A positioning method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The application provides a positioning method, device and system. The method can be applied to a terminal positioning scenario. In the method, by using the errors of uplink positioning results and downlink positioning results as a judgment basis, a suitable positioning technology is dynamically selected for different propagation environments, the applicability and practicality of different positioning technologies are improved, and the positioning accuracy and robustness in different propagation environments are determined.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a positioning method, device and system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a communication system, positioning refers to obtaining position information of a terminal. Positioning can be applied to fields such as marine aviation, surveying and disaster relief, vehicle navigation, logistics information inquiry or traffic management. With the rapid development of communication technology, high-precision positioning has gradually been determined as an important research project in the 5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems (5G) of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The scenarios of new radio (NR) positioning mainly include: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) outdoor, eMBB indoor, ultra reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine type of communication (mMTC) / internet of things (IoT).

[0003] Traditional positioning technology combines received signal strength indicator (RSSI), time of arrival (TOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), angle of arrival (AOA) and the like to determine the position information of a terminal.

[0004] However, the performance of the traditional positioning technology is limited by factors such as channel multipath effect, non line of sight (NLOS) propagation caused by obstacles, etc. As a key infrastructure of digital general system, the rapid growth of the throughput of the 5G base station leads to an increasingly tight positioning resource, and the increasing number of terminals leads to an increasingly growing demand for positioning, which puts forward higher requirements for the real-time performance and accuracy of the 5G base station positioning. In view of the positioning enhancement problem, the 3GPP proposes an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) enhanced positioning technology to achieve the positioning accuracy and robustness in a complex scenario.

[0005] However, how to accurately select a suitable positioning technology to improve the applicability and practicability of different positioning technologies in different propagation environments is a technical problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a positioning method, device and system, which can enable a device to accurately select a suitable positioning technology to improve the applicability and practicability of different positioning technologies, so as to ensure the positioning accuracy and robustness in different propagation environments.

[0007] In a first aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be executed by a positioning management network element, or can be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the positioning management network element, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the function of the positioning management network element. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard. Hereinafter, the positioning management network element is taken as an example for description.

[0008] The method comprises: determining a first positioning result; the first positioning result is used to indicate the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result; outputting first position information in the case that the first positioning result meets a preset condition; the first position information is obtained by a first positioning technology; outputting second position information in the case that the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition; the second position information is obtained by a second positioning technology; wherein the first positioning technology and the second positioning technology are different; the preset condition is used to represent the tolerance of the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0009] Based on the first aspect, the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result is used as a judgment basis; when the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result are relatively consistent, it is indicated that the current is in a relatively ideal line-of-sight propagation environment, and the first positioning technology can be directly used to output the first position information. Correspondingly, when the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result have significant differences, it is indicated that the current is in a complex non-line-of-sight environment, which leads to insufficient positioning reliability, so that the second positioning technology can be triggered to output the second position information.

[0010] That is, by using the scheme of the present application, the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result can be used as a judgment basis, and the appropriate positioning technology can be dynamically selected for different propagation environments, which can improve the applicability and practicality of different positioning technologies to determine the positioning accuracy and robustness in different propagation environments.

[0011] The second aspect provides a communication device, which includes a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to determine a first positioning result; the first positioning result is used to indicate the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result; the processing module is configured to output first position information when the first positioning result meets a preset condition; the first position information is obtained by the first positioning technology; and output second position information when the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition; the second position information is obtained by the second positioning technology; wherein the first positioning technology and the second positioning technology are different; and the preset condition is used to represent the tolerance of the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0012] The second aspect is a device-side implementation corresponding to the first aspect, and the explanations, supplements and beneficial effects of the first aspect are also applicable to the second aspect, which will not be described here.

[0013] The third aspect provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is coupled with a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. Optionally, the communication device further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0014] In an implementation manner, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0015] In another implementation manner, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled with a memory and is configured to execute instructions or data stored in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0017] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0018] In another implementation form, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a satellite. When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a satellite, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0019] In a fifth aspect, a processor is provided, which includes an input circuit, an output circuit and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor performs the method in any possible implementation of any of the aspects.

[0020] In a specific implementation process, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop and various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, and can receive a signal through a receiver and transmit a signal through a transmitter to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the aspects.

[0022] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the aspects.

[0024] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the aspects.

[0025] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for invoking and running instructions stored in a memory, so that the method in any of the aspects or any possible implementation of the aspects is performed. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0026] In the chip system, the input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and the output circuit or interface for receiving information or data can be included.

[0027] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal, the network device, and the positioning management network element terminal device and network device described above. Optionally, the communication system can further include other devices in communication with the terminal and / or the network device and / or the positioning management network element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of uplink positioning provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of downlink positioning provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of uplink and downlink positioning provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0032] Figure 5 A positioning case diagram of an AI / ML model provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0033] Figure 6 A flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0034] Figure 7 A flowchart of another positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0035] Figure 8 A flowchart of still another positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application is provided;

[0036] Figure 9A flowchart of another positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. 6;

[0037] Figure 10 A flowchart of another positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. 6;

[0038] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. 7;

[0039] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of another communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0041] The technical solutions provided by the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a sidelink communication system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio access technology (NR). The 5G mobile communication system can include a non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA). The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems. The present application is not limited in this regard.

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 to which the embodiments of the present application are applied is shown in FIG. 1. The communication system 100 can include a network device, such as a base station 110, a user equipment (UE) 120, a terminal 130, a relay station 140, a network device 150, a network device 160, a network device 170, a network device 180, a network device 190, a network device 200, a network device 210, a network device 220, a network device 230, a network device 240, a network device 250, a network device 260, a network device 270, a network device 280, a network device 290, a network device 300, a network device 310, a network device 320, a network device 330, a network device 340, a network device 350, a network device 360, a network device 370, a network device 380, a network device 390, a network device 400, a network device 410, a network device 420, a network device 430, a network device 440, a network device 450, a network device 460, a network device 470, a network device 480, a network device 490, a network device 500, a network device 510, a network device 520, a network device 530, a network device 540, a network device 550, a network device 560, a network device 570, a network device 580, a network device 590, a network device 600, a network device 610, a network device 620, a network device 630, a network device 640, a network device 650, a network device 660, a network device 670, a network device 680, a network device 690, a network device 700, a network device 710, a network device 720, a network device 730, a network device 740, a network device 750, a network device 760, a network device 770, a network device 780, a network device 790, a network device 800, a network device 810, a network device 820, a network device 830, a network device 840, a network device 850, a network device 860, a network device 870, a network device 880, a network deviceFigure 1 The communication system 100 can also include a network device, such as Figure 1 The terminal device 120 is shown. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 can communicate via wireless links. Optionally, the communication system 100 can include a core network device, such as Figure 1 The core network device 130 is shown. The network device 110 and the core network device 130 can communicate via wireless links.

[0043] The network device 110 and the core network device 130 can be separate and distinct physical devices, or can be the same physical device that integrates the functionality of the core network and the network device, or can be other possible cases, such as one physical device can integrate the functionality of the network device and part of the functionality of the core network device, and another physical device implements the rest of the functionality of the core network device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the physical existence form of the core network device and the network device.

[0044] Figure 1 One network device 110 and one terminal device 120 and one core network device 130 are shown as examples. Optionally, the communication system 100 can also include multiple network devices and / or multiple terminal devices.

[0045] The network device in the present application can be a device of a network side such as an access network, a core network device, and the like. The access network device is also sometimes referred to as an access node. The access network device has a wireless transceiving function and is used to communicate with a terminal. The access network device includes, but is not limited to, a base station in the above-mentioned communication system, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, an access network device or a module of an access network device in an open RAN (ORAN) system, a satellite in an NTN communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, and the like. The access network device can also be a module or unit capable of realizing part of the function of a base station. The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, the access network device can also be a server, a wearable device, or a vehicle-mounted device, and the like. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). Multiple access network devices in a communication system can be the same type of base station or different types of base stations. The base station can communicate with the terminal directly or through a relay station. The terminal can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the access network device. In the present application, the access network device is referred to as a network device.

[0046] In the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device can be the network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to realize the function, such as a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, and the like, which can be installed in the network device or used in connection with the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the present application.

[0047] The terminal device in the present application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For example, the terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet through a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, or satellite communication, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft (such as unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane), hot air balloon, ship, robot, mechanical arm, or smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0048] In the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a processor, circuit, chip, chip system, etc., which can be installed in the terminal device or connected with the terminal device for use. In the technical solutions provided in the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the present application.

[0049] The access network device and / or the terminal can be fixed or mobile. The access network device and / or the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. The application embodiments do not limit the application scenarios of the access network device and the terminal. The access network device and the terminal device can be deployed in the same scenario or different scenarios, for example, the access network device and the terminal device are deployed on land at the same time; or the access network device is deployed on land and the terminal device is deployed on the water surface, etc., which will not be listed one by one.

[0050] In practical applications, a terminal can be assisted by multiple network devices to implement wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, a network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0051] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. The CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, and RU can implement different protocol layer functions.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network device 130 can include one or more core network elements. For example, in the 5G system, the core network device 130 can include at least one of the following network elements: an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, a unified data management (UDM), an application function (AF) network element, or a location management function (LMF) network element. These core network elements can be hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. The implementation forms of different network elements can be the same or different, and are not limited. Different core network elements can be different physical devices (or can be referred to as core network devices), or multiple different core network elements can be integrated on one physical device, i.e., the physical device has the functions of the multiple core network elements.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the core network device can be a core network device, or a device capable of supporting the core network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The device can be installed in the core network device or can be used with the core network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the core network device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0054] Optionally, the positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a positioning management network element in the core network device. The positioning management network element can be the LMF network element or other network elements in the core network device 130 as described above, as long as the scheme of the embodiments of the present application can be implemented. Figure 1

[0055] ​It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the estimation / prediction of the position of the terminal is referred to as positioning, which can be understood as determining the position information of the terminal. The position information of the terminal can be used to indicate the coordinates of the terminal in the physical space, which can be absolute coordinates in an absolute coordinate system (for example, Cartesian coordinate system, polar coordinate system, geographic coordinate system), or can also be relative coordinates relative to a reference point, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The explanation of positioning is uniformly described here, and the following will not be repeated. In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, the terms involved in the present application are briefly explained. Optionally, the explanation of some terms can also refer to the explanation in the 3rd generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) standard protocol.

[0056] 1. Positioning accuracy.

[0057] The positioning accuracy is used to indicate the closeness between the spatial entity position information of the terminal and the real position information. Specifically, the closer the spatial entity position information of the terminal and the real position information, the higher the positioning accuracy; on the contrary, the farther the spatial entity position information of the terminal and the real position information, the lower the positioning accuracy. Taking the position information of the terminal as the longitude and latitude coordinates as an example, for example, the smaller the difference between the spatial entity coordinate value of the terminal and the real coordinate value, the higher the positioning accuracy; on the contrary, the larger the difference between the spatial entity coordinate value of the terminal and the real coordinate value, the lower the positioning accuracy.

[0058] 2. Traditional positioning technology.

[0059] The traditional positioning technology includes uplink positioning, downlink positioning and uplink-downlink positioning.

[0060] (1) Uplink positioning refers to: the terminal sends an uplink reference signal to at least one base station, and correspondingly, the at least one base station receives the uplink reference signal from the terminal. The at least one base station measures the uplink reference signal to obtain uplink positioning parameters. Further, the at least one base station reports the measured uplink positioning parameters to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element performs positioning based on the uplink positioning parameters reported by the base station.

[0061] The uplink reference signal can be an uplink synchronization signal, a sounding reference signal (SRS), or other signals whose transmission sequence is known information, which is not limited. The known signal can be predetermined by the protocol, or pre-notified to the base station by the terminal through signaling.

[0062] The uplink positioning parameter can include any one of an uplink (UL)-time of arrival (TOA), an UL-time difference of arrival (TDOA), an UL-angle of arrival (AOA), and a multi round trip time (multi-RTT). Optionally, the uplink positioning parameter can also include other parameters, which are not limited. For example, the uplink positioning parameter can also include a received signal strength indication (RSSI) and the like.

[0063] As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the terminal sends an uplink reference signal to three base stations (e.g., a base station 1, a base station 2, and a base station 3), respectively. The three base stations receive the uplink reference signal from the terminal and measure the uplink reference signal to obtain uplink positioning parameters. Then, the three base stations report the uplink positioning parameters measured by the three base stations to an LMF network element, respectively. The LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal based on an UL-TOA, an UL-TDOA, an UL-AOA, or a multi-RTT positioning technology. Figure 2

[0064] The UL-TOA, the UL-TDOA, and the multi-RTT are time-of-arrival-based positioning technologies, i.e., the base stations measure the time of arrival of the uplink reference signal sent by the terminal, and then convert the time of arrival into distance information between the terminal and the base stations, and finally obtain the position information of the terminal based on a trilateration algorithm. The UL-AOA is an angle-based positioning technology, i.e., the base stations measure the angle of arrival of the uplink reference signal sent by the terminal, and obtain the position information of the terminal based on a triangulation algorithm.

[0065] (2) Downlink positioning refers to that at least one base station sends a downlink reference signal to a terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the downlink reference signal from the at least one base station. The terminal measures the downlink reference signal to obtain downlink positioning parameters. Then, the terminal reports the downlink positioning parameters measured by the terminal to an LMF network element, and the LMF network element performs positioning based on the downlink positioning parameters reported by the terminal.

[0066] The downlink reference signal can be a downlink synchronization signal, a positioning reference signal (PRS), or other signals with known information, which are not limited. The known information can be predetermined by a protocol or pre-signaled to the terminal by the base station.

[0067] ​The downlink positioning parameter can include any one of a down link (DL)-TOA, a DL-TDOA, a DL-angle of departure (AOD), and multi-RTT. Optionally, the downlink positioning parameter can also include other parameters, which are not limited. For example, the downlink positioning parameter can also include an RSSI, etc.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 1, three base stations (e.g., a base station 1, a base station 2, and a base station 3) respectively send downlink reference signals to a terminal. The terminal receives the downlink reference signals sent from the three base stations and measures the downlink reference signals to obtain downlink positioning parameters. Then, the terminal reports the measured downlink positioning parameters to an LMF network element. The LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal based on a DL-TOA, a DL-TDOA, a DL-AOD, or a multi-RTT positioning technology, etc. Figure 3

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1, three base stations (e.g., a base station 1, a base station 2, and a base station 3) respectively send downlink reference signals to a terminal. The terminal receives the downlink reference signals sent from the three base stations and measures the downlink reference signals to obtain downlink positioning parameters. Then, the terminal reports the measured downlink positioning parameters to an LMF network element. The LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal based on a DL-TOA, a DL-TDOA, a DL-AOD, or a multi-RTT positioning technology, etc.

[0070] (3) The uplink and downlink positioning refers to that the terminal sends an uplink reference signal to at least one base station, and correspondingly, the at least one base station receives the uplink reference signal from the terminal. Meanwhile, the at least one base station sends a downlink reference signal to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the downlink reference signal from the at least one base station. The at least one base station measures the uplink reference signal to obtain uplink positioning parameters and reports the uplink positioning parameters to an LMF network element. The terminal measures the downlink reference signal to obtain downlink positioning parameters and reports the downlink positioning parameters to the LMF network element. The LMF network element performs positioning by using the uplink positioning parameters and the downlink positioning parameters obtained through bidirectional measurement.

[0071] For example, the uplink positioning parameter and the downlink positioning parameter can be described with reference to the related description of the above embodiments, which will not be described herein again.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 1, three base stations (e.g., a base station 1, a base station 2, and a base station 3) respectively send downlink reference signals to a terminal. The terminal receives the downlink reference signals sent from the three base stations and measures the downlink reference signals to obtain downlink positioning parameters. Then, the terminal reports the measured downlink positioning parameters to an LMF network element. The LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal based on a DL-TOA, a DL-TDOA, a DL-AOD, or a multi-RTT positioning technology, etc. Figure 4 ​As shown, the terminal sends uplink reference signals to three base stations (e.g., base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3), respectively, the three base stations receive the uplink reference signals from the terminal, respectively, and measure the uplink reference signals to obtain uplink positioning parameters, and report the uplink positioning parameters to the LMF network element. At the same time, the three base stations send downlink reference signals to the terminal, respectively, the terminal receives the downlink reference signals from the three base stations, and measures the downlink reference signals to obtain downlink positioning parameters, and reports the downlink positioning parameters to the LMF network element. The LMF network element can combine the uplink positioning reference, the downlink positioning parameters, such as TOA, TDOA, AOA, AOD, multi-RTT, etc., and obtain the position information of the terminal through a multi-source data fusion algorithm (such as Kalman filtering, least squares method, etc.).

[0073] 3. AI / ML direct positioning.

[0074] AI / ML direct positioning is a method of using artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to determine the position information of a terminal. AI / ML direct positioning refers to directly inputting the measurement data (such as channel state information (CSI), reference signals, etc.) obtained from the communication channel into an AI / ML model, and the AI / ML model directly outputs the position information of the terminal through learning and analysis of these measurement data.

[0075] This AI / ML direct positioning can effectively improve the positioning accuracy, especially in load environments where traditional positioning techniques are difficult to work, such as urban high-rise dense areas, underground space, forest, etc. In these places, due to factors such as building obstruction, signal reflection and multipath effect, traditional positioning techniques are easily disturbed, while AI / ML direct positioning can learn a large amount of data to identify signal interference in complex environments, thereby more accurately positioning.

[0076] 4. AI / ML assisted positioning.

[0077] AI / ML assisted positioning is a method of combining artificial intelligence and machine learning technology with traditional positioning technology to determine the position information of a terminal. AI / ML assisted positioning refers to first inputting the measurement data obtained from the communication channel into the AI / ML model, and the AI / ML model outputs the positioning parameters required for traditional positioning technology, such as line of sight (LOS) and NLOS classification, TOA, TODA, AOA, AOD, multi-RTT, etc. Then, use these positioning parameters processed by the AI / ML model to determine the position information of the terminal.

[0078] That is, the AI / ML assisted positioning can pre-process the positioning parameters required by the traditional positioning technology, thereby improving the positioning accuracy, especially in complex and variable signal conditions, and better adapting to various situations that may affect the positioning accuracy. Through the AI / ML assisted positioning, the AI / ML assisted positioning also benefits from the reliability of the traditional positioning technology, and is an effective enhancement of the traditional positioning technology rather than a complete replacement.

[0079] It should be noted that the above AI / ML model can be deployed in a base station, a terminal, or an LMF network element based on a 3GPP standard. For example, the deployment of the AI / ML model in the 3GPP standard can be divided into the following five cases, or include the following five positioning cases.

[0080] The first case is case 1.

[0081] The AI / ML model is deployed in the terminal, and the terminal can use the AI / ML model to realize AI / ML direct positioning.

[0082] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 1, Figure 5 the base station sends a downlink reference signal to the terminal, the terminal receives the downlink reference signal sent from the base station, obtains measurement data, directly inputs the measurement data into the AI / ML model, and the AI / ML model outputs the position information of the terminal. Then, the terminal reports the position information of the terminal to the LMF network element.

[0083] The second case is case 3a.

[0084] The AI / ML model is deployed in the base station, and the base station can use the AI / ML model to realize AI / ML assisted positioning.

[0085] For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 1, Figure 5 the terminal sends an uplink reference signal to the base station, the base station receives the uplink reference signal sent from the terminal, obtains measurement data, inputs the measurement data into the AI / ML model, and the AI / ML outputs the positioning parameters required for the traditional positioning technology. Then, the base station reports the positioning parameters output by the AI / ML model to the LMF network element, and the LMF network element determines the position information of the terminal based on the positioning parameters using the traditional positioning technology.

[0086] The third case is case 3b.

[0087] The AI / ML model is deployed in the LMF network element, and the LMF network element can use the AI / ML model to realize AI / ML direct positioning.

[0088] For example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 1, Figure 5As shown in (c) in the figure, the terminal sends an uplink reference signal to the base station, which receives the uplink reference signal from the terminal and obtains measurement data. The base station sends the measurement data to the LMF network element, which inputs the measurement data into the AI / ML model, which directly outputs the terminal's location information.

[0089] The fourth type is Case 2a (case2a).

[0090] The AI / ML model is deployed on the terminal, and the terminal can use the AI / ML model to achieve AI / ML-assisted positioning.

[0091] For example, Figure 5 As shown in (d) in the figure, the base station sends a downlink reference signal to the terminal. The terminal receives the downlink reference signal from the base station, obtains measurement data, and inputs the measurement data into the AI / ML model. The AI / ML outputs the positioning parameters required by traditional positioning techniques. The terminal then reports the positioning parameters output by the AI / ML model to the LMF network element through the base station. The LMF network element uses traditional positioning techniques based on the positioning parameters to determine the terminal's location information.

[0092] The fifth type is Case 2b (case2b).

[0093] The AI / ML model is deployed on the LMF network element, which can use the AI / ML model to achieve AI / ML direct positioning.

[0094] For example, Figure 5 As shown in (e) in the figure, the base station sends a downlink reference signal to the terminal. The terminal receives the downlink reference signal from the base station, obtains measurement data, and reports the measurement data to the LMF network element through the base station. The LMF network element receives the measurement data from the base station and directly inputs the measurement data into the AI / ML model, which directly outputs the terminal's location information.

[0095] It should be noted that, in the 3GPP standard, the use priority of Case 1, Case 3a and Case 3b is the first priority, and the use priority of Case 2a and Case 2b is the second priority.

[0096] It should be understood that the technical terms in this application are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, as technology evolves, technical terms may also change. In the case of the same technical meaning, other technical terms should also apply to this application.

[0097] It can be understood that the advantages of traditional positioning technology are low complexity, high real-time performance, and no need for device support for multiple antennas or high computing power. The disadvantages are that it is easily affected by factors such as channel multipath effect, NLOS transmission caused by obstacles, etc. AI / ML model can learn a large amount of data to identify signals in complex environments, thereby more accurately positioning; the disadvantage of AI / ML model is that a large amount of data is needed to train the model to ensure that the model can accurately learn the relationship between signal characteristics and positions in different environments. Moreover, the performance of AI / ML model can be affected by factors such as data quality, model complexity, and computing resources, in addition, the real-time performance of AI / ML model is low.

[0098] However, how to quickly judge the propagation environment is the key to flexible switching between traditional positioning technology and AI / ML positioning technology. The existing method contains a large number of physical layer characteristics reflecting the propagation environment in the received signal, such as time of arrival, multipath structure, channel frequency response, signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio fluctuation, and incident angle distribution. The differences of these physical layer characteristics in line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight scenarios are significant, which can be used for environment recognition. The traditional scheme relies on manually set thresholds, such as judging the relationship between physical layer characteristics and thresholds, thereby identifying line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight scenarios. The AI method can automatically extract features from the signal to achieve high-precision recognition, however, the AI method usually relies on a large amount of training data, the training cost is high, and the generalization ability is limited, which is not easy to adapt to scene changes.

[0099] The existing method also provides the following two positioning methods:

[0100] The first method: in response to a positioning request for a target terminal, uplink signal measurement data of the target terminal is obtained from a target LMF corresponding to the target terminal by a control plane positioning method, and terminal measurement data of the target terminal is obtained from a service location protocol (SLP); a fusion fingerprint feature of the target terminal is generated according to the uplink signal measurement data and the terminal measurement data; the fusion fingerprint feature is matched with a pre-constructed fusion fingerprint library, and a positioning result of the target terminal is obtained according to a matching result. This method can realize the fusion of control plane positioning technology and user plane positioning technology, so that the positioning accuracy can be improved even in areas with low base station density.

[0101] The second method is to introduce a new AI-based positioning related function in the NG-RAN node, so that the terminal can select between an AI positioning model and a non-AI positioning model for terminal position estimation and / or enable the terminal to select a suitable AI positioning model from different AI positioning models according to an indication provided by the terminal. This method also defines measurement criteria for selecting AI positioning models and non-AI positioning models for terminal positioning estimation, and defines related signaling procedures to enable correct interaction between different positioning related nodes.

[0102] Therefore, the present application provides a positioning method that uses the errors of uplink positioning results and downlink positioning results to dynamically select appropriate positioning techniques for different propagation environments, thereby improving the applicability and practicality of different positioning techniques. In addition, the method can switch between positioning techniques with different accuracies to ensure positioning accuracy and robustness in different propagation environments.

[0103] The schemes provided by the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the corresponding flowcharts. It should be understood that the main execution subjects of the interaction schemes in the illustrative flowcharts are different devices (such as terminal devices, network devices, and positioning management network elements), which are taken as examples to illustrate the method. However, the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interaction schemes. For example, the devices (such as terminal devices, network devices, and positioning management network elements) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the devices to implement the method, and can also be logical modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the devices.

[0104] Here, it should be noted that the messages or signaling interactions involved in the interaction processes of the embodiments of the present application can be messages or signaling in standards or newly introduced messages or signaling, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the messages or signaling.

[0105] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that Figure 6 the terminal device in Figure 1 may be any terminal device in Figure 1 may be any access network device in Figure 1 may be any network element capable of implementing positioning functions in the core network device in Figure 6 For ease of understanding, the following embodiments take the positioning management network element as an LMF network element as an example. As shown in

[0106] S610, the LMF network element determines the first positioning result.

[0107] The first positioning result is used to indicate the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result. Alternatively, the first positioning result is used to indicate the positioning error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result, which is not limited.

[0108] In a possible manner, the first positioning result can also be described as: indicating the difference degree of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result. The above two descriptions can be replaced with each other, which is not limited.

[0109] The uplink positioning result refers to the position information (such as physical coordinates) of the terminal determined by the LMF network element based on the uplink positioning in the traditional positioning technology, and the downlink positioning result refers to the position information (such as physical coordinates) of the terminal determined by the LMF network element based on the downlink positioning in the traditional positioning technology.

[0110] In a possible manner, the error (or difference degree) of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result can also be described as: the difference (or deviation) between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result, that is, the difference (or deviation) between the position coordinates of the terminal determined by the uplink positioning and the physical coordinates of the terminal determined by the downlink positioning.

[0111] Alternatively, the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result can also be described as: the displacement vector of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result; or the relative position of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result; or the change amount of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0112] It should be noted that the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result has different descriptions in different dimensions, which will not be described here.

[0113] Alternatively, the LMF network element can determine the first positioning result according to the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result. For example, the LMF network element can take the difference between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result as the first positioning result.

[0114] For example, the uplink positioning result is determined by the LMF network element according to the uplink positioning parameter (or second positioning parameter) received from the network device. The downlink positioning result is determined by the LMF network element according to the downlink positioning parameter (or first positioning parameter) received from the terminal.

[0115] The uplink positioning parameter is related to the SRS signal, for example, the uplink positioning parameter is obtained by the network device after measuring the SRS signal. The downlink positioning parameter is related to the PRS signal, for example, the downlink positioning parameter is obtained by the terminal after measuring the PRS signal. For examples of the uplink positioning parameter and the downlink positioning parameter, reference can be made to the related description in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0116] For example, the LMF network element can determine the uplink positioning result based on the uplink positioning parameter through the uplink positioning in the traditional positioning manner, that is, determine the position information of the terminal based on the uplink positioning parameter. Correspondingly, the LMF network element can determine the downlink positioning result based on the downlink positioning parameter through the downlink positioning in the traditional positioning manner, that is, determine the position information of the terminal based on the downlink positioning parameter.

[0117] For example, the uplink positioning result determined by the LMF network element can be represented as: The downlink positioning result determined by the LMF network element can be represented as: It should be noted that the representation of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result can be replaced with each other, and is not limited. For the specific process of determining the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result by the LMF network element, reference can be made to the related description of the following embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] For example, the first positioning result determined by the LMF network element according to the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result can be represented as: ; wherein, represents the uplink positioning result, represents the downlink positioning result, represents the first positioning result.

[0119] As an example, an interaction example of the LMF network element determining the first positioning result is provided below. For example, as shown in Figure 7 , the LMF network element determines the first positioning result, that is, S610 can specifically include:

[0120] S710, the terminal sends a positioning request to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the positioning request from the terminal.

[0121] The positioning request is used to request the LMF network element to provide the position information of the terminal.

[0122] For example, the terminal can send the positioning request to the network device currently providing services (or referred to as the main base station), and the network device forwards the positioning request to the LMF network element through the AMF. The AMF is mainly responsible for session management and mobility management, and plays a routing role in the positioning process.

[0123] Optionally, the positioning request can include any of a to e as follows:

[0124] a. Positioning type: the positioning type is used to indicate an explicit request for geographic coordinates of the terminal.

[0125] b. Positioning service quality: the terminal can specify the accuracy, response time, horizontal / vertical accuracy, etc. requirements for the location information in the positioning request.

[0126] c. Target identity: that is, the identity of the terminal itself.

[0127] d. Positioning method: the terminal can directly or indirectly indicate the positioning method in the positioning request, or implicitly indicate the preferred positioning method of the terminal.

[0128] e. Application layer related information: for example, the positioning request can contain application related identity or context.

[0129] Optionally, the positioning request can be carried in (or can be) a mobile originated location request (MO-LR), which is not limited.

[0130] In one possible way, after receiving the positioning request from the terminal, the LMF network element filters candidate base stations. For example, the LMF can evaluate the positioning capabilities of each base station according to key indicators such as timing measurement quality (TMQ), angle measurement quality (AMQ), and phase measurement quality (PMQ), and select appropriate base stations for terminal positioning. This process can effectively avoid the interference of low-quality base stations and improve the overall positioning performance of the network.

[0131] For example, as shown in Figure 7 , the candidate base stations filtered by the LMF network element can include neighbor base station 1 and neighbor base station 2. Then, in this way, the terminal can be positioned by the main base station, neighbor base station 1 and neighbor base station 2.

[0132] Optionally, after the LMF network element filters the candidate base stations, the LMF network element can configure resources to the terminal and multiple base stations to achieve terminal positioning. For example, the LMF network element can continue to perform the following steps.

[0133] S720, the LMF network element sends first configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first configuration information from the LMF network element.

[0134] Exemplarily, the LMF network element can send first configuration information to a network device (i.e., a master base station) through an AMF. The master base station can forward the first configuration information to the terminal.

[0135] Optionally, the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal to perform signal measurement. Exemplarily, the first configuration information can be used to instruct the terminal to receive and measure downlink reference signals (such as PRS) from multiple base stations, and to instruct the terminal to send uplink reference signals (such as SRS) on specific time-frequency domain resources, and to instruct the terminal to report downlink positioning parameters obtained by measuring the downlink reference signals.

[0136] Optionally, the first configuration information can include configuration parameters. Exemplarily, the first configuration information can include one or more of a measurement interval, a measurement duration, a reference signal resource configuration, a reporting trigger condition, and the like.

[0137] The reference signal resource configuration can include a PRS resource set ID, a PRS resource ID, a time domain location, a frequency domain location, and the like; and can also include an SRS resource set ID, an SRS resource ID, a time domain location, a frequency domain location, and the like, without limitation.

[0138] The reporting trigger condition is used to indicate a trigger condition (or trigger timing) for the terminal to report the downlink positioning parameters. The trigger condition can refer to a trigger condition defined in an existing standard, which is not described herein.

[0139] S730, the LMF network element sends second configuration information to each of the multiple base stations. Correspondingly, each of the multiple base stations receives the second configuration information from the LMF network element.

[0140] Exemplarily, in S730, the multiple base stations can include a master base station and neighboring base stations around the master base station. Embodiments of the present application take three base stations as an example for illustration.

[0141] Optionally, the second configuration information is used to instruct the multiple base stations to perform signal measurement. Exemplarily, the second configuration information can be used to instruct the multiple base stations to receive and measure uplink reference signals (such as SRS) from the terminal, and to instruct the multiple base stations to send downlink reference signals (such as PRS) on specific time-frequency domain resources, and to instruct the multiple base stations to report uplink positioning parameters obtained by measuring the uplink reference signals.

[0142] Optionally, the first configuration information can include configuration parameters. For an example of the configuration parameters, reference can be made to the related description of the above embodiments, which is not described herein.

[0143] S740, the terminal sends uplink reference signals to the multiple base stations. Correspondingly, the multiple base stations receive the uplink reference signals from the terminal.

[0144] S750, the plurality of base stations measure the uplink reference signal to obtain uplink positioning parameters.

[0145] S760, the plurality of base stations report the uplink positioning parameters to the LMF network element.

[0146] S770, the plurality of base stations send downlink reference signals to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the downlink reference signals sent by the plurality of base stations.

[0147] S780, the terminal measures the downlink reference signals to obtain downlink positioning parameters.

[0148] S790, the terminal reports the downlink positioning parameters to the LMF network element.

[0149] S7110, the LMF network element determines a first positioning result according to the downlink positioning parameters and the uplink positioning parameters.

[0150] For example, the LMF network element determines a downlink positioning result according to the downlink positioning parameters by using a conventional positioning method, and determines an uplink positioning result according to the uplink positioning parameters by using the conventional positioning method. Then, the LMF network element determines the first positioning result according to the downlink positioning result and the uplink positioning result. For example, the LMF network element takes a difference between the downlink positioning result and the uplink positioning result as the first positioning result.

[0151] It should be noted that the order of S720 and S730 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, S720 can be before S730, or S720 can be after S730. In addition, the order of S740 to S790 is not limited. For example, S740 to S760 can be after S770 to S790, or S740 to S760 can be before S770 to S790.

[0152] S620, the LMF network element determines whether the first positioning result meets a preset condition.

[0153] The preset condition is used to represent a tolerance of an error between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result. Alternatively, the preset condition is used to represent a tolerance of the communication system (such as the LMF network element) to the error between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0154] In a possible design, the preset condition is related to a threshold. For example, the preset condition can include that the first positioning result is less than or equal to the threshold. The threshold is a maximum error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result allowed by the LMF network element.

[0155] Optionally, the threshold value can be pre-configured. For example, the threshold value is pre-configured for the terminal, or the threshold value is pre-configured for the LMF network element, or the threshold value is pre-configured for the network device; or the threshold value is pre-defined by a protocol, without limitation.

[0156] That is, in the above manner, the threshold value is a static value, that is, pre-configured in the LMF network element, and the threshold value does not change in subsequent use, unless reconfigured.

[0157] Optionally, the threshold value can be determined by the LMF network element. In this manner, the threshold value is related to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the historical error distribution of the downlink positioning result and the uplink positioning result.

[0158] For example, the LMF network element can calculate the maximum error that can be tolerated based on the SNR and the historical error distribution, thereby determining the threshold value. Wherein, the SNR is different in different propagation environments, so the LMF network element can dynamically adjust the threshold value based on the SNR and the historical error distribution. That is, in this manner, the threshold value is a dynamic value, which can be dynamically set by the LMF network element based on the SNR and the historical error distribution.

[0159] It should be noted that the specific value of the threshold value is not limited in the embodiments of the present application, and the actual situation is used as the standard. For example, the unit of the threshold value can be a distance unit, such as centimeters (cm) or meters (m), without limitation.

[0160] In one possible manner, the LMF network element determines whether the first positioning result meets the preset condition can be described as: the LMF network element determines whether the first positioning result is less than or equal to the threshold value.

[0161] For example, the threshold value can be expressed as: Then, whether the first positioning result meets the preset condition can be expressed as: the LMF network element determines whether .

[0162] Optionally, in the case that the first positioning result meets the preset condition, the LMF network element performs S430; in the case that the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition, the LMF network element performs S440.

[0163] Optionally, the preset condition can also be that the first positioning result is greater than the threshold value. The LMF network element determines whether the first positioning result meets the preset condition can also be expressed as: the LMF network element determines whether On this basis, the LMF network element performs S630 in a case where the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition, and performs S640 in a case where the first positioning result satisfies the preset condition. The two descriptions of the preset condition described above can be replaced with each other and are not limited. The preset condition is that the first positioning result is less than or equal to a threshold value, which is taken as an example for description in the embodiments of the present application.

[0164] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, S620 is an optional step, that is, the LMF network element can continue to perform S630 and S640 after performing S620, or the LMF network element can directly perform S630 and S640 without performing S620, which is not limited.

[0165] S630, in a case where the first positioning result satisfies the preset condition, the LMF network element outputs first position information.

[0166] The first position information is obtained by the first positioning technology. For example, the first positioning technology can be the traditional positioning technology described above.

[0167] Optionally, the first position information is related to the uplink positioning result and / or the downlink positioning result, for example, the first position information is the uplink positioning result, or the first position information is the downlink positioning result, or the first position information is determined by the LMF network element according to the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result. For example, the LMF network element can take the intermediate position information of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result as the first position information.

[0168] Optionally, the LMF network element can position the terminal by the traditional positioning technology to determine the first position information.

[0169] In S630, if the first positioning result satisfies the preset condition, that is, the first positioning result is less than or equal to the threshold value, it indicates that the current is in a relatively ideal LOS propagation environment, the difference between the uplink positioning result determined by the LMF network element through uplink positioning and the downlink positioning result determined through downlink positioning is small, or in other words, the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result are consistent (or in other words, there is consistency). On this basis, the LMF network element can directly output the first position information determined by the traditional positioning method.

[0170] In this way, in a relatively ideal LOS propagation environment, the complexity of terminal positioning can be reduced, and the positioning power consumption can be reduced while reducing the computing power.

[0171] S640, in a case where the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition, the LMF network element outputs second position information.

[0172] The second position information is obtained by a second positioning technology, and the first positioning technology is different from the second positioning technology. For example, the second positioning technology can be an enhanced positioning technology.

[0173] Optionally, the enhanced positioning technology can include an AI / ML positioning technology, a high-precision positioning technology, or increasing the number of positioning parameters used to determine the position information of the terminal.

[0174] The AI / ML positioning technology can include AI / ML direct positioning and AI / ML assisted positioning, and examples are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0175] The high-precision positioning technology can include any one of a weighted least squares (WLS), an extended Kalman filter (EKF), and a particle filter (PF).

[0176] Increasing the number of positioning parameters used to determine the position information of the terminal can be understood as measuring more reference signals to obtain more positioning parameters (for example, in addition to TOA, TODA, AOA, AOD, beam index, power, and / or signal reflection order, etc.).

[0177] Alternatively, the terminal or the network device measures more reference signals to obtain more positioning parameters. For example, the LMF network element can select some candidate base stations again (i.e., increase the number of candidate base stations) according to key indicators such as time measurement quality, angle measurement quality, and phase measurement quality, and instruct the candidate base stations to send downlink reference signals to the terminal, so that the terminal can receive and measure more downlink reference signals to obtain more downlink positioning parameters. Correspondingly, the terminal can send uplink reference signals to more candidate base stations, so that more candidate base stations can receive and measure the uplink reference signals to obtain more uplink positioning parameters.

[0178] The above examples of the enhanced positioning technology are only examples and cannot limit the present application. It should be understood that the enhanced positioning technology can also include other positioning technologies defined in existing standard protocols or other positioning technologies defined in future protocols, without limitation.

[0179] It should be noted that in a relatively ideal LOS propagation environment, when the terminal is positioned by uplink positioning and downlink positioning, theoretically, relatively consistent positioning results can be obtained. However, in a complex environment, due to the influence of factors such as diffraction, scattering and shielding in signal propagation, there will be a large deviation between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result, and this deviation is inconsistent due to the influence of uplink positioning parameters and downlink positioning parameters or random factors, which ultimately leads to a significant difference between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0180] Based on the above analysis, in S640, if the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition, that is, the first positioning result is greater than the threshold, it indicates that the current is in a complex NLOS propagation environment, and the difference between the uplink positioning result determined by the LMF network element through uplink positioning and the downlink positioning result determined through downlink positioning is large, or in other words, the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result are inconsistent (or poor consistency). On this basis, the LMF network element can output the second position information obtained by the enhanced positioning technology to improve the positioning accuracy and robustness in complex scenarios.

[0181] In this way, in a complex NLOS propagation environment, the LMF network element can output the second position information obtained by the enhanced positioning technology, thereby realizing accurate positioning in a complex scenario.

[0182] In summary, by using the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result as a judgment basis, when the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result are relatively consistent, it indicates that the current is in a relatively ideal LOS propagation environment, and the first position information can be directly output by using the traditional positioning technology, which can reduce the complexity of terminal positioning, reduce the computing power, and reduce the positioning power consumption.

[0183] Correspondingly, when there is a significant difference between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result, it indicates that the current is in a complex NLOS propagation environment, which leads to insufficient positioning reliability, so that the enhanced positioning technology can be triggered to output the second position information, thereby realizing more accurate positioning in a complex environment.

[0184] That is, in the embodiment of the present application, the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result can be used as a judgment basis, and the appropriate positioning technology can be dynamically selected for different propagation environments, which can improve the applicability and practicality of different positioning technologies to ensure the positioning accuracy and robustness in different propagation environments.

[0185] For example, the scheme of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the following communication scenarios:

[0186] 1. Unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned system navigation scenario.

[0187] The traditional positioning technology and the enhanced positioning technology can be dynamically switched in a severe multipath effect or NLOS blocking environment, thereby improving the safety of navigation.

[0188] 2. Internet of Things positioning.

[0189] For low-power and low-cost Internet of Things devices, the use of traditional positioning technology or enhanced positioning technology can optimize the energy efficiency and positioning performance of the Internet of Things devices.

[0190] 3. Emergency communication and disaster rescue positioning.

[0191] In a scenario where the traditional positioning technology fails or the positioning accuracy of the traditional positioning technology is insufficient, the enhanced positioning technology can be quickly enabled to ensure the continuity and reliability of positioning.

[0192] Optionally, as shown in Figure 8 if the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition, the LMF network element outputs second position information, which can include the following steps:

[0193] S810, the LMF network element judges the state of the AI / ML model.

[0194] The state of the AI / ML model can include "available state" and "unavailable state".

[0195] Optionally, the AI / ML model can also be referred to as an AI / ML positioning module. On this basis, S810 can also be replaced by: the LMF network element judges the state of the AI / ML positioning module. The state of the AI / ML positioning module can include "available state" and "unavailable state".

[0196] Alternatively, S810 can also be replaced by: the LMF network element judges the computing power of the AI / ML positioning module. The computing power of the AI / ML positioning model includes "AI / ML positioning module computing power sufficient" and "AI / ML positioning module computing power insufficient".

[0197] Optionally, S810 can also be replaced by: the LMF network element judges the state of the AI / ML model file. The state of the AI / ML model file includes "AI / ML model file exists" and "AI / ML model file does not exist".

[0198] For ease of understanding, the following embodiments of the present application take the LMF network element judging the state of the AI / ML model as an example. Illustratively, in the case where the state of the AI / ML model is available, the LMF network element performs S820; in the case where the state of the AI / ML model is unavailable, the LMF network element performs S830.

[0199] S820, in the case that the state of the AI / ML model is the available state, the LMF network element triggers the AI / ML positioning technology and outputs the second location information.

[0200] For illustration of the AI / ML positioning technology, reference can be made to the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] S830, in the case that the state of the AI / ML model is the unavailable state, the LMF network element executes the high-precision positioning technology to output the second location information.

[0202] Alternatively, in the case that the state of the AI / ML model is the unavailable state, the LMF network element increases the number of positioning parameters used to determine the second location information. On this basis, the number of positioning parameters used to determine the second location information is more than the number of positioning parameters used to determine the first location information.

[0203] For illustration of the high-precision positioning technology and the increase in the number of positioning parameters used to determine the second location information, reference can be made to the related description of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0204] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the AI / ML model can be deployed in the terminal; or the AI / ML model can be deployed in the network device; or the AI / ML model can be deployed in the LMF network element. The specific cases of the AI / ML model deployed in different devices are described below.

[0205] Case 1, the AI / ML model is deployed in the terminal.

[0206] For example, as shown in Figure 9 , in the case that the AI / ML model is deployed in the terminal, the LMF network element judges the state of the AI / ML model, and the LMF network element outputs the second location information (i.e. S810 to S830) can specifically include:

[0207] S910, the LMF network element sends a first instruction to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first instruction from the LMF network element.

[0208] The first instruction is used to call the AI / ML model.

[0209] For example, after receiving the first instruction from the LMF network element, the terminal detects the state of the AI / ML model, for example, the terminal can automatically detect the state of the AI / ML model through the model state detection module included in the terminal.

[0210] Optionally, in a case where the state of the AI / ML model is the available state, the method comprises S920-S940; in a case where the state of the AI / ML model is the unavailable state, the method can further comprise S950-S960.

[0211] S920, the terminal sends a second instruction to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the second instruction from the terminal.

[0212] The second instruction is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML model is the available state. Alternatively, the second instruction is used to indicate that the AI / ML model file exists; or alternatively, the second instruction is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML positioning module is the available state; or alternatively, the second instruction is used to indicate that the computing power of the AI / ML positioning module is sufficient, etc., which is not limited.

[0213] S930, the LMF network element sends first information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the LMF network element.

[0214] The first information is used to instruct the terminal to perform positioning by using the AI / ML model. Alternatively, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to determine the position information of the terminal by using the AI / ML model.

[0215] Optionally, after receiving the first information from the LMF network element, the terminal performs positioning by using the AI / ML model to determine the position information of the terminal, i.e., to determine second position information.

[0216] S940, the terminal sends second information to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the second information from the terminal.

[0217] The second information is used to indicate the second position information. Alternatively, the second information comprises the second position information. Alternatively, the second information carries the second position information, which is not limited.

[0218] It can be understood that the AI / ML model positioning includes AI / ML direct positioning and AI / ML assisted positioning. In a case where the AI / ML model is deployed on the terminal, the terminal can determine the position information of the terminal by using AI / ML direct positioning or AI / ML assisted positioning. For an example of the terminal determining the position information of the terminal by using AI / ML direct positioning, reference can be made to the related description of case 1 described above. For an example of the terminal determining the position information of the terminal by using AI / ML assisted positioning, reference can be made to the related description of case 2a described above, which will not be described herein again.

[0219] S950, the terminal sends a third instruction to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the third instruction from the terminal.

[0220] The third instruction is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML model is an unusable state. Alternatively, the third instruction is used to indicate that the AI / ML model file does not exist; alternatively, the third instruction is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML positioning module is an unusable state; alternatively, the third instruction is used to indicate that the computing power of the AI / ML positioning module is insufficient, and the like. Optionally, the third instruction can also be used to instruct the LMF network element to use high-precision positioning technology for positioning; alternatively, the third instruction is also used to instruct to increase the number of positioning parameters used for positioning the terminal.

[0221] S960, the LMF network element outputs the second position information through high-precision positioning technology.

[0222] Illustratively, after the LMF network element receives the third instruction from the terminal, the LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal through high-precision positioning technology and output the second position information; or the LMF network element increases the number of positioning parameters used for positioning the terminal and outputs the second position information.

[0223] Case 2: The AI / ML model is deployed in a network device (for ease of description, the following embodiment is referred to as a master base station).

[0224] Illustratively, as shown in Figure 10 , in the case where the AI / ML model is deployed in the master base station, the LMF network element judges the state of the AI / ML model, and the LMF network element outputs the second position information (i.e., S810 to S830) can specifically include:

[0225] S1001, the LMF network element sends a fourth instruction to the master base station. Correspondingly, the master base station receives the fourth instruction from the LMF network element.

[0226] The fourth instruction is used to call the AI / ML model.

[0227] Illustratively, after the master base station receives the fourth instruction from the LMF network element, the master base station detects the state of the AI / ML model, for example, the master base station can automatically detect the state of the AI / ML model through the model state detection module included in the network device.

[0228] Optionally, in the case where the state of the AI / ML model is an available state, the method includes S1002 to S1004; in the case where the state of the AI / ML model is an unusable state, the method can also include S1005 to S1006.

[0229] S1002, the master base station sends a fifth instruction to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the fifth instruction from the master base station.

[0230] The fifth instruction is similar to the second instruction, and details are described in the second instruction.

[0231] S1003, the LMF network element sends third information to the master base station. Correspondingly, the master base station receives the third information from the LMF network element.

[0232] The third information is used to instruct the master base station to perform positioning by using the AI / ML model. Alternatively, the third information is used to instruct the master base station to determine the position information of the terminal by using the AI / ML model.

[0233] Optionally, after receiving the third information from the LMF network element, the master base station performs positioning by using the AI / ML model to determine the position information of the terminal, i.e., to determine the second position information.

[0234] S1004, the master base station sends fourth information to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the fourth information from the master base station.

[0235] The fourth information is described in the second information, and details are not described herein.

[0236] In the case that the AI / ML model is deployed in the master base station, the master base station can determine the position information of the terminal by using AI / ML assisted positioning. Details are described in the case 3a, and details are not described herein.

[0237] S1005, the master base station sends a sixth instruction to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the sixth instruction from the master base station.

[0238] The sixth instruction is similar to the third instruction, and details are described in the third instruction. In addition, details of S1005 are described in S950, and details are not described herein.

[0239] S1006, the LMF network element outputs the second position information by using high-precision positioning technology.

[0240] For example, after receiving the sixth instruction from the terminal, the LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal by using high-precision positioning technology, and output the second position information. Alternatively, the LMF network element increases the number of positioning parameters for positioning the terminal, and outputs the second position information.

[0241] It should be noted that the first information and the third information can be collectively referred to as first indication information, that is, the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device or the terminal performs positioning by using the AI / ML model. The second information and the fourth information can be collectively referred to as second indication information, that is, the second indication information is used to indicate the second position information. The third instruction and the sixth instruction can be collectively referred to as third indication information, that is, the third indication information is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML model is an unavailable state; or, the third indication information is used to indicate that the AI / ML model file does not exist; or, the third indication information is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML positioning module is an unavailable state; or, the third indication information is used to indicate that the computing power of the AI / ML positioning module is insufficient; or, the third indication information can also be used to indicate that the LMF network element uses a high-precision positioning technology for positioning; or, the third indication information is also used to indicate that the number of positioning parameters used for positioning the terminal is increased, and the like, which is not limited.

[0242] Case 3, the AI / ML model is deployed in the LMF network element.

[0243] For example, in the case where the AI / ML model is deployed in the LMF network element, the LMF network element can detect the state of the AI / ML model. For example, the LMF network element can automatically detect the state of the AI / ML model by using a model state detection model included in the LMF network element.

[0244] Optionally, in the case where the state of the AI / ML model is an available state, the LMF network element performs positioning by using the AI / ML model to determine the position information of the terminal, that is, to determine the second position information.

[0245] It can be understood that the AI / ML model positioning includes AI / ML direct positioning and AI / ML assisted positioning. In the case where the AI / ML model is deployed in the LMF network element, the LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal by using AI / ML direct positioning. For example, the LMF network element can determine the position information of the terminal by using AI / ML direct positioning, which can be referred to the related description of case 2b and case 3b described above, and will not be described here.

[0246] In one possible manner, in the above cases 1 to 3, the LMF network element uniformly outputs the position information of the terminal (such as the second position information). On this basis, the LMF network element can report the position information of the terminal to the upper layer application of the terminal to trigger the upper layer application of the terminal to perform an operation related to the position information of the terminal; or, the LMF network element can report the position information of the terminal to other related network elements of the core network device to trigger the other related network elements to perform an operation related to the position information of the terminal.

[0247] Based on the above scheme, the LMF network element can use the errors of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result as a basis for judgment, which can reflect the complexity of the current propagation environment, and then reflect the positioning accuracy and the confidence of the positioning parameters. The LMF network element can dynamically select the traditional positioning method or the enhanced positioning technology, or switch between positioning technologies with different positioning accuracies, thereby improving the applicability and practicality of different positioning technologies to ensure the positioning accuracy and robustness in different propagation environments.

[0248] Specifically, the LMF network element can use the inconsistency of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result as a basis for judgment. When it is detected that there is a significant difference between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result, it means that the current is in a complex NLOS propagation environment. The LMF network element will trigger the enhanced positioning technology to improve the positioning accuracy and robustness in complex scenarios.

[0249] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 10 The flowchart or scenario diagram shown is only for understanding and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the examples shown in the figure. In fact, those skilled in the art can make equivalent transformations based on the examples in the foregoing detailed description to obtain more implementation manners. Figures 1 to 10

[0250] The foregoing detailed description of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail in the foregoing detailed description. Figures 1 to 10 The device embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. It should be understood that the communication device of the embodiments of the present application can perform the various positioning methods of the foregoing embodiments of the present application, i.e., the specific working processes of the following various products can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments. Figures 11 to 12 In the foregoing embodiments, the LMF network element can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments; the terminal device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments; the network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step can be executed in a different order as presented in each embodiment, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are executed. Moreover, the magnitude of the serial number of each step does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0251]

[0252] is a schematic block diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 11 Figure 11 ​​As shown, the communication apparatus can comprise a communication module 1120. The communication module 1120 can implement a corresponding communication function, which can be an internal communication function of the communication apparatus, or a communication function of the communication apparatus with other apparatuses. Alternatively, the communication module 1120 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver module. Alternatively, the communication apparatus further comprises a processing module 1110. The processing module 1110 can implement a corresponding processing function.

[0253] Alternatively, the communication apparatus further comprises a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 1110 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the communication apparatus implements the foregoing method embodiments.

[0254] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can correspond to the LMF network element in the foregoing method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) configured in the LMF network element. The communication apparatus can be used to execute steps or processes performed by the LMF network element in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0255] For example, the communication module 1120 is configured to determine a first positioning result, the first positioning result being used to indicate an error of an uplink positioning result and a downlink positioning result; the processing module 1110 is configured to output first location information in a case where the first positioning result satisfies a preset condition, the first location information being obtained by using a first positioning technology; and output second location information in a case where the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition, the second location information being obtained by using a second positioning technology; wherein the first positioning technology is different from the second positioning technology; and the preset condition is used to represent a tolerance of the error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0256] Optionally, the processing module 1110 is specifically configured to output the second location information in a case where the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition and a state of an AI / ML model is an available state; the second location information being location information output by the AI / ML model; wherein the AI / ML model is deployed in a terminal; or the AI / ML model is deployed in a network device; or the AI / ML model is deployed in a positioning management network element.

[0257] Optionally, the processing module 1110 is specifically configured to output the second location information in a case where the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition and a state of an AI / ML model is an unavailable state; wherein the second positioning technology comprises any one of a WLS, an EKF, and a particle filter; or the second positioning technology is used to trigger the positioning management network element to add a positioning parameter used for positioning a terminal.

[0258] Optionally, the preset condition comprises: the first positioning result is greater than a threshold value; and the threshold value is a maximum error of the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result allowed by the positioning management network element.

[0259] Optionally, the threshold is preconfigured, or the threshold is determined by the positioning management network element, and the threshold is related to a signal-to-noise ratio, and a historical error distribution of the downlink positioning result and the uplink positioning result.

[0260] Optionally, the AI / ML model is deployed on a network device, or the AI / ML model is deployed on a terminal, and the processing module 1110 is specifically configured to, in a case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition and the state of the AI / ML model is the available state, send first indication information to the first device, the first indication information being used to instruct the first device to perform positioning by using the AI / ML model, receive second indication information from the first device, and the second indication information being used to indicate second position information, the first device being a terminal or a network device.

[0261] Optionally, the AI / ML model is deployed on a network device, or the AI / ML model is deployed on a terminal, and the processing module 1110 is specifically configured to, in a case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition, receive third indication information from the first device, the third indication information being used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML model is the unavailable state, or the third indication information being used to instruct to perform positioning by using a target positioning technology, or the third indication information is used to increase a number of positioning parameters used for positioning the terminal, output the second position information by using the target positioning technology, or increase the number of the positioning parameters used for positioning the terminal and output the second position information.

[0262] Optionally, the communication module 1120 is specifically configured to determine a downlink positioning result according to the received first positioning parameter from the terminal, the first positioning parameter being related to a PRS signal, determine an uplink positioning result according to the received second positioning parameter from the network device, the second positioning parameter being related to an SRS signal, and determine the first positioning result according to an error between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result.

[0263] The above is only an example, and detailed steps or processes can be referred to the description of the foregoing embodiments.

[0264] Figure 12 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. of a terminal device or a network device implementing the above method. The communication apparatus can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and specific implementation can be referred to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0265] As Figure 12As shown, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors 1210, which can also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1210 can be a general processor or a special purpose processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be configured to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be configured to control the communication apparatus (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a user, a user chip), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0266] In an alternative design, the processor 1210 can also store instructions and / or data, which can be executed by the processor 1210, so that the communication apparatus performs the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0267] In another alternative design, the communication apparatus can include a communication interface 1220 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1220 can be a transceiver circuit, an interface, an interface circuit, or a transceiver, etc. The transceiver circuit, the interface, the interface circuit, or the transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions can be separate or integrated together. The transceiver circuit, the interface, the interface circuit, or the transceiver described above can be used for reading and writing of codes / data, or the transceiver circuit, the interface, the interface circuit, or the transceiver described above can be used for transmission or transfer of signals.

[0268] Optionally, the communication apparatus can include one or more memories 1230, which can store instructions that can be executed by the processor 1210, so that the communication apparatus performs the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1230 can also store data. Optionally, the processor 1210 can also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1210 and the memory 1230 can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0269] It should be understood that, in a possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in the present application can be completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being completed by a hardware processor, or completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can be located in random access memories, flash memories, read-only memories, programmable read-only memories, or electrically erasable programmable memories, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0270] In an implementation, the communication apparatus can correspond to the terminal device in the method embodiments described above, and can be configured to perform each step and / or procedure performed by the terminal device in the method embodiments described above. The processor 1210 can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 1230, and when the processor 1210 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1210 is configured to perform each step and / or procedure of the method embodiments described above corresponding to the terminal device.

[0271] In another implementation, the communication apparatus can correspond to the network device in the method embodiments described above, and can be configured to perform each step and / or procedure performed by the network device in the method embodiments described above. The processor 1210 can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 1230, and when the processor 1210 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1210 is configured to perform each step and / or procedure of the method embodiments described above corresponding to the network device.

[0272] It should be understood that the processing apparatus described above can be one or more chips. For example, the processing apparatus can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), can be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), can be a system on chip (SoC), can be a central processor unit (CPU), can be a network processor (NP), can be a digital signal processor (DSP), can be a micro controller unit (MCU), can be a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chip.

[0273] It is to be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Where the nonvolatile memory is a read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, for example, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). Note that the system and method described herein are intended to include all such memory types and any other suitable type of memory.

[0274] According to the method provided by the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a chip system, which comprises one or more processors, and is used for calling and running instructions stored in a memory, so that the method of the embodiments of the application is executed. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0275] The chip system can include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0276] According to the method provided by the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a communication system, which comprises the network device, the terminal device, and the LMF network element.

[0277] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a computer program product, which comprises computer program codes, and when the computer program codes are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute each step or process performed by the network device, the terminal device, and the LMF network element in any of the preceding method embodiments.

[0278] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores program codes, and when the program codes are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute each step or process performed by the network device, the terminal device, and the LMF network element in any of the preceding method embodiments.

[0279] The computer readable storage medium can be the volatile memory or the non-volatile memory described above, or can simultaneously include the volatile memory and the non-volatile memory.

[0280] In the embodiments of the present application, each term and English abbreviation is an exemplary example given for convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in the existing or future protocols.

[0281] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, all or part of the embodiments can be realized in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated.

[0282] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0283] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0284] In conclusion, the above only describes the preferred embodiments of the technical scheme of the present application, and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized by, The method is applied to a positioning management network element; and the method comprises: determining a first positioning result; the first positioning result is used to indicate errors of uplink positioning results and downlink positioning results; in a case where the first positioning result meets a preset condition, outputting first position information; the first position information is obtained through a first positioning technology; in a case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition and a state of an AI / ML model is an available state, outputting second position information; the second position information is position information output by an AI / ML model supported by a second positioning technology; wherein the first positioning technology is different from the second positioning technology; and the preset condition is used to represent a tolerance of errors of the uplink positioning results and the downlink positioning results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The AI / ML model is deployed in a terminal; or the AI / ML model is deployed in a network device; or the AI / ML model is deployed in the positioning management network element.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, in the case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition, outputting the second position information, comprising: in a case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition and a state of an AI / ML model is an unavailable state, outputting second position information; wherein the second positioning technology comprises any one of WLS, EKF, and particle filtering; or the second positioning technology is used to trigger the positioning management network element to increase positioning parameters for positioning a terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the preset condition comprises that the first positioning result is greater than a threshold value; and the threshold value is a maximum error of the uplink positioning results and the downlink positioning results allowed by the positioning management network element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold value is preconfigured; or the threshold value is determined by the positioning management network element; and the threshold value is related to a signal-to-noise ratio, a historical error distribution of the downlink positioning results, and the uplink positioning results.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, the AI / ML model is deployed in the network device; or the AI / ML model is deployed in the terminal; wherein, in the case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition and a state of an AI / ML model is an available state, outputting the second position information, comprising in the case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition and the state of the AI / ML model is the available state, sending first indication information to a first device; the first indication information is used to instruct the first device to perform positioning through the AI / ML model; receiving second indication information from the first device; the second indication information is used to indicate the second position information; and the first device is the terminal or the network device.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein, the AI / ML model is deployed in the network device; or the AI / ML model is deployed in the terminal; wherein, in the case where the first positioning result does not meet the preset condition and a state of an AI / ML model is an unavailable state, outputting the second position information, comprising In a case where the first positioning result does not satisfy the preset condition, third indication information from the first device is received; the third indication information is used to indicate that the state of the AI / ML model is an unavailable state; or the third indication information is used to indicate that positioning is performed using any one of the WLS, the EKF, and the particle filter; or the third indication information is used to indicate that the number of positioning parameters for positioning the terminal is increased. In response to the third indication information, the second position information is output.

8. The method of any one of claims 1, 2, or 5-7, wherein, The determining the first positioning result comprises: determining the downlink positioning result according to received first positioning parameters from the terminal; the first positioning parameters are related to PRS signals; determining an uplink positioning result according to received second positioning parameters from the network device; the second positioning parameters are related to SRS signals; taking an error between the uplink positioning result and the downlink positioning result as the first positioning result.

9. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises at least one processor coupled with a memory, and the memory stores programs or instructions; the processor executes the programs or instructions to enable the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions, characterized in that, The computer programs or instructions, when executed, enable the computer to perform the method in any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A communication system, characterized by The communication device comprises the communication device in claim 9.

12. A chip system, characterized by The chip system comprises one or more processors configured to call and run instructions stored in a memory, so that the method in any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed.

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