated further. Through this example, the terminal device can obtain 4N TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0212] In this implementation manner, the terminal device can send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to the core network device. Correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path. Alternatively, the terminal device can also perform an averaging operation on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and perform an averaging operation on the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device. Correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on these two TOAs. For the specific implementation process, please refer to the content of S1003 and S1004 and will not be elaborated further.

[0213] In the above implementation manner, even if there is only one network device, at least four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, the positioning accuracy can be improved, and it can be applicable to multiple application scenarios.

[0214] In the foregoing communication system 400 or communication system 1200, at least two transmission lines are required. In another possible implementation manner, the communication system can also include at least one transmission line, as Figure 16 shown.

[0215] Please refer to Figure 16 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1600 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1600 can include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least one transmission line. Figure 16 is shown by taking one network device, one terminal device, and one transmission line (denoted as the first transmission line) as an example. And, Figure 16The first transmission line is represented by a thick black line. Among them, the network device includes one or more ports, and one of the ports is denoted as the first port. Figure 16 Taking the network device including two ports as an example is shown below. As Figure 16 shown, one end of the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and after the first transmission line is bent, it is deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line. Optionally, the other end of the first transmission line can be connected to a load ( Figure 16 not shown in the figure) to dissipate useless signal energy. Optionally, the first transmission line can be a leaky cable, or the first transmission line can be a waveguide. Among them, for the parallel deployment, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here. Among them, the first transmission line is bent and then deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line can also be expressed as: after the first transmission line is bent, it is deployed in parallel, etc.

[0216] It should be noted that the communication system 1600 may further include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device can be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (such as denoted as group Y transmission lines, where Y is an integer greater than 1), and each group of transmission lines includes one transmission line. The deployment method of this one transmission line can refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port, which is connected to one end of the third transmission line, and after the third transmission line is bent, it is deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line. The description of the third transmission line can refer to the description of the first transmission line and will not be elaborated here. For the sake of simplicity, the following will take the network device connected to a group of transmission lines as an example for illustration.

[0217] It should be understood that the communication system 1600 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned, or may also only include some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiments, without limitation. For example, the communication system 1600 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF), and for specific details, please refer to Figure 1 the description of the shown embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0218] Based on the communication system 1600, the network device can receive the uplink signal of the terminal device through the first transmission line to achieve uplink positioning of the terminal device; or, the network device can also send a downlink signal to the terminal device through the first transmission line to achieve downlink positioning of the terminal device.

[0219] Next, in combination with the communication system 1600, uplink positioning and downlink positioning will be introduced separately.

[0220] Figure 17 Exemplarily shows a schematic flowchart of the third positioning method provided by the embodiment of the present application. This third positioning method is applied to Figure 16 the shown communication system 1600. And this embodiment is a scenario of uplink positioning. AsFigure 17 As shown, the method may include the following.

[0221] S1701: The terminal device sends a third signal.

[0222] Correspondingly, the network device receives a first signal and a sixth signal.

[0223] In this embodiment, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device through wireless transmission, and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the third reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device through wireless transmission, and then be transmitted from the third reference position to the first port. That is to say, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the network device (or reach the first port of the network device) through two transmission paths (such as denoted as the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path). Among them, for the third signal, the first transmission path and the first reference position, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0224] The fifth transmission path may include the transmission path from the third reference position to the first port. In a possible implementation manner, the fifth transmission path may further include the transmission path from the terminal device to the third reference position. In other words, the fifth transmission path may be the transmission path from the third reference position to the first port, and can be similarly referred to Figure 7 the second transmission path in the shown embodiment; or the fifth transmission path may also be the transmission path from the terminal device to the third reference position and then from the third reference position to the first port.

[0225] The third reference position is located on the first transmission line. The third reference position can be understood as a point; or, the third reference position can also be understood as a small area. For example, this small area can be the area of the first transmission line for receiving the third signal. Exemplarily, the third reference position can be the third intersection of the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the first transmission line; or the third reference position can also be a small area on the first transmission line including the third intersection. The third intersection is different from the first intersection. In this embodiment, after the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line, there are two intersections between the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the first transmission line, namely the first intersection and the third intersection, and these two intersections are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. Correspondingly, the third reference position and the first reference position can be respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. The third reference position can be similarly referred to Figure 7 the second reference position in the shown embodiment, without limitation.

[0226] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is referred to as the first signal. Correspondingly, the first signal can be the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the first transmission path. Also, the signal received by the network device through the fifth transmission path is referred to as the sixth signal. Correspondingly, the sixth signal can be the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the fifth transmission path.

[0227] It can be understood that S1701 can also be expressed as S1701a and S1701b, Figure 17 which are exemplified by S1701a and S1701b. In S1701a, the terminal device sends a third signal, and the network device receives the first signal through the first transmission path. In S1701b, the terminal device sends a third signal, and the network device receives the sixth signal through the fifth transmission path.

[0228] S1702: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the sixth signal.

[0229] The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path according to the first signal and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the sixth signal. Among them, the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path can be understood as the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the third signal reaching the network device through the first transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path can be understood as the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the third signal reaching the network device through the fifth transmission path. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the network device to determine the TOA.

[0230] In a possible implementation manner, the network device may determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the second information, the first signal, and the sixth signal. The second information may also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the second information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The second information may include the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path; or, the second information may include the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path; or, the second information may include the power value corresponding to the first transmission path, the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path. For the description of the second information, please refer to the foregoing description of the first information and will not be repeated. In the above implementation manner, the network device may use the second information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed.

[0231] In a possible implementation manner, if Figure 16 the communication system 1600 shown includes Y groups of transmission lines, then in S1701, the network device may receive Y first signals and Y sixth signals, and in S1702, the network device may determine the TOA corresponding to Y first transmission paths and the TOA corresponding to Y fifth transmission paths according to the Y first signals and the Y sixth signals. Wherein, Y is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the Y groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be repeated. Further, the network device may perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to the Y first transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path; and perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to the Y fifth transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation manner, the network device may obtain 2Y TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0232] Optionally, the third positioning method may further include S1703 and S1704, or the third positioning method may further include S1705, Figure 17 which is indicated by a dashed line. That is, the location information of the terminal device may be determined by the core network device, or the location information of the terminal device may also be determined by the network device.

[0233] S1703: The network device sends the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device.

[0234] Accordingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path from the network device.

[0235] The core network device can be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. It should be understood that if Figure 16 the shown communication system 1600 includes Y groups of transmission lines, and the network device obtains 2Y TOAs, then the network device can perform an averaging operation on the 2Y TOAs to obtain two TOAs, and then send the two TOAs to the core network device; alternatively, the network device can also directly send the 2Y TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0236] S1704: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0237] Exemplarily, the core network device can determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line. The specific implementation process of the core network device determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path in the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0238] S1705: The network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0239] Exemplarily, the network device can determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line. The specific implementation process of the network device determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path in the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0240] In the above third positioning method, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, and it can be applied to various application scenarios.

[0241] The above introduced the uplink positioning based on the communication system 1600. Next, the downlink positioning based on the communication system 1600 is introduced.

[0242] Figure 18 Exemplarily shows a schematic flowchart of the fourth positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The fourth positioning method is applied to Figure 16 the shown communication system 1600. And, this embodiment is a scenario of downlink positioning. AsFigure 18 As shown, the method may include the following.

[0243] S1801: The network device sends an eighth signal.

[0244] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal.

[0245] In this embodiment, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the third reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. That is to say, the eighth signal sent by the network device can reach the terminal device through two transmission paths (denoted as the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path). Among them, the eighth signal, the first reference position, the third reference position, and the seventh transmission path are referred to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0246] The eleventh transmission path may include the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position. In a possible implementation manner, the eleventh transmission path may further include the transmission path from the third reference position to the terminal device. In other words, the eleventh transmission path may be the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position, which can be similarly referred to Figure 11 as the eighth transmission path in the shown embodiment; or the eleventh transmission path may also be the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position and then from the third reference position to the terminal device.

[0247] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the seventh transmission path is referred to as the ninth signal. Correspondingly, the ninth signal may be the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path; and the signal received by the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path is referred to as the fourteenth signal. Correspondingly, the fourteenth signal may be the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path.

[0248] It can be understood that S1801 can also be expressed as S1801a and S1801b, Figure 18 which are exemplified by S1801a and S1801b. In S1801a, the network device sends an eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the ninth signal through the seventh transmission path; in S1801b, the network device sends an eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the fourteenth signal through the eleventh transmission path.

[0249] S1802: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal.

[0250] The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path according to the ninth signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the fourteenth signal. Among them, the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path can be understood as the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path can be understood as the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path. The specific implementation process for the terminal device to determine the TOA is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0251] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the sixth information, the ninth signal, and the fourteenth signal. The sixth information may also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the sixth information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The sixth information may include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path; or, the sixth information may include the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path; or, the sixth information may include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path. For the description of the sixth information, please refer to the description of the first information above, and details will not be repeated. In the above implementation manner, the terminal device can use the sixth information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed.

[0252] In a possible implementation manner, if Figure 16The shown communication system 1600 includes Y groups of transmission lines. Then, in S1801, the terminal device can receive Y ninth signals and Y fourteenth signals, and in S1802, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to Y seventh transmission paths and the TOA corresponding to Y eleventh transmission paths according to the Y ninth signals and Y fourteenth signals. Herein, Y is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the Y groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated herein. Further, the terminal device can perform mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the Y seventh transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path; and perform mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the Y eleventh transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation manner, the terminal device can obtain 2Y TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0253] Optionally, the fourth positioning method may further include S1803 and S1804. Figure 18 It is represented by a dashed line in the figure. That is, the location information of the terminal device can be determined by the core network device.

[0254] S1803: The terminal device sends the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device.

[0255] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path from the terminal device.

[0256] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. For example, the terminal device can send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device through an LPP message or an RRC message. It should be understood that if Figure 16 the shown communication system 1600 includes Y groups of transmission lines and the terminal device obtains 2Y TOAs, then the terminal device can perform mean operation on the 2Y TOAs, etc. to obtain two TOAs, and then send these two TOAs to the core network device; or, the terminal device can also directly send the 2Y TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0257] S1804: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path.

[0258] Exemplarily, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the first transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device to determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path.

[0259] In the above fourth positioning method, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, and it can be applied to various application scenarios.

[0260] In Figure 16 In the shown communication system 1600, the other end of the first transmission line (i.e., the end not connected to the first port) may be connected to a load. In another possible implementation, the network device may further include a second port, and the other end of the first transmission line may also be connected to the second port of the network device, as Figure 19 shown.

[0261] Please refer to Figure 19 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1900 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication system 1900 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least one transmission line. Figure 19 In, an example is shown with one network device, one terminal device, and one transmission line (denoted as the first transmission line). And, Figure 19 In, the first transmission line is represented by a thick black line. Among them, the network device includes multiple ports, and two of the ports are respectively denoted as the first port and the second port. Figure 19 In, an example is shown with the network device including two ports. As Figure 19 shown, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and, after being bent, the first transmission line is deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line. Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky cable, or the first transmission line may be a waveguide. Among them, for the parallel deployment, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0262] It should be noted that the communication system 1900 may further include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device may be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (denoted as M groups of transmission lines, where M is an integer greater than 1), and each group of transmission lines includes one transmission line. The deployment method of this one transmission line may refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port and a fourth port. One end of the third transmission line is connected to the third port, and the other end of the third transmission line is connected to the fourth port. Moreover, after being bent, the third transmission line is deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line. The three transmission lines may refer to the description of the first transmission line and will not be elaborated here. For the sake of brevity, hereinafter, an example in which the network device is connected to a group of transmission lines will be used for illustration.

[0263] It should be understood that the communication system 1900 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned, or it may also only include some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiments, without limitation. For example, the communication system 1900 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For specific details, please refer to Figure 1 the description of the illustrated embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0264] In a possible implementation manner, based on Figure 19 the communication system 1900 shown, the above-mentioned third positioning method may further include: The network device may further receive a seventh signal and a fifth signal. Exemplarily, S1701 may be replaced with: The terminal device sends a third signal; correspondingly, the network device receives a first signal, a sixth signal, a seventh signal, and a fifth signal. In this implementation manner, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. Then, in addition to reaching the network device through the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path, the third signal sent by the terminal device may also reach the network device through two other transmission paths (denoted as the sixth transmission path and the fourth transmission path). Specifically, the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the first reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the third reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the third reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the third reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the third reference position to the second port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the first reference position through wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the second port. The first reference position, the third reference position, and the fourth transmission path please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here.

[0265] The sixth transmission path may include a transmission path starting from the third reference position to the second port. In one possible implementation, the sixth transmission path may further include a transmission path starting from the terminal device to the third reference position. In other words, the sixth transmission path may be a transmission path starting from the third reference position to the second port, which may be similar to the third transmission path in the Figure 14 illustrated embodiment; or the sixth transmission path may also be a transmission path starting from the terminal device to the third reference position and then from the third reference position to the second port.

[0266] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the sixth transmission path is referred to as the seventh signal. Correspondingly, the seventh signal may be the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the sixth transmission path; and the signal received by the network device through the fourth transmission path is referred to as the fifth signal. Correspondingly, the fifth signal may be the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path.

[0267] Further, based on the seventh signal and the fifth signal, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S1702 may be replaced with: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the first signal, the sixth signal, the seventh signal, and the fifth signal. For example, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path based on the first signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the sixth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path based on the seventh signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the fifth signal.

[0268] An example is that the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the seventh information, the seventh signal, and the fifth signal. The seventh information can also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the sixth transmission path and the fourth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the seventh information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The seventh information may include the power value corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path; alternatively, the seventh information may include the power ratio between the sixth transmission path and the fourth transmission path; alternatively, the seventh information may include the power value corresponding to the sixth transmission path, the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path, and the power ratio between the sixth transmission path and the fourth transmission path. For the description of the seventh information, please refer to the foregoing description of the first information and will not be elaborated herein. Optionally, the seventh information may be the same as or different from the second information. In the above example, the network device can use the seventh information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the terminal device is close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed.

[0269] An example is that if Figure 19 the communication system 1900 shown in FIG. includes M groups of transmission lines, then the network device can receive M first signals, M sixth signals, M seventh signals, and M fifth signals. And the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the M first transmission paths, the TOA corresponding to the M fifth transmission paths, the TOA corresponding to the M sixth transmission paths, and the TOA corresponding to the M fourth transmission paths according to the M first signals, the M sixth signals, the M seventh signals, and the M fifth signals. Wherein, M is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment method of the M groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated herein. Further, the network device can perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to each transmission path. For details, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated herein. Through this example, the network device can obtain 4M TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0270] In this implementation manner, the network device may send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path to the core network device; correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. Alternatively, the network device may also perform an averaging operation on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and perform an averaging operation on the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device; correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to these two TOAs. Alternatively, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. For the specific implementation process, please refer to the content of S1703, S1704, and S1705, which will not be elaborated here.

[0271] In the above implementation manner, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, at least four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, the positioning accuracy can be improved, and it can be applicable to various application scenarios.

[0272] In yet another possible implementation manner, based on Figure 19 the communication system 1900 shown, the above fourth positioning method may further include: the network device may further send an eleventh signal; correspondingly, the terminal device may further receive a fifteenth signal and a thirteenth signal. Exemplarily, S1801 may be replaced with: the network device sends an eighth signal and an eleventh signal; correspondingly, the terminal device receives a ninth signal, a fourteenth signal, a fifteenth signal, and a thirteenth signal. Among them, the eleventh signal may be a positioning reference signal or a pilot signal, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation form of the eleventh signal. Optionally, the eleventh signal and the eighth signal may be the same or different.

[0273] In this implementation manner, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. Then, the eighth signal sent by the network device through the first port can reach the terminal device through the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path, and the eleventh signal sent by the network device through the second port can reach the terminal device through two other transmission paths (denoted as the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path). Specifically, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the third reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the third reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. Among them, for the first reference position, the third reference position, the seventh transmission path, the eleventh transmission path, and the tenth transmission path, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated herein.

[0274] The twelfth transmission path may include the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position. In a possible implementation manner, the twelfth transmission path may further include the transmission path from the third reference position to the terminal device. In other words, the twelfth transmission path may be the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, which may be similar to the ninth transmission path in the Figure 15 illustrated embodiment; or the twelfth transmission path may also be the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position and then from the third reference position to the terminal device.

[0275] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path is referred to as the fifteenth signal. Correspondingly, the fifteenth signal may be the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the second port through the twelfth transmission path; and the signal received by the terminal device through the tenth transmission path is referred to as the thirteenth signal. Correspondingly, the thirteenth signal may be the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the second port through the tenth transmission path.

[0276] Further, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal. The TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S1802 may be replaced with: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the ninth signal, the fourteenth signal, the fifteenth signal, and the thirteenth signal. For example, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path according to the ninth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the fourteenth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path according to the fifteenth signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the thirteenth signal.

[0277] In one example, the terminal device may determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the eighth information, the fifteenth signal, and the thirteenth signal. The eighth information may also be referred to as the fingerprint information library of the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the eighth information in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The eighth information may include the power value corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path; or, the eighth information may include the power ratio between the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path; or, the eighth information may include the power value corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the power ratio between the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path. For the description of the eighth information, please refer to the foregoing description of the first information and will not be repeated. Optionally, the eighth information may be the same as or different from the sixth information. In the above example, the terminal device can use the eighth information to assist in determining two TOAs for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the network device is close to the terminal device, and avoiding the problem that the positioning of the terminal device cannot be achieved because two TOAs cannot be obtained when the network device is close to the end of the interval where the transmission line is deployed.

[0278] One example, if Figure 19The shown communication system 1900 includes N groups of transmission lines. Then, the terminal device can receive N ninth signals, N fourteenth signals, N fifteenth signals, and N thirteenth signals. And based on the N ninth signals, N fourteenth signals, N fifteenth signals, and N thirteenth signals, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to N seventh transmission paths, the TOA corresponding to N eleventh transmission paths, the TOA corresponding to N twelfth transmission paths, and the TOA corresponding to N tenth transmission paths. Wherein, N is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment manner of the N groups of transmission lines, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here. Further, the terminal device can perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to each transmission path. For the specific method, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here. Through this example, the terminal device can obtain 4N TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0279] In this implementation manner, the terminal device can send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to the core network device. Correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path. Alternatively, the terminal device can also perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and perform a mean operation on the TOA corresponding to the fourteenth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device. Correspondingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on these two TOAs. For the specific implementation process, please refer to the content of S1803 and S1804 and will not be elaborated here.

[0280] In the above implementation manner, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, at least four TOAs can be obtained, so that the positioning of the terminal device can be realized, the positioning accuracy can be improved, and it can be applicable to a variety of application scenarios.

[0281] In the embodiments provided in this application, the method provided in the embodiments of this application is introduced from the perspective of the interaction between the network device and the terminal device. To implement each function in the method provided in the embodiments of this application, the network device or the terminal device may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and implement the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a combination of a hardware structure and a software module. Whether a certain function among the above functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a combination of a hardware structure and a software module depends on the specific application and design constraint conditions of the technical solution.

[0282] Embodiments of this application also provide a communication device. The communication device used to implement the above method in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the content in the above can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated content will not be elaborated.

[0283] Figure 20 It is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 2000 provided by an embodiment of this application. The communication device 2000 can implement the functions or steps implemented by the network device or the terminal device in the above various method embodiments. Exemplarily, the communication device 2000 can be a network device or a component in the network device, or a terminal device or a component in the terminal device.

[0284] In one implementation, the communication device 2000 may include a processing module 2001 and a communication module 2002. Among them, the processing module 2001 can be used for data processing, such as executing the above various method embodiments. The processing module 2001 can also be referred to as a processing unit, etc. The communication module 2002 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions, such as receiving and / or sending relevant data, information or messages. The communication module 2002 can also be referred to as a communication interface, or a transceiver module, or a transceiver unit, etc.

[0285] It should be noted that the communication device 2000 may include the processing module 2001 but not the communication module 2002. Or, the communication device 2000 may include the communication module 2002 but not the processing module 2001. Specifically, it depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 2000 includes processing actions and transceiver actions.

[0286] Optionally, the communication device 2000 may further include a storage module, Figure 20 not shown in the figure. The storage module can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 2001 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 2000 can implement the foregoing method embodiments.

[0287] Optionally, the communication module 2002 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to execute the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to execute the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0288] It should be noted that the communication device 2000 may include the sending module but not the receiving module. Or, the communication device 2000 may include the receiving module but not the sending module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 2000 includes sending actions and receiving actions.

[0289] Optionally, the communication device 2000 is a system-on-chip, the communication module 2002 can be the input / output interface of a chip (such as a baseband chip), and the processing unit can be the processor of the system-on-chip.

[0290] In a first implementation manner, the communication device 2000 can be a network device for performing the steps executed by the network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0291] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to receive a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device arrives at the first port through the first transmission path, and the second signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the first port through the second transmission path. Wherein, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. The processing module 2001 can be used to determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first signal and the second signal. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0292] In a possible implementation manner, when determining the first time of arrival TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the second TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first signal and the second signal, the processing module 2001 is specifically configured to: determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first information, the first signal, and the second signal, where the first information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and / or the first information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

[0293] In a possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The communication module 2002 is further configured to receive a fourth signal and a fifth signal. The fourth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the third transmission path, and the fifth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path. Wherein, the third transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port; the processing module 2001 is further configured to determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path according to the fourth signal and the fifth signal. The TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0294] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is configured to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

[0295] In a possible implementation, the communication module 2002 is further configured to send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device; alternatively, the processing module 2001 is further configured to determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0296] In a possible implementation, when determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the processing module 2001 is specifically configured to: determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter. The first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and / or the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line.

[0297] In a second implementation, the communication device 2000 may be a network device, and is configured to perform the steps performed by the network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0298] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: receive a first signal and a sixth signal, where the first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device reaches the first port through the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the fifth transmission path. Herein, the first transmission path is the transmission path between the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device and the first port, and the fifth transmission path is the transmission path between the third reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device and the first port. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line; the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the sixth signal. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0299] In a possible implementation manner, when determining the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the seventh signal, the processing module 2001 is specifically used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the second information, the first signal, and the sixth signal. Herein, the second information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and / or the second information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path.

[0300] In a possible implementation manner, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The communication module 2002 can also be used to receive a fifth signal and a seventh signal. The fifth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the sixth transmission path. Herein, the fourth transmission path is the transmission path between the first reference position and the second port, and the sixth transmission path is the transmission path between the third reference position and the second port; the processing module 2001 can also be used to determine the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path according to the fifth signal and the seventh signal. The TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0301] In a possible implementation, the communication module 2002 may also be used to send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device; alternatively, the processing module 2001 may also be used to determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0302] In a possible implementation, when determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the processing module 2001 is specifically configured to: determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line.

[0303] In a third implementation, the communication device 2000 may be a network device, and is configured to perform the steps performed by the network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0304] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 may be used to send an eighth signal, the ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the ninth signal is the signal obtained by the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal is the signal obtained by the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line.

[0305] In a possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The communication module 2002 can also be used to send an eleventh signal. The twelfth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA of the ninth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA of the tenth transmission path. The TOA of the ninth transmission path and the TOA of the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Wherein, the twelfth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0306] In a fourth implementation, the communication device 2000 can be a network device, which is used to perform the steps executed by the network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0307] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to send an eighth signal. The ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA of the seventh transmission path, and the fourteenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA of the eleventh transmission path. The TOA of the seventh transmission path and the TOA of the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Wherein, the ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, the eleventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line.

[0308] In a possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The communication module 2002 can also be used to send an eleventh signal. The fifteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA of the twelfth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA of the tenth transmission path. The TOA of the twelfth transmission path and the TOA of the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Wherein, the fifteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0309] In a fifth implementation, the communication device 2000 can be a terminal device, and is used to execute the steps performed by the terminal device in the foregoing various method embodiments.

[0310] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: send a third signal. The first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the first transmission path, and the second signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the second transmission path. The TOA of the first transmission path and the TOA of the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device reaches the first port of the network device through the first transmission path, and the second signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the second transmission path. Wherein, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0311] In a sixth implementation, the communication device 2000 can be a terminal device, and is used to execute the steps performed by the terminal device in the foregoing various method embodiments.

[0312] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: send a third signal, where the first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the first transmission path, and the sixth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA of the fifth transmission path. The TOA of the first transmission path and the TOA of the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device arrives at the first port through the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the first port through the fifth transmission path. Among them, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. Among them, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line.

[0313] In a seventh implementation manner, the communication device 2000 can be a terminal device, and is used to execute the steps performed by the terminal device in the foregoing various method embodiments.

[0314] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: receive a ninth signal and a tenth signal. The ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal arrives at the terminal device through the eighth transmission path. The seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port of the network device to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line. Among them, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel; the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA of the seventh transmission path and the TOA of the eighth transmission path according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal. The TOA of the seventh transmission path and the TOA of the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0315] In a possible implementation, when determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the ninth signal and the tenth signal, the processing module 2001 is specifically configured to: determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the third information, the ninth signal, and the tenth signal, where the third information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and / or the third information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path.

[0316] In a possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. The communication module 2002 is further configured to receive a twelfth signal and a thirteenth signal, where the twelfth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal sent by the network device reaches the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; and the processing module 2001 is further configured to determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the twelfth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the communication module 2002 is further configured to send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device.

[0318] In the eighth implementation, the communication device 2000 may be a terminal device, and is configured to perform the steps performed by the terminal device in the foregoing various method embodiments.

[0319] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: receive a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal, where the ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the fourteenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal arrives at the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path. The seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. Wherein, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line; the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0320] In a possible implementation manner, when determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the sixth information, the ninth signal, and the fourteenth signal, where the sixth information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and / or the sixth information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path.

[0321] In a possible implementation manner, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 is further used to receive a fifteenth signal and a thirteenth signal, where the fifteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal arrives at the terminal device through the tenth transmission path. The twelfth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; the processing module 2001 is further used to determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path according to the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0322] In a possible implementation, the communication module 2002 is further configured to send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device.

[0323] It should be understood that a more detailed description of each module executing the corresponding process can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be elaborated here.

[0324] The processing module 2001 in the foregoing embodiments may be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The communication module 2002 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit. The storage module may be implemented by at least one memory.

[0325] Figure 21 FIG. is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2100 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2100 may implement the functions or steps implemented by the network device or the terminal device in the foregoing method embodiments. Exemplarily, the communication device 2100 may be a network device or a component in the network device, or a terminal device or a component in the terminal device. Among them, the communication device 2100 may be a chip system. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices. The specific functions may refer to the descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0326] The communication device 2100 includes one or more processors 2101, which may be used to implement or support the communication device 2100 to implement the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. For specific details, refer to the detailed descriptions in the method examples, and will not be elaborated here.

[0327] The processor 2101 may also be referred to as a processing unit or a processing module, and may implement certain control functions. The processor 2101 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it includes: a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The central processing unit may be used to control the communication device 2100, execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors may be independent devices, or may be integrated in one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0328] Optionally, the communication device 2100 includes one or more memories 2102 for storing instructions 2104 that can be run on the processor 2101, so that the communication device 2100 executes the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memory 2102 and the processor 2101 can be provided separately, integrated together, or it can be considered that the memory 2102 and the processor 2101 are coupled. The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms for information interaction between devices, units or modules. The processor 2101 may cooperate with the memory 2102. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor. It should be noted that the memory 2102 is not necessary, so in Figure 21 it is schematically shown by a dashed line.

[0329] Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 2102. The processor and the memory can be provided separately or integrated together. In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 2102 can be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or it can also be a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). A memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0330] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may include instructions 2103 (sometimes also referred to as code or program), and the instructions 2103 can be run on the processor, so that the communication device 2100 executes the methods described in the above embodiments. Data can be stored in the processor 2101.

[0331] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include a transceiver 2105 and an antenna 2106. The transceiver 2105 can be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, an input / output interface, etc., for implementing the transceiver function of the communication device 2100 through the antenna 2106.

[0332] The processor 2101 and transceiver 2105 described in this application can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), analog IC, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFID), mixed-signal IC, ASIC, printed circuit board (PCB), or electronic device, etc. To implement the communication device described herein, it can be an independent device (e.g., an independent integrated circuit, mobile phone, etc.), or it can be a part of a larger device (e.g., a module that can be embedded in other devices). For specific details, reference can be made to the foregoing descriptions of the terminal device and network device, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0333] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device 2100 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 2100 can execute Figure 6 , Figure 10 , Figure 17 or Figure 18 any content executed by the network device in any of the illustrated embodiments.

[0334] For example, the communication device 2100 receives a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device reaches the first port through the first transmission path, and the second signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the first port through the second transmission path. Among them, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position corresponding to the second transmission line of the terminal device to the first port; and, based on the first signal and the second signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0335] For another example, the communication device 2100 receives a first signal and a sixth signal. The first signal is the signal that the third signal sent by the terminal device arrives at the first port through the first transmission path. The sixth signal is the signal that the third signal arrives at the first port through the fifth transmission path. Wherein, the first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. The fifth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. And, according to the first signal and the sixth signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0336] For another example, the communication device 2100 sends an eighth signal. The ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path. The tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

[0337] For details, reference may be made to the relevant content of any of the foregoing Figure 6 、 Figure 10 、 Figure 17 or Figure 18 Any of the illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0338] In another possible implementation, the communication device 2100 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 2100 can execute Figure 6 、 Figure 10 、 Figure 17 or Figure 18 Any content executed by the terminal device in any of the illustrated embodiments.

[0339] For details, reference may be made to the relevant content of any of the foregoing Figure 6 、 Figure 10 、 Figure 17 or Figure 18 Any of the illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0340] For example, the communication device 2100 transmits a third signal. The first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, and the second signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0341] For another example, the communication device 2100 receives a ninth signal and a tenth signal. The ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal arrives at the terminal device through the eighth transmission path. The seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port of the network device to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line. The first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel; and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are determined according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0342] For another example, the communication device 2100 receives a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal. The ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal sent by the network device arrives at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the fourteenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal arrives at the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path. The seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line. The first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line. The first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line; and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are determined according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0343] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It can be understood that, in some embodiments, the communication device 2100 may include more or fewer components, or some components are integrated, or some components are split. These components may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0344] It should be noted that the communication device in the above embodiments may be a terminal device (or a network device), or a circuit, or a chip applied to a terminal device (or a network device), or other combined devices, components, etc. having the above terminal functions (or network device functions). When the communication device is a terminal device (or a network device), the transceiver module may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, etc., and the processing module may be a processor, for example: a central processing unit (CPU). When the communication device is a component having the above terminal device (or network device) functions, the transceiver module may be a radio frequency unit, and the processing module may be a processor. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processing circuit (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. The processing module may be the processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or the communication interface may be the input / output interface or the interface circuit of the chip system. For example, the interface circuit may be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit may be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in the memory, and may be directly read from the memory, or may also be read from the memory through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor may be used to run the code instructions to execute the methods in the above method embodiments. Another example is that the interface circuit may also be a signal transmission interface circuit between the communication processor and the transceiver.

[0345] When the communication device is a chip - type device or a circuit, the device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. Among them, the transceiver unit may be an input - output circuit and / or a communication interface; the processing unit is an integrated processor, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit.

[0346] An embodiment of this application also provides a communication system. Specifically, the communication system includes a network device and a terminal device. Optionally, the communication device may further include a core network device. For specific references, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above - mentioned method embodiments, and details are not elaborated here.

[0347] An embodiment of this application also provides a computer - readable storage medium, including program instructions, which, when running on a computer, cause the computer to execute the methods or steps of the network device or the terminal device in the above - mentioned various embodiments.

[0348] An embodiment of this application also provides a computer program product, including program instructions, which, when running on a computer, cause the computer to execute the methods or steps of the network device or the terminal device in the above - mentioned various embodiments.

[0349] An embodiment of this application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the foregoing method (for example, executing the corresponding method or steps). The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0350] Optionally, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions for the above - mentioned processor to read and execute to implement the corresponding method.

[0351] It should be understood that in various embodiments of this application, the magnitudes of the sequence numbers of the above - mentioned processes do not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0352] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in a hardware or software manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods for each specific application to implement the described functions, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0353] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0354] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0355] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0356] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or part of this technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0357] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application also intends to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that, applied to a network device, one end of a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel, and the method includes: Receiving a first signal and a second signal, where the first signal is a signal that a third signal sent by a terminal device reaches the first port through a first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal that the third signal reaches the first port through a second transmission path. Among them, the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is a transmission path from a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port; According to the first signal and the second signal, determine the time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, determining the first time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to the first transmission path and the second TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first signal and the second signal includes: Determining the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to first information, the first signal and the second signal, where the first information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and / or the first information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to a second port of the network device, and the method further includes: Receiving a fourth signal and a fifth signal, where the fourth signal is a signal that the third signal reaches the second port through a third transmission path, and the fifth signal is a signal that the third signal reaches the second port through a fourth transmission path. Among them, the third transmission path is a transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is a transmission path from the first reference position to the second port; According to the fourth signal and the fifth signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, including: The other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, the method further includes: sending the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device; or, determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path includes: determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter, where the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and / or the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line are leaky coaxial cables.

8. A positioning method, wherein, applied to a network device, a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line, and the method includes: receiving a first signal and a sixth signal, where the first signal is a signal obtained by the third signal sent by a terminal device reaching the first port through a first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal obtained by the third signal reaching the first port through a fifth transmission path, where the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, the fifth transmission path is a transmission path from a third reference position corresponding to the first transmission line of the terminal device to the first port, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line; determining the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the sixth signal, where the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, determining the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the seventh signal includes: Determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the second information, the first signal, and the sixth signal, where the second information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and / or the second information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: receiving a fifth signal and a seventh signal, where the fifth signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is the signal that the third signal reaches the second port through the sixth transmission path, where the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position to the second port; determine the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path according to the fifth signal and the seventh signal, where the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, the method further includes: sending the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device; or, determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path includes: determine the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein, the first transmission line is a leaky coaxial cable.

14. A positioning method, wherein, applied to a network device, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel, and the method includes: sending an eighth signal, where the ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; Wherein, the ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: sending an eleventh signal, the twelfth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device; wherein, the twelfth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, the connection of the other end of the first transmission line to one end of the second transmission line includes: the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplification device, and the signal amplification device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line are leaky coaxial cables.

18. A positioning method, wherein, applied to a network device, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line, and the method includes: sending an eighth signal, the ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device; Wherein, the ninth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal is the signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, the eleventh transmission path is the transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel part of the first transmission line.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: sending an eleventh signal, the fifteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the position information of the terminal device; wherein, the fifteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is the signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein, the first transmission line is a leaky coaxial cable.

21. A communication device, wherein, it includes a processor and a memory; wherein, the memory is used to store one or more computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the one or more computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A communication system, wherein, it includes a network device and a terminal device, and the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 to obtain the position information of the terminal device.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, it stores a computer program or instruction, and the computer program or instruction is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

24. A computer program product, wherein, the computer program product includes a computer program, and when the computer program runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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