Positioning method and device, equipment, chip, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a positioning method and device, equipment, a chip, a storage medium and a program product, and relates to the technical field of communication, and the method comprises the steps: receiving first indication information sent by network equipment; the first indication information is used for indicating energy-saving information of at least one cell of the network equipment, and the energy-saving information is related to inactive time of the cell; sending second indication information to the network equipment; the second indication information is used for indicating configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning terminal equipment; the reference signal is a reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device. The NES mode of a cell involved in positioning is referenced when configuration information of a reference signal is configured. When the terminal equipment and the network equipment send and measure the reference signal according to the configuration information of the reference signal, the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode is avoided, so that the success rate of positioning is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a positioning method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, and program product. Background Art

[0002] To reduce the power consumption of a terminal device during positioning, the related art has introduced the Lower Power High Accuracy Positioning (LPHAP) technology. The LPHAP technology realizes the positioning function by transmitting or receiving reference signals.

[0003] When using the LPHAP technology to position a terminal device, if there is a cell in the network energy saving (NES) mode among the cells involved in the positioning, and if the reference signal is still configured in the way of a normal cell (i.e., a cell in the non-NES mode), there may be a phenomenon of positioning failure, which cannot meet the positioning requirements of the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a positioning method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, and program product, which can reduce the probability of positioning failure.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a positioning method, including:

[0006] Receiving first indication information sent by a network device; the first indication information is used to indicate the energy saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy saving information is related to the inactivity time of the cell;

[0007] Sending second indication information to the network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to position the terminal device; the reference signal is a reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device.

[0008] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the energy saving information of the cell, the target reference signal configuration of the cell.

[0009] Optionally, the energy saving information includes at least one of the following: NES configuration information, NES capability information.

[0010] Optionally, the energy saving information includes at least one of the following: NES configuration information, NES capability information.

[0011] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0012] Receiving a positioning request sent by the terminal device;

[0013] Send third indication information to the network device to which the cell to which the positioning request pertains belongs; the third indication information is used to request energy-saving information of the cell and / or target reference signal configuration information.

[0014] Optionally, the first indication information is carried in a positioning protocol message.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, including:

[0016] Send fourth indication information to a terminal device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of a cell; the NES mode is used to indicate the inactivity time of the cell in which the terminal device is located and that is in the NES mode.

[0017] Optionally, the fourth indication information includes configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to position the terminal device.

[0018] Optionally, the configuration information of the reference signal includes NES indication information; the NES indication information is used to indicate that at least one cell involved in the positioning is in the NES mode.

[0019] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, including:

[0020] Receive second indication information sent by an LMF network element; the second indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to position a terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on energy-saving information of at least one cell;

[0021] Send fifth indication information to the terminal device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to position the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on energy-saving information of at least one cell.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, including:

[0023] Receive fifth indication information sent by a network device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to position a terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on energy-saving information of at least one cell;

[0024] Based on the configuration information of the reference signal, send or receive the reference signal.

[0025] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, including:

[0026] Receive the fourth indication information sent by the network device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device obtains the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode;

[0027] Based on the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode, send or receive a reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device.

[0028] Optionally, receive the sixth indication information sent by the cell in the NES mode, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode.

[0029] Optionally, the sixth indication information includes the system information of the cell in the NES mode, and / or the RRC message of the cell in the NES mode.

[0030] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, including:

[0031] A receiving module, configured to receive the first indication information sent by the network device; the first indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy-saving information is related to the activation time of the cell;

[0032] A sending module, configured to send the second indication information to the network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device; the reference signal is the reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, including:

[0034] A sending module, configured to send the fourth indication information to the terminal device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device obtains the inactivity time of the cell in the NES mode.

[0035] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, including:

[0036] A receiving module, configured to receive the second indication information sent by the LMF network element; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy-saving information of at least one energy-saving cell;

[0037] A sending module, configured to send the fifth indication information to the terminal device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy-saving information of at least one cell.

[0038] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, including:

[0039] a receiving module, configured to receive fifth indication information sent by a network device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate a terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on energy-saving information of at least one energy-saving cell;

[0040] a transmission module, configured to send or receive the reference signal based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

[0041] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, including:

[0042] a receiving module, configured to receive fourth indication information sent by a network device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of a cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device obtains energy-saving information of a cell in the NES mode;

[0043] a transmission module, configured to send or receive a reference signal based on the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode; the reference signal is used to locate a terminal device.

[0044] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including: a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is communicatively connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively;

[0045] the memory stores computer-executable instructions;

[0046] the transceiver communicates with an external device;

[0047] the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of the first aspect.

[0048] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is communicatively connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively;

[0049] the memory stores computer-executable instructions;

[0050] the transceiver communicates with an external device;

[0051] the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of the second aspect and / or the third aspect.

[0052] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is communicatively connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively;

[0053] The memory stores computer-executable instructions;

[0054] The transceiver communicates with an external device;

[0055] The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect.

[0056] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0057] In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, and the computer program implements the method according to any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect when executed by a processor.

[0058] In a sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip or a chip system, the chip or the chip system includes at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected by a line, and the at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction to execute the communication method described in the possible implementations according to any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect. Wherein, the communication interface in the chip may be an input / output interface, a pin, a circuit, etc.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the chip or the chip system described above in the present application further includes at least one memory, and instructions are stored in the at least one memory. The memory may be an internal storage unit of the chip, for example, a register, a cache, etc., or a storage unit of the chip (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0060] The positioning method, device, equipment, chip, storage medium and program product provided by the embodiments of the present application receive first indication information sent by a network device; the first indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy-saving information is related to the inactivity time of the cell; send second indication information to the network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning a terminal device; the reference signal is a reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device. By referring to the NES mode of the cell involved in positioning when configuring the configuration information of the reference signal. When the terminal device and the network device send and measure the reference signal according to the configuration information of the reference signal, they avoid the inactivity time of the cell in the NES mode, thereby improving the success rate of positioning. Description of the Drawings

[0061] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the scenario provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0062] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the UE performing uplink positioning and downlink positioning;

[0063] Figure 3 It is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0064] Figure 4 It is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0065] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the positioning device provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0066] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the positioning device provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0067] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the positioning device provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0068] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0069] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0070] In the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with basically the same functions and roles, and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily indicate differences.

[0071] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0072] The communication method, apparatus, and device provided by the embodiments of the application are used for a terminal device to reduce the impact of a cell in the NES mode on the positioning performance of the terminal device when positioning, thereby improving the user experience.

[0073] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to multiple systems. For example, the applicable systems can be a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a Long-Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) system, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) system, a 5G New Radio (NR) system and its evolved communication systems, such as, for example, a 6th Generation (6G) communication system. These multiple systems may include terminal devices and network devices. The system may also include a core network part, such as an Evolved Packet System (EPS), a 5G System (5GS), etc.

[0074] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of this application can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users, such as a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, etc. In different systems, the name of the terminal device may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal device can be called a user equipment (UE). The terminal device can be a USB storage device, other personal computer memory devices, and dongles, and can also communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device. For example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the radio access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiated protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal computers, tablets, machine-type communication (MTC) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) devices, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices (VUE), etc. The terminal device can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, and wireless access points and routers / modems that meet the limitations of this definition, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0075] The network device involved in the embodiments of this application can be referred to as a radio access network device, a radio access network (RAN), a radio access network function, or a radio access network unit, etc. The radio access network device can include a base station, a WLAN access point, etc. The base station can include one or more cells that provide services to terminal devices. Depending on the specific application scenario, the base station can also be referred to as an access point, or it can be a device in the access network that communicates with wireless terminal devices through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. For example, the network device involved in the embodiments of this application can be an evolved network device (eNB or e-NodeB) in a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in a 5G network architecture (next generation system), etc. It can also be a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a femto, a pico, a network test device, or some other suitable term in the field. As long as the same technical effects are achieved, the base station is not limited to specific technical terms. It is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In some network architectures, the network device can include a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit can also be geographically separated.

[0076] For ease of understanding, first, a scenario of interaction between a terminal device and a network device under a 5G network architecture will be introduced.

[0077] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the scenario of a communication solution provided by the embodiments of this application. As Figure 1 shown, it includes a Location Management Function (LMF) network element, gNB1, gNB2, gNB3, and UE. Among them, gNB1 can be the serving base station of UE, gNB2 and gNB3 are neighboring base stations of the serving base station, and LMF is a module in the core network responsible for location calculation. It is also responsible for coordinating / controlling the configuration of positioning reference signals.

[0078] The solution provided by the embodiments of this application involves UE using the LPHAP technology for positioning, and the LPHAP technology includes uplink positioning and downlink positioning. When UE performs positioning, a three-point positioning method can be used for positioning.

[0079] Exemplarily, when the UE performs positioning based on the uplink positioning method, the UE may send channel sounding reference signals (Sounding Reference Signal, SRS) to gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3. gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3 may measure the SRS and send the measurement results to the LMF network element. The LMF network element performs position estimation based on the received measurement results.

[0080] When the UE performs positioning based on the downlink positioning method, the UE may receive positioning reference signals (Positioning Reference Signal, PRS) sent by gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3 and measure the PRS. The UE may perform position estimation by itself based on the measurement results, or send the measurement results to the LMF network element so that the LMF network element performs position estimation.

[0081] On the basis of Figure 1 the following further describes the process of positioning the UE in combination with Figure 2 ...

[0082] As Figure 2 shown, the positioning process of the UE includes the following steps:

[0083] 1. The UE sends a positioning request to the LMF network element.

[0084] Among them, the UE may send the positioning request to the Authentication Management Function (AMF) network element, and the AMF network element sends the positioning request message to the LMF network element.

[0085] 2. The LMF network element sends a positioning request message to the serving base station of the UE and the neighboring base stations of the serving base station.

[0086] The positioning request message is used to request SRS configuration information or PRS configuration information. The SRS configuration information or PRS configuration information includes the resources used in the positioning process, such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, etc.

[0087] 3. The serving base station and the neighboring base stations send a positioning response message to the LMF network element.

[0088] The positioning response message may carry SRS configuration information or Transmission and Receive Point (TRP) configuration information.

[0089] 4. The LMF network element sends positioning configuration information to the UE, the serving base station, and the neighboring base stations.

[0090] The LMF network element can configure the SRS configuration information or PRS configuration information that is valid in the area based on the multiple SRS configuration information or PRS configuration information received.

[0091] The LMF network element can send the configured SRS configuration information or PRS configuration information to the UE, serving base station, and neighboring base stations. Alternatively, the LMF network element can send the configured SRS configuration information to the serving base station, and the serving base station can send the SRS configuration information to the UE.

[0092] Optionally, when the positioning configuration information is PRS configuration information, the LMF network element can send the configured PRS configuration information to the UE. The serving base station and neighboring base stations can start sending PRS after sending the positioning response message.

[0093] 5. The UE sends SRS.

[0094] The UE receives the SRS configuration information sent by the base station and sends SRS at the specified location according to the resources included in the SRS configuration information.

[0095] 6. The serving base station and neighboring base stations measure the SRS and obtain the measurement results.

[0096] Optionally, the LMF network element can send a measurement request to the serving base station and neighboring base stations. When the serving base station and neighboring base stations receive the measurement request, they measure the SRS according to the SRS configuration information.

[0097] 7. The serving base station and neighboring base stations send the measurement results to the LMF network element.

[0098] 8. The LMF network element performs position estimation based on the received measurement results.

[0099] Optionally, the LMF network element can send the estimated position to the UE.

[0100] 9. The serving base station and neighboring base stations send PRS.

[0101] The serving base station and neighboring base stations receive the PRS configuration information sent by the LMF network element and send PRS at the specified location according to the resources included in the PRS configuration information.

[0102] 10. The UE measures the PRS and obtains the measurement results.

[0103] Optionally, the LMF network element can send a measurement request to the UE. When the UE receives the measurement request, it measures the PRS according to the PRS configuration information.

[0104] 11. The UE sends the measurement results to the LMF network element.

[0105] Optionally, the UE can also perform location estimation based on the measurement results by itself.

[0106] 12. The LMF network element performs location estimation based on the received measurement results.

[0107] Optionally, the LMF network element can send the estimated location to the UE.

[0108] It should be understood that if uplink positioning is adopted, the positioning process includes steps 1-8, and the SRS configuration information is used in steps 2-4. If downlink positioning is adopted, the positioning process includes steps 1-4 and 9-12, and the PRS configuration information is used in steps 2-4.

[0109] NES is a technology aimed at researching how to reduce the energy consumption of network devices. A possible NES method is that a cell in the NES mode includes cell-level discontinuous transmission (DTX) or discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanisms, cell shutdown, etc. In RAN2, a cell active period and a cell inactive period are defined for cell DTX / DRX, and they alternate. During the inactive period of the cell, the cell does not perform data transmission.

[0110] During the positioning process of the terminal device, if there is a cell in the NES mode among the cells involved in the positioning, if the PRS configuration information or the SRS configuration information is still configured in the conventional manner at this time, the following situations may occur:

[0111] Situation 1: During downlink positioning, the UE starts to measure the PRS sent by the base station. However, at this time, the cell is in the inactive period of cell DTX, so the base station may not send the PRS, and the UE cannot measure the PRS sent by the base station, resulting in positioning failure.

[0112] Situation 2: During uplink positioning, the UE starts to send the SRS signal. However, if the cell is in the inactive state of cell DRX at this time, the base station cannot receive the SRS sent by the UE either, which will also result in positioning failure.

[0113] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, device and equipment. When the LMF network element configures the PRS configuration information or the SRS configuration information, it indicates the NES mode of the cell involved in the positioning and the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode in the configuration information. The terminal device and the network device avoid the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode when sending and measuring the PRS and the SRS, thereby improving the success rate of positioning.

[0114] The technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These several specific embodiments below can be implemented independently or in combination with each other. For the same or similar concepts or processes, they may not be repeated in some embodiments.

[0115] Figure 3 The flowchart of the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 3 and includes:

[0116] S301. The network device sends first indication information to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the first indication information.

[0117] Wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy-saving information is related to the activation time of the cell.

[0118] In the embodiments of the present application, the energy-saving information may refer to information related to the NES mode of the cell. For example, the non-activation time of the cell, the shutdown time period of the cell, etc. Among them, a cell with or configured with energy-saving information can be called an energy-saving cell. The energy-saving information may be pre-configured information of the cell, or characteristic information of the cell in the NES mode.

[0119] The network device may correspond to one or more cells. When the NES information is configured in the cells corresponding to the network device or the network device enters the NES mode, the network device may send the energy-saving information of the cell to the LMF network element through the first indication information.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first indication information may include the energy-saving information of the energy-saving cell. For example, the energy-saving information may include one or more of the NES mode, NES capability, NES configuration, etc. of the cell. Among them, the NES mode may refer to that the current cell is already in the NES mode, the NES capability may refer to the ability of the cell to enter the NES mode currently, and the NES configuration may refer to that the current cell has not entered the NES mode. After sending the NES configuration to the LMF network element, the cell can subsequently send indication information to indicate that the cell enters the NES mode. When the energy-saving information of the cell is the NES capability, the cell can subsequently send the NES configuration to the LMF through the indication information.

[0121] In some embodiments, the energy-saving information may be used to indicate the NES configuration information of an energy-saving cell. That is, the NES configuration information of the energy-saving cell may be carried in the NES mode, NES capability, and NES configuration. The NES configuration information may include configurations such as Cell DRX / DTX cycle and on-duration, or indication of the turning-off time period of the cell, etc.

[0122] It should be understood that the LMF network element may determine the inactivity time of the energy-saving cell according to the configuration information. For example, when the configuration information is on-duration, the time outside the on-duration may be the inactivity time of the energy-saving cell; or when the configuration information is the indication of the turning-off time period of the cell, the turning-off time period of the cell is the inactivity time of the energy-saving cell.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be carried in a positioning protocol message. For example, an NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) message. Alternatively, the first indication information may be carried in other messages, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0124] Exemplarily, the NRPPa message may include a positioning information response message, a positioning information update message, a TRP request message, a positioning activation response message, a PRS configuration response message, etc.

[0125] In some embodiments, the network device may also define a new NRPPa message to carry the first indication information. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner in which the network device sends the cell energy-saving information.

[0126] In some embodiments, the network device may also directly send the inactivity time of the energy-saving cell to the LMF network element network through the first indication information. That is, the network device may obtain the inactivity time of the energy-saving cell and carry the inactivity time in the first indication information and send it to the LMF network element.

[0127] It should be understood that the interaction between the network device and the LMF network element may be implemented through a corresponding interface, such as the N2 interface.

[0128] S302. The LMF network element sends second indication information to the network device; correspondingly, the network device receives the second indication information.

[0129] Wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device; the reference signal is the reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, the reference signal may be the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) for uplink positioning, or the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) for downlink positioning.

[0131] In some embodiments, when the LMF network element sends the second indication information to the network device, it may be sent when the LMF network element receives a positioning request sent by the terminal device, or when a positioning request triggered by the network side is received. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0132] When the LMF network element receives the positioning request sent by the terminal device, it may trigger the transmission of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) capabilities to obtain the capability information of the terminal device. The capability information of the terminal device may be the positioning methods supported by the terminal device. For example, the positioning methods supported by the terminal device are uplink positioning, or downlink positioning, or uplink and downlink positioning.

[0133] In some embodiments, taking different cells corresponding to different network devices as an example, if the terminal device supports uplink positioning, the LMF network element may send a positioning request message to the network device of the serving cell of the terminal device and the network devices of the neighboring cells of the serving cell (the network devices involved in the positioning). The positioning request message is used to obtain the SRS configuration or the TRP configuration. The SRS configuration may include one or more of the resource identifier of the uplink positioning reference signal, the bandwidth of the uplink positioning reference signal, the transmission period of the uplink positioning reference signal, and the number of symbols of the uplink positioning reference signal. The TRP configuration refers to the configuration information of the PRS at the Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) of the base station device, and may include the TRP identifier, the time information of the TRP, the PRS configuration information at the TRP, the SSB information of the TRP, etc. Among them, the PRS configuration information includes the configuration of the PRS resource set (such as resource set identifier, Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), PRS bandwidth, starting Physical Resource Block (PRB), resource set period, etc.), and the configuration of the PRS resource (including resource identifier, sequence identifier, Resource Element (RE) offset, etc.).

[0134] The network device involved in positioning can send the SRS configuration or TRP configuration to the LMF network element through a positioning response message. When the LMF network element receives the SRS configuration or TRP configuration sent by the network device, the LMF network element can determine the configuration information of the reference signal based on the PRS configuration included in the SRS configuration and TRP configuration, and the energy-saving information (such as the inactive time) of the cell corresponding to the network device.

[0135] Exemplarily, the LMF network element can be based on the area-specific SRS of multiple SRS configuration areas, that is, when configuring the configuration information of the reference signal that is valid for uplink positioning, it can determine the inactive time of the cell according to the energy-saving information, and thus adjust the transmission time of the SRS sent by the terminal device to avoid the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode. For example, for the consecutive periods of the original transmission period of the uplink positioning reference signal, when considering the cell inactive time, the consecutive periods can be changed to non-consecutive periods to avoid the inactive time. It should be understood that the configuration methods of the remaining information in the configuration information of the reference signal can refer to the implementation methods in the prior art, and the embodiments of the present application will not elaborate on this.

[0136] It should be understood that the method for configuring the configuration information of the reference signal for downlink positioning is similar to the method for configuring the configuration information of the reference signal for uplink and downlink positioning, and will not be elaborated here.

[0137] It should be understood that the network device in S301 can include the network devices owned by the LMF network element, and the network device in S302 can be the network device related to the positioning of the terminal device. When the LMF network element receives the first indication information, it can store the energy-saving information of the cell included in the first indication information. When receiving the positioning request sent by the terminal device, if the cell in the first indication information includes the cell involved in the positioning request, the LMF network element can use the energy-saving information of the corresponding cell when configuring the configuration information of the reference signal.

[0138] After the LMF network element configures the configuration information of the reference signal, it can send the configuration information of the reference signal to the network device involved in positioning. Among them, the network device corresponding to the serving cell of the terminal device can send the received configuration information of the reference signal to the terminal device.

[0139] In a possible implementation manner, the LMF network element can also directly send the configuration information of the reference signal to the terminal device.

[0140] S303. The network device sends the fifth indication information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth indication information sent by the network device.

[0141] After receiving the configuration information of the reference signal, the network device may send the configuration information of the reference signal to the terminal device through the fifth indication information. It should be understood that the network device and the terminal device may communicate through radio resource control (RRC) messages, system information blocks (SIBs), etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0142] In some embodiments, if the configuration information of the reference signal is the configuration information of the reference signal for uplink positioning, when the terminal device receives the configuration information of the reference signal, it may determine the time to send the SRS according to the configuration information of the reference signal. For example, the cells involved in the terminal device positioning include cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3, and the configuration information of the reference signal indicates the time-frequency domain information for the above cells to receive the SRS. The terminal device may send the SRS at the corresponding time position according to the time-frequency domain information.

[0143] After the LMF network element sends the configuration information of the reference signal to the network device involved in positioning, the network device involved in positioning measures the SRS sent by the terminal device according to the SRS configuration. For example, if it is an NES cell, the SRS measurement is only performed when the cell is enabled, or the measurement is performed within the active time of the cell in cell DRX, and the measurement result is obtained.

[0144] In a possible implementation manner, after the LMF network element sends the configuration information of the reference signal to the network device involved in positioning, the LMF network element sends a measurement request to the network device involved in positioning. When the network device involved in positioning receives the measurement request, it measures the SRS sent by the terminal device and generates a measurement result.

[0145] When the network device generates the measurement result, it may send the measurement result to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element may perform position estimation according to the received measurement result.

[0146] In some embodiments, if the configuration information of the reference signal is the configuration information of the reference signal for downlink positioning, when the terminal device receives the configuration information of the reference signal, it may determine the time to measure the PRS according to the configuration information of the reference signal and measure the PRS at the corresponding time.

[0147] In a possible implementation manner, after the LMF network element sends the configuration information of the reference signal for downlink positioning to the terminal device, it may send a measurement request to the terminal device. When the terminal device receives the measurement request, it may measure the PRS at the time when the network device involved in positioning sends the PRS and obtain the measurement result.

[0148] When the terminal device generates the measurement result, it can send the measurement result to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element can perform position estimation based on the received measurement result. Alternatively, the terminal device can perform position estimation on its own according to the measurement result.

[0149] In some embodiments, if the configuration information of the reference signal is the configuration information of the reference signal for downlink positioning, the LMF network element may not need to send the configuration information of the reference signal to the network devices involved in positioning, or network devices other than the network device corresponding to the serving cell. After the above network devices send the PRS configuration to the LMF network element, they can send the PRS according to the PRS configuration.

[0150] In summary, for the positioning method provided in the embodiments of the present application, when there is a cell in the NES mode among the cells involved in positioning, by referring to the energy-saving information of the energy-saving cell when configuring the configuration information of the reference signal, the terminal device and the network device can align the time of sending and receiving the reference signal. That is, when the terminal device sends the SRS, the network device is in the active state and can normally measure the SRS. When the terminal device measures the PRS, the network device is in the active state and can normally send the PRS, thereby reducing the probability of positioning failure.

[0151] Based on the above embodiments, the first indication information sent by the network device to the LMF network element may further include the target reference signal configuration of the energy-saving cell. The target reference signal configuration information may be a recommended reference signal configuration generated by the network device according to the energy-saving information. The recommended reference signal configuration may fall within the activation time of the energy-saving cell, that is, when the network device configures, it tries to align the transmission time of the PRS / SRS with the activation time of the NES as much as possible. When the LMF network element configures the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the positioning, if the first indication information includes that the energy-saving cell exists in the cells involved in positioning, the LMF network element may use the corresponding target reference signal configuration to configure the configuration information of the reference signal. The configuration method of using the target reference signal configuration to configure the configuration information of the reference signal is similar to the above configuration method of using the energy-saving information to configure the configuration information of the reference signal, and will not be elaborated here.

[0152] In the above embodiments, the network device may report the energy-saving information of the corresponding energy-saving cell to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element refers to the energy-saving information for configuration when configuring the configuration information of the reference signal. This method is an active behavior of the network device. During the positioning process, if the energy-saving cell for which the network device reports the energy-saving information is not involved in the positioning process, the LMF network element still needs to consume additional overhead to store the energy-saving information. To reduce the overhead of the LMF network element, during the positioning process, the LMF can actively obtain the energy-saving information of the cells involved.

[0153] Exemplarily, receive a positioning request sent by a receiving terminal device; send third indication information to a network device to which a cell involved in the positioning request belongs; the third indication information is used to request energy saving information of the cell and / or target reference signal configuration information.

[0154] Taking uplink positioning as an example, when the LMF network element receives a positioning request from a terminal device, the LMF network element sends a positioning request message to the network device corresponding to the cell involved in the positioning request to request SRS configuration. When requesting SRS configuration, the LMF network element can simultaneously request energy saving information of the cell and / or target reference signal configuration information from the network device.

[0155] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning request message for the LMF network element to request SRS configuration and the third indication information for requesting energy saving information of the cell and / or target reference signal configuration information can be different request messages, that is, the third indication information can be information sent separately. For example, a new NRPPa message is defined. Correspondingly, the timing for sending the third indication information can be the same as or different from the timing for sending the positioning request message. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0156] In a possible implementation manner, the LMF network element's request for SRS configuration and its request for energy saving information of the cell and / or target reference signal configuration information can be the same request message. That is, the positioning request message can carry the third indication information. Requesting multiple types of information simultaneously through the positioning request message can reduce the overhead of the LMF.

[0157] In the above embodiments, it is introduced that the LMF network element indicates the inactive time of the energy-saving cell in the configuration information of the reference signal according to the energy saving information of the energy-saving cell to achieve the alignment of the transmission of the reference signal between the terminal device and the network device. In some embodiments, the network device can also indicate the energy-saving cell in the configuration information of the reference signal to achieve the alignment of the transmission of the reference signal between the terminal device and the network device.

[0158] Figure 4 The flowchart of the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 2 , as Figure 4 shown, includes:

[0159] S401. The network device sends fourth indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth indication information.

[0160] The fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device obtains the energy saving information of the cell in the NES mode.

[0161] S402. The terminal device sends or receives a reference signal based on the energy-saving information; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device sends a positioning request to the LMF. The LMF configures the configuration information of the reference signal in the manner of the prior art based on the positioning request, and sends the configuration information of the reference signal to the network devices involved in the positioning. The network device corresponding to the serving cell of the terminal device (also referred to as the serving network device) sends the received configuration information of the reference signal to the terminal device. When the network device sends the configuration information of the reference signal, the fourth indication information may be sent to the terminal device at the same time, or the fourth indication information may be sent before or after sending the configuration information of the reference signal. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0163] It should be understood that the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell involved in the positioning of the terminal device. Therefore, the serving network device needs to know the status of other cells participating in the positioning process. The configuration information of the reference signal may include the cell identifier (or the network device identifier corresponding to the cell) participating in the positioning. The serving network device may request the NES mode of the corresponding cell from the corresponding network device based on the cell identifier, and generate the fourth indication information. Correspondingly, the serving network device sending the fourth indication information to the terminal device may be after receiving the configuration information of the reference signal sent by the LMF network element.

[0164] In some embodiments, the fourth indication information may include a cell identifier and target indication information. The target information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell involved in the positioning. When the value of the target indication information is the target value, it indicates that the cell is in the NES mode. For example, the target information may be a boolean value, where true indicates that the cell is in the NES mode and false indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode. Or, true indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode and false indicates that the cell is in the NES mode. The target information may also be a bit value, where a value of 1 indicates that the cell is in the NES mode and a value of 0 indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode. Or a value of 1 indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode and a value of 0 indicates that the cell is in the NES mode. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0165] In some embodiments, the fourth indication information may also be carried in the configuration information of the reference signal and sent to the terminal device.

[0166] Taking uplink positioning as an example, when the network device receives the configuration information of the reference signal sent by the LMF network element, a field can be added to the configuration information of the reference signal to indicate the NES mode of the cell involved in the positioning. For example, an indication information is added to the valid Pos SRS-config IE of the cell to indicate that the cell is in the NES state. For example, a cell NES field indication is added. The cell NES field may be a boolean value, where true indicates that the cell is in the NES mode and fause indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode. Or, true indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode and fause indicates that the cell is in the NES mode. The Cell NES field may also be a bit value, where a value of 1 indicates that the cell is in the NES mode and a value of 0 indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode. Or a value of 1 indicates that the cell is in the non-NES mode and a value of 0 indicates that the cell is in the NES mode. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this. It should be understood that the configuration method of downlink positioning is similar to that of uplink positioning and will not be elaborated here.

[0167] In some embodiments, the fourth indication information can also be configured by the LMF network element and sent to the network device. The network device can receive the fourth indication information and forward it to the terminal device. Or, when the LMF network element configures the configuration information of the reference signal, the fourth indication information is carried in the configuration information of the reference signal. The method for the LMF network element to configure the fourth indication information or the configuration information of the reference signal is similar to the method configured by the network device and will not be elaborated here.

[0168] When the terminal device receives the fourth indication information, or the configuration information of the reference signal carrying the fourth indication information, it can determine the cell identifier in the NES mode and obtain the energy-saving information of the NES cell.

[0169] In some embodiments, the terminal device can receive the sixth indication information sent by the cell in the NES mode, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode.

[0170] In some embodiments, the energy-saving information may include Cell DTX / DRX configuration, cell turning off time period indication, etc. When the terminal device obtains the energy-saving information, it can determine the inactive time of the cell based on the energy-saving information. For example, the inactive time indicated by Cell DTX / DRX, the cell turning off time period, etc.

[0171] In some embodiments, the sixth indication information may be the system information of the cell in the NES mode, and / or the RRC message of the cell in the NES mode.

[0172] Exemplarily, if the cell in the NES is the serving cell of the terminal device, the terminal device may obtain the energy saving information of the cell through the system information of the cell or RRC messages (for example, RRC reconfiguration messages or RRC release messages). Or, the terminal device is in the non-RRC connected state, and if the cell in the NES is not the serving cell of the terminal device, the terminal device may obtain the energy saving information of the cell through the system information of the cell. Among them, if the cell is a cell in the NES mode, the cell may periodically send the energy saving information of the cell through the system information.

[0173] When the terminal device obtains the energy saving information of the cell in the NES mode, when sending SRS or measuring PRS, it may avoid the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode.

[0174] The positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application indicates the NES mode of the cells involved in the positioning to the terminal device. The terminal device obtains the inactive time of the cells in the NES mode and can avoid the inactive time of the cells in the NES mode when sending SRS or measuring PRS, so as to achieve the alignment of the transmission reference signals between the terminal device and the network device, thereby reducing the probability of positioning failure.

[0175] In some embodiments, during uplink positioning, the terminal device may also send indication information to the network device for positioning indication.

[0176] Exemplarily, the terminal device sends seventh indication information to the network device, and the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device is about to send a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning.

[0177] Among them, the seventh indication information may be the preamble of SRS (Preamble for SRS). Preamble for SRS may be a type of preamble specifically allocated for the SRS signal. If the network device receives Preamble for SRS, it may determine that the terminal device is about to send SRS. For example, Preamble for SRS may be RRC Resume Request, and a new bit (for example, a new Resume cause) is added to RRC Resume Request to indicate that the terminal device is about to send SRS.

[0178] Among them, the Preamble for SRS can be carried in Message 1 (Msg1) or Message 3 (Msg3) and sent to the network device. A cell in the non-NES mode receives the Msg1 / 3 message, starts receiving the SRS, and performs positioning measurements. When a cell in the NES mode receives the Msg1 or Msg3 message in the receiving window (for example, the Random Access Response (RAR) window), it decides whether to enter the active state to receive the SRS by itself, or enters the active state to receive the SRS and performs positioning measurements.

[0179] It should be understood that the terminal device sending the seventh indication information to the network device can be sent after the terminal device sends a positioning request to the LMF network element. After the terminal device sends a positioning request, the LMF can configure the configuration information of the reference signal according to the existing process, which will not be elaborated here.

[0180] In some embodiments, after the terminal device sends Msg1 or Msg3, it can start sending the SRS. If it does not receive Message 2 (Msg2), that is, the response message, within the preset time. Not receiving Msg2 can indicate that the cell in the NES is in the inactive state and does not perform positioning measurements. The terminal device can stop sending the SRS to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0181] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a positioning device.

[0182] Figure 5 The structural schematic diagram of the positioning device 50 provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 1 , as Figure 5 shown, includes:

[0183] A receiving module 501, configured to receive the first indication information sent by the network device; the first indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy-saving information is related to the inactive time of the cell.

[0184] A sending module 502, configured to send the second indication information to the network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to position the terminal device; the reference signal is the reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device.

[0185] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the energy-saving information of the energy-saving cell, the target reference signal configuration of the energy-saving cell.

[0186] Optionally, the energy-saving information includes at least one of the following: NES configuration information, NES capability information.

[0187] Optionally, the first indication information is carried in a positioning protocol message.

[0188] Optionally, the positioning device 50 may include a processing module 503.

[0189] The processing module 503 is configured to configure the configuration information of the reference signal according to the energy saving information and / or the target reference signal configuration information.

[0190] Optionally, the receiving module 501 is further configured to receive a positioning request sent by a terminal device.

[0191] Optionally, the sending module 502 is configured to send third indication information to a network device to which a cell involved in the positioning request belongs; the third indication information is used to request the energy saving information of the cell and / or the target reference signal configuration information.

[0192] The communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application may execute the technical solutions executed by the LMF network element in the above embodiments. The principles and technical effects are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0193] Figure 6 The structural schematic diagram of the positioning device 60 provided in the embodiments of the present application Figure 2 , as Figure 6 shown, includes:

[0194] The receiving module 601 is configured to receive second indication information sent by the LMF network element; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy saving information of at least one cell.

[0195] The sending module 602 is configured to send fifth indication information to the terminal device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy saving information of at least one cell.

[0196] Optionally, the sending module 602 is further configured to send fourth indication information to the terminal device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell; the NES mode is used to indicate the terminal device to obtain the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode.

[0197] Optionally, the fourth indication information includes the configuration information of the reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device.

[0198] Optionally, the configuration information of the reference signal includes NES indication information; the NES indication information is used to indicate that at least one cell involved in the positioning is in the NES mode.

[0199] The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application can execute the technical solutions performed by the network device in the above embodiments. The principle and technical effects are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0200] Figure 7 Schematic structure of the positioning device 70 provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 As Figure 7 shown, it includes:

[0201] A receiving module 701, configured to receive fifth indication information sent by a network device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used to locate a terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on energy-saving information of at least one cell.

[0202] A transmission module 702, configured to send or receive the reference signal based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

[0203] Optionally, the receiving module 701 is further configured to receive fourth indication information sent by the network device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of a cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device acquires energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode.

[0204] Optionally, the transmission module 702 is further configured to send or receive a reference signal based on the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode; the reference signal is used to locate the terminal device.

[0205] Optionally, the receiving module 701 is further configured to receive sixth indication information sent by the cell in the NES mode, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode.

[0206] Optionally, the sixth indication information includes system information of the cell in the NES mode, and / or RRC messages of the cell in the NES mode.

[0207] The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application can execute the technical solutions performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments. The principle and technical effects are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0208] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device.

[0209] Figure 8 Schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 8As shown, the communication device 80 may include: at least one processor 801, a memory 802, and a transceiver 803. Among them, the processor 801, the transceiver 803, and the memory 802 communicate with each other through an internal connection path. The memory 802 is used to store instructions, and the processor 801 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 802 to control the transceiver 803 to send channels / signals and / or receive channels / signals.

[0210] Among them, the communication device may be, for example, the aforementioned terminal device, or the aforementioned network device, or an LMF network element.

[0211] It should be understood that the communication device may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiment, or may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiment, or an LMF network element. And it can be used to execute each step and / or process performed by the terminal device, or the network device, or the LMF network element in the above shown method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 802 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 801. A part of the memory 802 may further include a non-volatile random access memory. The memory 802 may be a separate device, or may be integrated in the processor 801. The processor 801 may be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 802, and when the processor 801 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 801 is used to execute each step and / or process of the above shown method embodiment.

[0212] Among them, the transceiver 803 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 803 may further include antennas, and the number of antennas may be one or more. The processor 801 and the memory 802 and the transceiver 803 may be devices integrated on different chips. For example, the processor 801 and the memory 802 may be integrated in a baseband chip, and the transceiver 803 may be integrated in a radio frequency chip. The processor 801 and the memory 802 and the transceiver 803 may also be devices integrated on the same chip. This application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0213] Optionally, the communication device is a component configured in a terminal device, or a radio access network device, such as a chip, a chip system, etc.

[0214] Among them, the transceiver 803 may also be a communication interface, such as an input / output interface, a circuit, etc. The transceiver 803, the processor 801, and the memory 802 may all be integrated in the same chip, such as integrated in a baseband chip.

[0215] In an embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the technical solutions executed by the terminal device, the network device, or the LMF network element in the above communication method embodiment are implemented. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0216] In a possible implementation, the computer-readable medium may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical disc memories, a magnetic disk memory, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium targeted to carry or store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer. Moreover, any connection is properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, a server, or other remote sources using coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, twisted pairs, digital subscriber lines (DSLs), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, twisted pairs, DSLs, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, magnetic disks and optical discs include optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs use lasers to optically reproduce data. The above combinations should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0217] In an embodiment of the present application, a computer program product is further provided, including a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the technical solutions executed by the terminal device, the network device, or the LMF network element in the above communication method embodiment are implemented. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0218] In an embodiment of the present application, a chip or a chip system is further provided. The chip or the chip system includes at least one processor and a communication interface. The communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected by a line. The at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to execute the technical solutions executed by the terminal device, the network device, or the LMF network element in the above communication method embodiment. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be elaborated here. Among them, the communication interface in the chip may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.

[0219] In a possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory, and instructions are stored in the at least one memory. The memory may be a storage unit inside the chip, for example, a register, a cache, etc., or it may be a storage unit of the chip (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0220] In the specific implementation of the foregoing terminal device or network device, it should be understood that the processor may be a central processing unit (English: Central Processing Unit, abbreviated: CPU), or may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (English: Digital Signal Processor, abbreviated: DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (English: ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit, abbreviated: ASIC), etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed and completed by a hardware processor, or can be executed and completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0221] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of any of the foregoing method embodiments can be completed by hardware related to program instructions. The foregoing program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, all or part of the steps of the foregoing method embodiments are executed.

[0222] If the technical solution of the present application is implemented in the form of software and sold or used as a product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, all or part of the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a computer program or several instructions. The computer software product enables a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device or a similar electronic device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0223] It should be noted that for the foregoing method embodiments, for the sake of simple description, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations. However, those skilled in the art should know that the present application is not limited by the described action sequence, because according to the present application, certain steps may be performed in other sequences or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also know that the embodiments described in the specification are all optional embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to the present application.

[0224] Further, it should be noted that although the steps in the flowchart are displayed sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise clearly stated in this document, there is no strict order restriction for the execution of these steps, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowchart may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages. These sub-steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these sub-steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or in rotation with at least a part of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0225] It should be understood that the above device embodiments are illustrative only, and the devices of the present application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the division of units / modules in the above embodiments is only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units, modules or components can be combined, or can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0226] In addition, without special instructions, in each embodiment of the present application, each functional unit / module can be integrated in one unit / module, or each unit / module can exist physically alone, or two or more units / modules can be integrated together. The above integrated unit / module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software program module.

[0227] When the integrated unit / module is implemented in the form of hardware, the hardware can be a digital circuit, an analog circuit, etc. The physical implementation of the hardware structure includes but is not limited to transistors, memristors, etc. Without special instructions, the processor can be any suitable hardware processor, such as CPU, GPU, FPGA, DSP, and ASIC, etc. Without special instructions, the storage unit can be any suitable magnetic storage medium or magneto-optical storage medium, such as resistive random access memory RRAM (Resistive Random Access Memory), dynamic random access memory DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), static random access memory SRAM (Static Random-Access Memory), enhanced dynamic random access memory EDRAM (Enhanced Dynamic Random Access Memory), high-bandwidth memory HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory), hybrid memory cube HMC (Hybrid Memory Cube), etc.

[0228] When the integrated unit / module is implemented in the form of a software program module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable memory. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a memory 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 in various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned memory includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, read-only memories (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memories (RAM, Random Access Memory), mobile hard disks, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0229] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of the various embodiments have their own emphases. For the parts not detailed in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope recorded in this specification.

[0230] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, rather than to limit them; although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that, including: receiving first indication information sent by a network device; the first indication information is used to indicate energy-saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy-saving information is related to the inactivity time of the cell; sending second indication information to the network device; the second indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning a terminal device; the reference signal is a reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first indication information includes at least one of the following: the energy-saving information of the cell, the target reference signal configuration of the cell.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The energy-saving information includes at least one of the following: NES configuration information, NES capability information.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The method further includes: configuring the configuration information of the reference signal according to the energy-saving information and / or the target reference signal configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving a positioning request sent by a terminal device; sending third indication information to the network device to which the cell involved in the positioning request belongs; the third indication information is used to request the energy-saving information of the cell and / or the target reference signal configuration information.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first indication information is carried in a positioning protocol message.

7. A positioning method, characterized in that, including: sending fourth indication information to a terminal device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of a cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device acquires the inactivity time of the cell in the NES mode.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The fourth indication information includes configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The configuration information of the reference signal includes NES indication information; the NES indication information is used to indicate that at least one cell involved in positioning is in the NES mode.

10. A positioning method, characterized in that, including: receiving second indication information sent by an LMF network element; the second indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning a terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy-saving information of at least one cell; sending fifth indication information to the terminal device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy-saving information of at least one cell.

11. A positioning method, characterized in that, including: receiving fifth indication information sent by a network device; the fifth indication information is used to indicate configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy-saving information of at least one cell; sending or receiving the reference signal based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

12. A positioning method, characterized in that, including: receiving fourth indication information sent by a network device; the fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of a cell; the NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device acquires the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode; sending or receiving a reference signal based on the energy-saving information of the cell in the NES mode; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein Receive the sixth indication information sent by the cell in the NES mode, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate the energy saving information of the cell in the NES mode.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The sixth indication information includes the system information of the cell in the NES mode, and / or the RRC message of the cell in the NES mode.

15. A positioning device, characterized in that, It includes: A receiving module, configured to receive the first indication information sent by a network device; The first indication information is used to indicate the energy saving information of at least one cell of the network device, and the energy saving information is related to the activation time of the cell; A sending module, configured to send second indication information to the network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device; the reference signal is a reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device.

16. A positioning device, characterized in that, It includes: A sending module, configured to send fourth indication information to the terminal device; The fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell; The NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device obtains the inactive time of the cell in the NES mode.

17. A positioning device, characterized in that, It includes: A receiving module, configured to receive the second indication information sent by the LMF network element; The second indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of a reference signal; The reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy saving information of at least one energy saving cell; A sending module, configured to send fifth indication information to the terminal device; The fifth indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of a reference signal; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy saving information of at least one cell.

18. A positioning device, characterized in that, It includes: A receiving module, configured to receive the fifth indication information sent by the network device; The fifth indication information is used to indicate the configuration information of a reference signal; The reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device; the configuration information of the reference signal is determined based on the energy saving information of at least one energy saving cell; A transmission module, configured to send or receive the reference signal based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

19. A positioning device, characterized in that, It includes: A receiving module, configured to receive the fourth indication information sent by the network device; The fourth indication information is used to indicate the NES mode of the cell; The NES mode is used to indicate that the terminal device obtains the energy saving information of the cell in the NES mode; A transmission module, configured to send or receive a reference signal based on the energy saving information of the cell in the NES mode; the reference signal is used for positioning the terminal device.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is communicatively connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively; The memory stores computer execution instructions; The transceiver communicates with external devices; The processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-6.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is communicatively connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively; The memory stores computer execution instructions; The transceiver communicates with external devices; The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 7-10.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is communicatively connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively; The memory stores computer-executable instructions; The transceiver communicates with external devices; The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 11-14.

23. A chip, characterized in that, A computer program is stored on the chip, and when the computer program is executed by the chip, the method according to any one of claims 1-14 is implemented.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program is stored thereon, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-14.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1-14 is implemented.

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