A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: a positioning assistance unit receives first information, the first information is used for requesting positioning information, and comprises at least one of the following: a first position information request or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request; the positioning assistance unit sends second information according to the first information, the second information is a response to the first information, and comprises at least one of the following: a satellite number, a cell identifier, a first time unit, a first reference signal index, first position information or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value; and the positioning assistance unit measures a first reference signal according to the first information, the first reference signal is used for determining a Doppler frequency shift measurement value, and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value is used for determining second position information of a terminal device. Through the above scheme, a positioning method of a terminal device assisted by a positioning assistance unit based on a Doppler frequency shift measurement value can be realized, and the positioning performance is improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In communication systems, satellite-based positioning methods can include downlink, uplink, and lateral positioning scenarios. For example, in a downlink positioning scenario, a terminal device can obtain its location information by measuring reference signals transmitted by multiple satellites and processing the results. However, due to the long distances, high speeds, and wide beam coverage of satellites, the positioning of the terminal device can be inaccurate.

[0003] Therefore, how to improve positioning performance in satellite positioning scenarios is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a communication method and apparatus that can achieve better positioning performance in satellite positioning scenarios.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a first device. The first device in this application can be a network device or a terminal device, or a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within a network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device or terminal device. For ease of description, the first device will be used as an example below.

[0006] The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to request location information, the first information including at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request; sending second information according to the first information, the second information being a response to the first information, the second information including at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value; measuring a first reference signal according to the first information, the first reference signal being used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, the Doppler frequency shift measurement value being used to determine the second location information.

[0007] The above scheme, by sending second information based on first information and measuring the first reference signal, can obtain Doppler information for assisted positioning, which helps improve positioning performance. Specifically, satellite number / cell identifier and Doppler frequency shift measurement values ​​can help the terminal device reduce the search range of the positioning reference signal frequency, and the reference signal index can help the terminal device reduce the search range of the positioning reference signal beam.

[0008] Optionally, third information may be sent, which may include at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, Doppler frequency shift measurement, or Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0009] By using the above scheme, the first device can provide corresponding positioning assistance information by sending third information, which helps to reduce positioning errors and improve positioning accuracy.

[0010] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0011] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift.

[0012] Optionally, an auxiliary information request is received, which includes at least one of the following: a first position information request, a Doppler frequency shift measurement request, or a Doppler frequency shift ambiguity. Optionally, a first reference signal is received.

[0013] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a second device. The second device in this application can be a network device or a terminal device, or a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within a network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device or terminal device. For ease of description, the following description uses a second device as an example.

[0014] The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to request location information, the first information including at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement request; receiving second information, the second information being a response to the first information, the second information including at least one of the following: a satellite number, a cell identifier, a first time unit, a first reference signal index, the first location information, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement; the first information being used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement and the first location information, the Doppler frequency shift measurement and the first location information being used to determine the second location information.

[0015] The above scheme, by sending the first information and receiving the second information, can obtain Doppler information for assisted positioning, which helps improve positioning performance. Specifically, the satellite number / cell identifier and Doppler frequency shift measurement can help the terminal device reduce the search range of the positioning reference signal frequency, and the reference signal index can help the terminal device reduce the search range of the positioning reference signal beam.

[0016] Optionally, third information is sent, which includes at least one of the following: the satellite number, the cell identifier, the first time unit, the first reference signal index, the first location information, the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0017] By using the above method, sending third-party information can provide corresponding positioning assistance information, which helps to reduce positioning errors and improve positioning accuracy.

[0018] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0019] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift.

[0020] Optionally, receive second location information.

[0021] Thirdly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to a third device. The third device in this application can be a network device or a terminal device, or a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within a network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device or terminal device. For ease of description, the following description uses a third device as an example.

[0022] The method includes: receiving third information, which includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, Doppler frequency shift measurement, or Doppler frequency shift ambiguity; and determining second location information based on the third information.

[0023] By using the above method, positioning can be performed based on the positioning assistance information in the third information, thereby reducing positioning errors and improving positioning accuracy.

[0024] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0025] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift.

[0026] Optionally, an auxiliary information request may be sent, which may include at least one of the following: a first location information request, a Doppler frequency shift measurement request, or a Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0027] Optionally, send a second location information.

[0028] Optionally, a second reference signal may be received.

[0029] Fourthly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to a second device. The second device in this application can be a network device or a terminal device, or a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within a network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device or terminal device. For ease of description, the following description uses a second device as an example.

[0030] The method includes: sending fifth information, the fifth information including a third location information request; receiving sixth information, the sixth information being a response to the fifth information, the sixth information including the third location information; sending seventh information, the seventh information including at least one of the following: first identification information, the third location information, or, first detection reference signal (SRS) configuration information; sending eighth information, the eighth information including at least one of the following: second identification information, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information, or, second SRS configuration information; the seventh and eighth information are used to determine fourth location information.

[0031] The above scheme can provide Doppler information for auxiliary positioning, which helps to improve positioning performance and reduce the search range of reference signal frequency and beam.

[0032] Optionally, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: the first identification information and the second identification information belong to the first identification set.

[0033] Optionally, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: the first identification information belongs to the second identification set, the second identification information belongs to the third identification set, and the second identification set is associated with the third identification set.

[0034] Fifthly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to a fourth device. The fourth device in this application can be a network device or a terminal device, or a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within a network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device or terminal device. For ease of description, the following description uses a fourth device as an example.

[0035] The method includes: receiving seventh information, the seventh information including at least one of the following: first identification information, third location information, or first detection reference signal (SRS) configuration information; receiving eighth information, the eighth information including at least one of the following: second identification information, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information, or second SRS configuration information; receiving a first SRS and a second SRS; the first SRS, the second SRS, the seventh information, and the eighth information are used to determine fourth location information.

[0036] The above method allows for positioning based on Doppler information from assisted positioning, which improves positioning performance and reduces the search range of reference signal frequency and beam.

[0037] Optionally, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: the first identification information and the second identification information belong to the first identification set.

[0038] Optionally, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: the first identification information belongs to the second identification set, the second identification information belongs to the third identification set, and the second identification set is associated with the third identification set.

[0039] A sixth aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes: a processor configured to perform the first aspect and any possible method thereof, the processor configured to perform the second aspect and any possible method thereof, the processor configured to perform the third aspect and any possible method thereof, the processor configured to perform the fourth aspect and any possible method thereof, or the processor configured to perform the fifth aspect and any possible method thereof.

[0040] In some implementations, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the fifth aspect and other communication devices.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data related to the methods of the first aspect or any embodiment thereof, the second aspect or any embodiment thereof, the third aspect or any embodiment thereof, or the fourth aspect or any embodiment thereof.

[0042] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or the technical effects of the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect will not be repeated here.

[0043] A seventh aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes: a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method of the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, to perform the method of the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, to perform the method of the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, to perform the method of the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or to perform the method of the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the communication device may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device and other communication devices.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes the memory for storing the aforementioned computer program or instructions. Optionally, the memory and processor are integrated together.

[0046] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the seventh aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, or the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0047] Eighthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a processing unit configured to perform the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect, the processing unit configured to perform the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect, the processing unit configured to perform the third aspect and any possible method of the third aspect, the processing unit configured to perform the fourth aspect and any possible method of the fourth aspect, or, the processing unit configured to perform the fifth aspect and any possible method of the fifth aspect.

[0048] In some implementations, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may further include a transceiver unit. This transceiver unit may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. This transceiver unit can be used by the communication device described in the seventh aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may further include a storage unit. This storage unit may be integrated with the processing unit or may be disposed separately. The storage unit may be used to store computer programs and / or data related to the methods of the first aspect or any embodiment thereof, the second aspect or any embodiment thereof, the third aspect or any embodiment thereof, the fourth aspect or any embodiment thereof, or the fifth aspect or any embodiment thereof.

[0050] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the eighth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0051] A ninth aspect provides a chip including a processor for calling a computer program or computer instructions in a memory to cause the processor to execute any of the implementations of the first aspect, any of the implementations of the second aspect, any of the implementations of the third aspect, any of the implementations of the fourth aspect, or any of the implementations of the fifth aspect.

[0052] In some implementations, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0053] A tenth aspect provides a communication system. The communication system includes: a second means for performing the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment thereof; a first means for performing the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment thereof; a second means for performing the method described in the third aspect or any embodiment thereof; a first means for performing the method described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment thereof; or, a first means for performing the method described in the fifth aspect or any embodiment thereof.

[0054] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are executed, causing the method as described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect to be implemented, causing the method as described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect to be implemented, causing the method as described in the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect to be implemented, causing the method as described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect to be implemented, or causing the method as described in the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect to be implemented.

[0055] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in the first aspect or any embodiment thereof to be implemented, cause the method as described in the second aspect or any embodiment thereof to be implemented, cause the method as described in the third aspect or any embodiment thereof to be implemented, cause the method as described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment thereof to be implemented, or cause the method as described in the fifth aspect or any embodiment thereof to be implemented. Attached Figure Description

[0056] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system.

[0057] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication network provided in this application.

[0058] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an NTN network architecture provided in this application.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another NTN network architecture provided in this application.

[0060] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a positioning method provided in this application.

[0061] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another positioning method provided in this application.

[0062] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of another positioning method provided in this application.

[0063] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an auxiliary positioning method provided in this application.

[0064] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a downlink assisted positioning method provided in this application.

[0065] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram of an uplink assisted positioning method provided in this application.

[0066] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a lateral assisted positioning method provided in this application.

[0067] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0068] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a terminal chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0069] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of another terminal chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0071] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0072] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points will be explained before introducing this application.

[0073] 1. In this application, the term "system" may be used interchangeably with "network". This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in relation to a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches may also be used.

[0074] In this application, the words "exemplarily," "for example," etc., are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "example" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner.

[0075] 2. In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also instruct only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. At the same time, the common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and uniformly indicated to reduce the instruction overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0076] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As can be seen from the above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0077] 3. "Predefined," "pre-defined," "pre-configured," or "pre-configured" can be understood as standard-defined, which can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices). This application embodiment does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. One or more memories can be separate settings or integrated into the encoder or decoder, processor, or communication device. One or more memories can also be partially separate settings and partially integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application embodiment does not limit this. "Configuration" refers to network device configuration, which can be changed through system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0078] 4. The “protocol” involved in the embodiments of this application may refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, the New Radio (NR) protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. The embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0079] 5. In the embodiments of this application, the descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device (e.g., the terminal device) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device (e.g., the terminal device) to have a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0080] 6. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. The "and / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0081] 7. In the embodiments of this application, "time unit" generally refers to a unit of time. A time unit can be a radio frame, subframe, slot, mini-slot, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, hour (h), minute (min), second (s), millisecond (ms), partial OFDM symbol, on-off keying (OOK) symbol, OOK time unit, or a fraction of a millisecond (e.g., 1 / 32ms) time unit. Alternatively, a time unit can be multiple radio frames, multiple subframes, multiple slots, multiple mini-slots, multiple OFDM symbols, several hours, several minutes, several seconds, several milliseconds (ms), multiple partial OFDM symbols, multiple OOK symbols, multiple OOK time units, or several fractions of a millisecond time unit. A radio frame may include multiple subframes, a subframe may include one or more slots, and a slot may include at least one OFDM symbol. Alternatively, a radio frame may include multiple slots, and a slot may include at least one OFDM symbol. For ease of distinction, in this embodiment, the time unit mapped by OOK modulation is called an OOK time unit, and an OFDM symbol may include one or more OOK time units. For ON mode, the OOK time unit is also called an OOK ON time unit. An OOK time unit can also be referred to as an OOK symbol.

[0082] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0083] Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions in different embodiments of this application are consistent and can be referenced and combined with each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0084] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0085] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, including but not limited to: LTE systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, NR systems and other fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) systems, enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) systems, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) systems, ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), LTE-machine-to-machine (LTE-M) systems, or future communication networks, etc.

[0086] In the embodiments of this application, the term "communication" can also be described as "data transmission," "signal transmission," "information transmission," or simply "transmission." In the embodiments of this application, transmission can include sending and / or receiving. Exemplarily, transmission can be uplink transmission, such as a terminal device sending a signal to a network device; transmission can also be downlink transmission, such as a network device sending a signal to a terminal device; transmission can also be sidelink transmission, such as a terminal device sending a signal to another terminal device. Exemplarily, "transmission" can be air interface-level transmission, or it can refer to signal transmission at a chip input (I) / output (O) interface, rather than air interface-level transmission.

[0087] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100. (For example...) Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes a radio access network (RAN) 110 and a core network (CN) 120. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include an Internet 130. The network equipment may include RAN 110, or the network equipment may include RAN 110 and CN 120.

[0088] RAN 110 may include at least one access network device (such as...) Figure 1 111a and 111b in the above), may also include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1 (112a-112j in the original text). The terminal device connects to the access network device wirelessly. The access network device connects to the core network 120 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network 120 may include one or more core network devices. The core network device and the access network device may be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the access network device may be integrated on the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the access network device. Terminal devices and access network devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Terminal devices can communicate wirelessly with each other, with each other, and with each other via air interface resources. For example, air interface resources may include at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, code resources, and spatial resources. It should be noted that... Figure 1 This is just an illustration; the communication system 100 may also include other devices with wireless transceiver capabilities, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 It is not shown in the middle.

[0089] RAN 110 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future communication network. RAN 110 can also be an O-RAN, CRAN, or Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) system, or a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems. In this invention, RAN 110 can be an NTN system, and RAN 110 can be in transparent transmission mode or regenerative mode.

[0090] Access network equipment can be any device with wireless transceiver capabilities. For example, access network equipment can be a base station used to connect terminal devices to the RAN. Access network equipment is sometimes also referred to as an access network node. It is understood that the names of devices with access capabilities may differ in systems employing different wireless access technologies. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application collectively refer to devices providing wireless communication access capabilities to terminal devices as base stations. In the embodiments of this application, access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: various forms of macro base stations (such as...). Figure 1 111a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1Access network equipment includes 111b), pico base stations, small cells, balloon stations, relay stations, and access points. It can include evolved node Bs (eNBs or eNodeBs) in LTE, access points (APs), wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, transmission points (TPs), or transmission reception points (TRPs) in Wi-Fi systems. It can also include next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) or transmission points (TRPs or TPs) in 5G systems, one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a 5G base station, network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as baseband units (BBUs) or distributed units (DUs), and access network equipment, servers, or vehicle-mounted equipment in future communication networks. Access network equipment can also be modules or units that perform some of the functions of a base station; for example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a DU.

[0091] For example, in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) or LTE wireless communication system, the access network equipment can be a macro base station (eNB); in a heterogeneous network (HetNet) scenario, the access network equipment can be a micro base station (eNB); in a distributed base station scenario, the access network equipment can include a base station unit (BBU) and a remote radio unit (RRU); in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, the access network equipment can be a BBU pool and an RRU; and in future wireless communication systems, the access network equipment can be a gNB.

[0092] In this embodiment, the means for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a means that enables the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0093] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0094] In another possible scenario, a RAN node can be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station; or multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes performing some of the functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, DU, or a radio unit (RU), etc.

[0095] The functionality of a CU can be implemented by a single entity or by different entities. For example, the functionality of the CU can be further divided, separating the control plane and user plane and implementing them through different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-control plane (CP) entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-user plane (UP) entity). This CU-CP entity and CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the RAN node. The CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in the BBU. Any unit among the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0096] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples.

[0097] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer and above (e.g., the RRC layer and / or SDAP layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., the RLC layer, MAC layer, and / or PHY layer). For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications or the technical specifications of other applicable communication protocols.

[0098] The above division of the processing functions of CU and DU according to protocol layers is merely an example; other division methods are also possible, and this application does not limit this. For example, in one design, CU or DU can be further divided into processing functions with protocol layers. In one design, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are located in the CU, while the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are located in the DU.

[0099] In another possible design, the DU and RU collaborate to implement the PHY layer functionality, or, more specifically, a portion of the PHY layer functionality of the DU can be moved to the RU. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU may be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU may be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Alternatively, the DU may be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU may be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functionality closer to the MAC layer, and lower-level functions may include another portion of the physical layer's functionality closer to the mid-RF side. This application does not limit the specific functions of the DU and RU. The interface between the DU and RU can be called a fronthaul interface. In one design, the CU may not have a PDCP layer; for example, the CU may only include an RRC layer. The CU-CP may not have PDCP-C. The CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have a CU-UP. In one design, the DU may not have an RLC layer; for example, the DU may only have a MAC and a higher PHY layer.

[0100] Core network equipment refers to the equipment in the core network that provides service support to terminals. Examples of core network equipment include: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entities, Session Management Function (SMF) entities, User Plane Function (UPF) entities, Policy Control Function (PCF) entities, Unified Data Management (UDM) entities, Application Function (AF) entities, Network Exposure Function (NEF) entities, Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entities, Location Management Function (LMF) entities, Sensing Function (SF) entities, and so on, not listed here. Among these, the AMF entity is responsible for terminal access management and mobility management, such as user location updates, user network registration, and user handover; the SMF entity is responsible for session management, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include allocating IP addresses to users and selecting UPFs that provide packet forwarding capabilities; UPF entities can be user plane functional entities, mainly responsible for connecting to external networks; PCF is responsible for providing policies to AMF and SMF, such as quality of service (QoS) policies and slice selection policies; UDM is used to store user data, such as subscription information and authentication / authorization information; AF is responsible for providing services to the 3GPP network, such as influencing service routing and interacting with PCF for policy control; NEF exposes the capabilities of various network functions and is responsible for converting internal and external information; LMF is mainly responsible for location management, such as initiating location procedures and locating specific terminals; NWDAF is used to collect, process, and analyze various data from the network, thereby helping operators better understand network performance, optimize network configuration, and improve user experience; SF is used for selecting sensing devices, controlling sensing services, processing sensing measurement data independently or jointly with other network elements, and outputting sensing results to the sensing requester. It should be noted that in this application, an entity can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity. For example, an AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and an SF entity can also be referred to as an SF network element or an SF functional entity, etc.

[0101] When the RAN is O-RAN, it can also have artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. For example, O-RAN includes an intelligent controller. The intelligent controller can be a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / non-RT RIC / NRTRIC) or a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / nRT RIC / nRT RIC). A non-real-time RIC can be used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions, enabling workflows including model training and updates, and guiding applications / functions in the nRT RIC based on policies. A near-real-time RIC can be used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources are achieved.

[0102] Terminal equipment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users; it can also be a device with wireless connectivity. Terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal equipment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless network equipment, user agent, or user device. In this application embodiment, terminal devices include, but are not limited to: cellular phones, mobile phones, wireless data cards, wireless modems, tablets, laptop computers, notebook computers, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, smartphones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handsets with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), satellite terminals, terminal devices in the Internet of Things or the Internet of Vehicles, as well as any form of terminal in future networks, relay user equipment, or terminals in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc.Terminal devices can also be virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light UE, reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, terminal devices in industrial control, terminal devices in self-driving, terminal devices in remote medical care, terminal devices in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, terminal devices in smart cities, terminal devices in smart homes, tactile terminal devices, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving, or flying devices (e.g., smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal device can also be a vehicle device, such as a complete vehicle device, an in-vehicle module, an in-vehicle communication module, an in-vehicle chip, an on-board unit (OBU), or a telematics box (T-BOX). The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that acts as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication. The terminal device can also be other embedded communication modules. This application does not limit the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0103] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be any device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip or chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device. The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components. In the technical solution of this application embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device is referred to as the terminal device, which can also be called a terminal. The following description may use a UE (User Equipment) as an example to illustrate the technical solution provided in this application embodiment.

[0104] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1The helicopter or drone 112i can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 112j that access the wireless access network 110 via 112i, terminal 112i is a base station; however, for base station 111a, 112i is a terminal, meaning that 111a and 112i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 111a and 112i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, relative to 111a, 112i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 111a and 111b in the diagram can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality. Figure 1 The 112a-112j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0105] Base station equipment and terminal equipment can communicate via a wireless link. The transmission link from the base station to the terminal equipment can be called the downlink (DL) or downlink channel, and is used to transmit downlink signals. The transmission link from the terminal equipment to the base station can be called the uplink (UL) or uplink channel, and is used to transmit uplink signals.

[0106] For example, considering the transmission from the UTMS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) to the UE (UTRAN to UE, Uu) interface, the two parties in the wireless communication may include a base station and a terminal device.

[0107] As an example, communication system 100 is suitable for Figure 2 The 5G network shown includes UE A to UE D, ng-eNB, gNB, LMF network elements, and AMF network elements. Figure 2 In this configuration, UE C and UE D are located outside the NG-RAN coverage area, while UE A and UE B are within the NG-RAN coverage area. UE A and UE B can access the 5G network via NG-RAN, which includes ng-eNB and gNB. ng-eNB and gNB can communicate with each other via the Xn interface. ng-eNB (or gNB) can communicate with AMF network elements via the NG-C interface, and AMF network elements can communicate with LMF network elements via the NL1 interface. Furthermore, UE A to UE D can communicate with each other via the NR PC5 interface, and UE A to UE D can support sidelink positioning. UE A or UE B can transmit a reference signal, and ng-eNB or gNB can measure the reference signal to obtain corresponding measurement information, which is then sent to the LMF network element.

[0108] LMF network elements can be responsible for supporting different types of location services for the target UE. For example, LMF network elements can support UE positioning and the transmission of auxiliary data to the UE. The control plane of the LMF network element is the Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC), and the user plane of the LMF network element is the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0109] Optionally, the LMF network element can interact with the ng-eNB, gNB, or UE.

[0110] For example, LMF network elements and ng-eNB / gNB exchange information via NR positioning protocol a (NRPPa) messages. NRPPa is the signaling protocol between NG-RAN nodes and LMF network elements. The specific information exchanged between NG-RAN nodes and LMF network elements may include one or more of the following: positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, SRS configuration information, cell timing information, or cell location information.

[0111] For example, the LMF network element and the UE exchange information via LTE positioning protocol (LPP) messages. LPP is the signaling protocol between the LMF network element and the UE. The specific information exchanged between the LMF network element and the UE may include one or more of the following: UE capability information, positioning assistance information, or measurement information. Among them, measurement information includes information obtained by the terminal from measuring reference signals, such as signal arrival time, signal carrier phase, or signal Doppler shift.

[0112] The AMF (Application Management Function) network element can receive location service requests related to the target UE from the location services (LCS) entity, or the AMF network element itself can initiate some location services on behalf of a specific target UE and forward the location service requests to the LMF (Location Management Function) network element. Once the location information of the target UE is obtained, the AMF network element can return the relevant location information to the LCS entity. Optionally, the AMF network element can obtain the UE's location information from the LMF network element.

[0113] Understandably, the device or entity corresponding to the access network node 111 in the communication system 100 is... Figure 2The ng-eNB or gNB in ​​the 5G network shown. The device or entity corresponding to terminal 112 in communication system 100 is... Figure 2 The UE A or UE B in the 5G network shown. The device or entity corresponding to the positioning network element 121 in the communication system 100 is... Figure 2 The LMF network element in the 5G network is shown.

[0114] As another example, communication system 100 is suitable for Figure 3 The NTN network architecture is shown. Specifically, the device or entity corresponding to the access network node 111 in the communication system 100 is... Figure 3 The satellites or base stations in the network shown. The device or entity corresponding to terminal 112 in communication system 100 is... Figure 3 The terminal in the network shown. The device or entity corresponding to the positioning network element 121 in the communication system 100 is... Figure 3 The network element located within CN in the network shown.

[0115] As another example, communication system 100 is suitable for Figure 4 The NTN network architecture is shown. Specifically, the device or entity corresponding to the access network node 111 in the communication system 100 is... Figure 4 Satellite 1 (or Satellite 2) in the network shown. The device or entity corresponding to terminal 112 in communication system 100 is... Figure 4 Terminal 1 (or Terminal 2) in the network shown. The device or entity corresponding to the positioning network element 121 in the communication system 100 is... Figure 4 The network element located within CN in the network shown.

[0116] The communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application has been described above. To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application, the relevant technical features involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be considered as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0117] To facilitate understanding of the solution, the following is a brief introduction to the relevant basic concepts. The architecture and methodology will gradually evolve with technological development, so the following definitions do not constitute a limitation on this application.

[0118] 1. Non-terrestrial network (NTN)

[0119] NTN can deploy all or part of the functions of access network nodes on non-terrestrial network equipment such as drones, high-altitude platforms, or satellites. Therefore, NTN can cover places where base stations cannot be deployed, such as the sea, desert, or air. Moreover, these network devices are not easily damaged by external forces or affected by natural disasters, thus improving the reliability of the system.

[0120] Satellites can be categorized based on their orbital altitude into geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. GEO satellites, also known as high-orbit satellites, orbit at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km and are commonly used for remote sensing and satellite telephony. MEO satellites, also known as medium-orbit satellites, orbit at altitudes of 7,000 km to 25,000 km and are commonly used for television relay and navigation. LEO satellites, also known as low-orbit satellites, orbit at altitudes of approximately 300 km to 1,500 km. LEO satellites offer advantages such as low latency, low cost, and flexible networking capabilities, and are currently becoming a focus of satellite communication infrastructure development. For example, the vast majority of Earth observation satellites, geodetic satellites, space stations, and some new communication satellite systems utilize LEO satellites.

[0121] Low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites move at high speeds and exhibit Doppler shift characteristics. For example, when a satellite orbits at an altitude of 600 km and operates at a frequency of 2 GHz, the Doppler shift is mainly related to the satellite's movement, and the maximum Doppler shift can reach approximately ±47 kHz.

[0122] Satellites are generally categorized by their operating mode into transparent satellites and regenerative satellites. A transparent satellite functions like an analog radio frequency repeater, performing analog-domain radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification on signals from terminals / ground stations without altering the signal waveform. A regenerative satellite possesses all or some of the functions of a base station; that is, all or some of the functions of a base station can be deployed on the satellite. For example, the satellite may have all the functions of a base station, or it may have the functions of a base station unit (DU). Therefore, a regenerative satellite can also be considered a base station, capable of processing signals from terminals or transmitting signals to terminals. Specifically, regenerative satellites can support one or more functions such as radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, demodulation / decoding, encoding / modulation, and error detection, correction, and recovery of signals.

[0123] For example, such as Figure 3 The diagram shows a network architecture for NTN (which can be called a transparent architecture), in which the satellites are transparent satellites. Figure 3In this system, terminals can communicate with satellites via air interfaces (such as the Uu interface), and satellites can communicate with NTN gateways via air interfaces. NTN gateways can communicate with base stations (such as gNBs or ng-eNBs). Base stations can communicate with the core network via next-generation (NG) interfaces. The core network can communicate with the data network (DN) via the N6 interface.

[0124] The aforementioned satellites can serve as layer 1 (L1) relays. For example, the satellites support radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification to regenerate physical layer signals, making these signals invisible to protocol layers above the physical layer.

[0125] NTN gateways can have the necessary functions to forward Uu interface signals. For example, an NTN gateway can forward Uu interface signals (from a terminal) relayed by a satellite to a base station, or forward Uu interface signals from a base station to a satellite.

[0126] The network communication segment between the terminal and the base station can be called an RRU. NG-RAN can ensure normal communication between the terminal and the core network.

[0127] For example, such as Figure 4 The diagram shows another NTN network architecture (which can be called a regenerative architecture). In this architecture, the satellites are regenerative satellites that possess all or part of the functions of a base station and can be used as base stations. Figure 4 In this architecture, Satellite 1 can communicate with Terminal 1 via an air interface (such as the Uu interface) and with Satellite 2 via the Xn interface. This Xn interface can be deployed on an inter-satellite link (ISL). Satellite 2 can communicate with Terminal 2 via the air interface. Satellites (such as Satellite 1 or Satellite 2) can communicate with the core network via the NG interface, and the core network can communicate with the DN via the N6 interface. During communication between Satellite 1 and the core network, NTN Gateway 1 can connect network segments using different protocols to ensure normal communication. Similarly, during communication between Satellite 2 and the core network, NTN Gateway 2 can connect network segments using different protocols to ensure normal communication. In the network segments between satellites and NTN gateways (such as the network segment between Satellite 1 and NTN Gateway 1, or the network segment between Satellite 2 and NTN Gateway 2), the NG interface is an interface deployed in the satellite radio interface (SRI). Furthermore, NTN Gateway 1 or NTN Gateway 2 is a transport network layer node that can support all or some transport protocols, connecting network segments using different protocols to ensure normal communication. NG-RAN can ensure normal communication between the terminal and the core network.

[0128] 2. Positioning Method

[0129] Based on whether the reference signal is sent from the network side or the terminal side, positioning methods can be divided into three categories: downlink positioning methods, uplink positioning methods, and combined uplink and downlink positioning methods. Downlink positioning methods are based on the downlink, for example, the access network node sends a downlink reference signal, the terminal performs measurements, and subsequently, the terminal or the positioning network element performs positioning calculations. Uplink positioning methods are based on the uplink, for example, the terminal can send an uplink reference signal, the access network node performs measurements, and subsequently, the positioning network element performs positioning calculations. Combined uplink and downlink positioning methods are based on both the downlink and uplink, for example, both the terminal and the access network node send reference signals and perform corresponding measurements, and subsequently, the positioning network element performs positioning calculations.

[0130] In the above positioning methods, the positioning calculation is performed by the positioning network element. In specific applications, the terminal and / or access network node can also perform the positioning calculation. For example, in the terminal-based positioning method (UE-based positioning method), the terminal can be responsible for position calculation when auxiliary data is available, and can also provide the measurement results of the reference signal. The auxiliary data may include the location information of the TRP, or the positioning signal information configured by the TRP, etc.

[0131] Besides the positioning methods mentioned above, other positioning methods exist in specific applications, such as UE-assisted / LMF-based positioning methods. In this method, the terminal can provide measurements but does not perform location calculations; the positioning network element can handle the location calculations when auxiliary data is available.

[0132] The following section uses the uplink positioning method as an example to introduce three commonly used positioning methods. It should be understood that this does not mean the method in this application is only applicable to these three positioning methods. Provided there is no logical contradiction, the method provided in this application can be applied to any existing positioning method, as well as new positioning methods introduced with the evolution of communication systems.

[0133] 2.1 Positioning method based on uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA)

[0134] One possible implementation involves the terminal sending an uplink reference signal. Correspondingly, multiple access network nodes receive this uplink reference signal, measure its time of arrival (TOA), and report the measured TOA to the positioning network element. The positioning network element can select one access network node as a reference, subtract the TOA reported by the other access network nodes from the TOA of the reference access network node, and the resulting difference is called the UL-TDOA observation value. Based on the UL-TDOA observation value, the positioning network element can determine the terminal's location information.

[0135] For example, taking the measurement of the TOA of the uplink reference signal by three access network nodes as an example, assuming that access network node 1 is the reference access network node, the positioning network element measures the difference in TOA between access network node 1 and access network node 2. The hyperbola can be determined (like Figure 5 (Hyperbola A in the diagram). The positioning network element measures the difference in TOA between access network node 1 and access network node 3. The hyperbola can be determined (like Figure 5 (Hyperbola B in the diagram). Subsequently, the positioning network element can determine the intersection of the two hyperbolas as the terminal's location information.

[0136] 2.2 Positioning Method Based on Uplink Carrier Phase

[0137] One possible implementation involves the terminal sending an uplink reference signal. Correspondingly, multiple access network nodes receive this uplink reference signal, measure its TOA (Time of Arrival) and carrier phase, and report the measured TOA and carrier phase to the positioning network element. The positioning network element can then determine the terminal's location information based on the information reported by the access network nodes.

[0138] For example, the positioning network element can determine the distance between each access network node and the terminal based on the TOA and carrier phase reported by each access network node. For instance, the positioning network element can deduce the wavelength of the uplink reference signal based on its received carrier phase and transmission frequency, and then determine the distance between the access network node and the terminal based on the wavelength, TOA, and speed of light. Subsequently, the positioning network element can draw spheres (or circles) with each access network node as the center and the distance between the access network node and the terminal as the radius. The intersection of these spheres (or circles) represents the terminal's location. It can be understood that in NTN, the intersection of these spheres with the Earth's surface represents the terminal's location. Taking the measurement of the TOA and carrier phase of the uplink reference signal by three access network nodes as an example, the terminal's location can be determined as follows: Figure 6 As shown.

[0139] 2.3. Positioning Method Based on Uplink Doppler Frequency Shift

[0140] Positioning methods based on uplink Doppler frequency shift are commonly used in NTN (Network Network), and the following explanation will be based on the example of an access network node that is a satellite.

[0141] One possible implementation involves the terminal sending an uplink reference signal. Correspondingly, multiple access network nodes receive this uplink reference signal, measure its Doppler frequency shift, and report the measured Doppler frequency shift to the positioning network element. The positioning network element can then determine the terminal's location based on the Doppler frequency shift reported by the access network nodes.

[0142] For example, the principle of uplink Doppler positioning can be as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the candidate location of the terminal is a conical surface, called the "equal-Doppler cone" or "equal-frequency Doppler cone". This cone has the satellite as its vertex and the line containing the direction of the satellite's velocity (v) as its axis of rotation. The angle between the line connecting the satellite and the terminal and the direction of the satellite's velocity is the cone angle θ. Thus, one satellite can obtain one "equal-Doppler cone", and multiple satellites can obtain multiple cones. The intersection of these multiple cones with the Earth's surface is the location of the terminal.

[0143] Optionally, the aforementioned uplink reference signal can be a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS is generated from a set of pseudo-random sequences in the frequency domain and possesses strong autocorrelation characteristics. Access network nodes can estimate parameters such as time delay, phase, or Doppler shift by cross-correlation between the local reference signal and the received SRS.

[0144] In summary, the UL-TDOA-based positioning method and the uplink carrier phase-based positioning method are related to the transmission and reception time of the uplink reference signal, while the uplink Doppler frequency shift-based positioning method is independent of the transmission and reception time of the uplink reference signal. In specific applications, the appropriate positioning method can be adopted according to the communication scenario without restriction.

[0145] 3. Positioning Reference Unit (PRU) Assisted Positioning Method

[0146] 3GPP defines the PRU-assisted positioning method for assisting downlink carrier phase positioning. A PRU is a UE that knows its own location, can perform positioning measurements and report these measurements to a positioning server, and is close to the target UE, such as... Figure 8 As shown. Therefore, it can be assumed that the target UE and PRU receive the same base station signal, and their propagation errors are approximately the same.

[0147] The working principle is as follows: In downlink carrier phase positioning, the PRU and the target UE receive signals from the base station. The PRU forwards its own position coordinates, measured values ​​(pseudorange or carrier phase), positioning reference signal (PRS) beam configuration information, and measurement time information to the UE via the LMF. The UE uses its own measurement information and the PRU's measurement information to perform dual-difference positioning, eliminating interference factors at the transceiver end and transmission path, and improving positioning accuracy.

[0148] Specifically, in the first differential operation, the receivers (target UE and PRU) simultaneously observe the signals from base stations m and n, and the differential operation eliminates receiver-related effects such as receiver channel delay and receiver clock bias.

[0149]

[0150] In this context, the superscripts m and n represent base station m and n, respectively, and the subscripts p and u represent PRU and target UE, respectively. These represent the pseudorange measurements obtained from PRS for PRU measurement base stations m and n, respectively. These represent the pseudorange measurements obtained by the PRS of the target UE at base station m and base station n, respectively. These represent the first difference results for the PRU and the target UE, respectively.

[0151] In the second differential step, the difference is performed based on the results of the first differential step. The differential step eliminates the transmitter-related effects such as the initial phase of the base station, the base station channel delay, and the base station clock error, as well as the effects of propagation errors.

[0152]

[0153] in, This represents the double difference result between the PRU and the UE. Similarly, following the methods in formulas (1)-(3), the double difference result of the carrier phase between the PRU and the UE can be obtained:

[0154]

[0155] in, This represents the first difference result for the UE. This represents the first difference result of PRU.

[0156] Finally, by combining pseudorange and carrier phase measurements from multiple base stations, the positioning solution matrix equation Y = AX + W is solved using the least squares method to obtain the three-dimensional coordinates. Here, the elements of Y are the double difference results of pseudorange and carrier phase. A is the coefficient matrix; X is the value to be estimated. x, y, and z are the three-dimensional coordinates of the UE. This is the integer ambiguity to be determined in the carrier phase double difference calculation between base station m, base station n, PRU, and UE; W is the noise matrix. The coefficient matrix A can be represented as:

[0157]

[0158] in, This is the first-order partial derivative along the x-axis of the linearized pseudorange equation or carrier phase equation. This is the first-order partial derivative along the y-axis of the linearized pseudorange equation or carrier phase equation. It is the first-order partial derivative along the z-axis after the pseudorange equation or carrier phase equation has been linearized.

[0159] The aforementioned PRU-based assisted positioning method does not consider positioning methods based on Doppler frequency shift, and the following problems arise when using low-Earth orbit satellite Doppler positioning:

[0160] 1) Due to the high operating frequency and fast speed of low-Earth orbit satellites, the Doppler frequency shift varies greatly. When a UE or base station searches for a single positioning reference signal, in addition to searching in the time domain according to the measurement window, it also needs to search in the frequency domain within the maximum Doppler frequency shift range. This large-range frequency search method consumes a lot of power. For example, if f s It is the center frequency of the transmitted signal, f d_max It is the satellite's maximum Doppler frequency shift, and the UE needs to search for f s Centered on, [-f dmax ,+f d_max The frequency domain range within ];

[0161] 2) The UE needs to measure the PRS beams of multiple satellites. With a large number of low-orbit satellite beams, the UE consumes a lot of power when completing a round of beam search.

[0162] To address this technical issue, this application embodiment utilizes Doppler frequency shift-related information from the auxiliary information provided by the PRU to aid in better positioning. This helps the UE or satellite reduce the frequency search range and beam retrieval range based on the auxiliary information, thereby improving positioning performance. For example, in a downlink positioning scheme, the UE can receive PRU auxiliary information before performing positioning measurements and use the PRU measurement information provided in the PRU auxiliary information to reduce its own frequency and beam search range; in an uplink positioning scheme, the satellite can receive PRU auxiliary information before performing positioning measurements and use the PRU measurement information provided in the PRU auxiliary information to reduce its own frequency and beam search range; in a side-link positioning scheme, the UE can receive PRU auxiliary information before performing positioning measurements and use the PRU measurement information provided in the PRU auxiliary information to reduce its own frequency and beam search range.

[0163] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication method is applicable to the aforementioned communication system and mainly involves the interaction between terminal equipment, PRU, LMF, and satellite. This application provides an information transmission method, where the information sender is a first device and the information receiver is a second device. In the downlink positioning scheme, the first device is the PRU, and the second device is the LMF. Unless otherwise specified, the device in this application can refer to the device itself, a module within the device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. For ease of description, the first device and the second device are used as examples below.

[0164] S301, the second device sends the first information, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first information.

[0165] The first information is used to request location information, and includes at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request. The first device measures a first reference signal based on the first information, the first reference signal is used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value and the first location information are used to determine the second location information.

[0166] In this application, the first information can be understood as the second device requesting positioning information from the first device before positioning, for subsequent determination of associated terminal devices and provision of auxiliary information. The first location information request can be understood as the second device requesting the first device's first location information, which is the location of the first device, such as its spatial coordinates (longitude, latitude, altitude) or a point in a Cartesian coordinate system. The Doppler shift measurement request can be understood as the second device requesting the first device to perform a Doppler shift measurement, which is used for auxiliary positioning. After receiving the first information, the first device measures the first reference signal transmitted by the satellite according to the Doppler shift measurement request in the first information to obtain the Doppler shift measurement value; the first device determines the second location information based on the first location information in the first information. The second location information can be understood as the result of auxiliary positioning, or the location of the terminal device determined by the terminal device based on the Doppler shift measurement value, such as the first device's spatial coordinates (longitude, latitude, altitude) or a point in a Cartesian coordinate system.

[0167] It is understandable that by sending the first information to the first device through the second device, and by measuring the first reference signal through the first device, a Doppler frequency shift measurement value for auxiliary positioning can be obtained, which is beneficial to improving positioning performance.

[0168] For example, the first reference signal is the PRS transmitted by the satellite, and the first device searches for the PRS signal and measures the Doppler frequency shift.

[0169] S302, the first device sends the second information according to the first information, and the second device receives the second information accordingly.

[0170] The second information is a response to the first information, and the second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement value.

[0171] In this application, the first location information and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value in the second information can be understood as the second device's response to the request in the first information sent by the first device. For the response to the first information, the second information may further include a satellite number, a cell identifier, a first time unit, and a first reference signal index. Specifically, the satellite number can be the number of the positioning-related satellite, or the satellite number of the satellite transmitting the first reference signal in S301; the cell identifier can be understood as the identifier of the cell where the first device is located; the first time unit is the time unit in which the first device receives the first reference signal; and the first reference signal index is the index of the first reference signal or the index of the beam transmitting the first reference signal.

[0172] It is understandable that by sending the second information from the first device to the second device, the second device can obtain the second information for auxiliary positioning, which is beneficial to improving positioning performance. Among them, the satellite number / cell identifier and Doppler frequency shift measurement value can help the terminal device reduce the search range of the positioning reference signal frequency, and the reference signal index can help the terminal device reduce the search range of the positioning reference signal beam.

[0173] S303, the second device sends the third information, and the corresponding terminal device receives the third information.

[0174] The third information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0175] In this application, the third information can be understood as positioning assistance information sent by the second device to the terminal device after requesting the second information from the first device, wherein the positioning assistance information is determined based on the second information. The satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, and Doppler frequency shift measurement value are the same as those in the second information, and the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity is the Doppler frequency shift interval of the reference signal obtained by combining the location of the terminal device with the location of the first device.

[0176] It is understandable that sending third information to the terminal device through the second device can enable the terminal device to obtain third information for auxiliary positioning, which is beneficial to improving positioning performance. Among them, satellite number / cell identifier, Doppler frequency shift measurement value and Doppler frequency shift ambiguity can help the terminal device reduce the search range of positioning reference signal frequency, and the first reference signal index can help the terminal device reduce the search range of positioning reference signal beam.

[0177] For example, the second device can determine the Doppler frequency shift range as [f1, f2] based on the distance range between the first device and the terminal device, the position of the satellite, the speed of the satellite, and the frequency of the PRS. Then, based on the Doppler frequency shift (Doppler frequency shift measurement value) f3 measured by the first device and the theoretical Doppler frequency shift f4 calculated by the position of the first device, the Doppler range (Doppler frequency shift ambiguity) of the terminal device can be obtained as [f5, f6], where f5 = f3 - (f4 - f1) and f6 = f3 + (f2 - f4). The terminal device can determine the beam adjacent to or close to the beam corresponding to the first reference signal index based on the first reference signal index. When receiving the reference signal, the terminal device can search only the beam corresponding to the first reference signal index and the beam adjacent to or close to it, thereby reducing the beam search range.

[0178] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of a first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity. Wherein, the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit can be understood as the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity corresponding to the reference signal received in the first time unit; the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit can be understood as the time variation rate of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity corresponding to the reference signal transmitted in the first time unit; and the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity can be understood as the effective or applicable time range of the time variation rate of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0179] Optionally, the Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift. Wherein, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit can be understood as the time rate of change of the Doppler frequency shift, and the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift can be understood as the effective or applicable time range of the time rate of change of the Doppler frequency shift.

[0180] For example, if the theoretical value of the Doppler frequency shift for time unit T0 (first time unit) is... The Doppler frequency shift measurement value for time unit T0 is... The Doppler frequency shift range of the T0 time unit obtained according to the above method is: The Doppler frequency shift ambiguity in time unit T0 is The theoretical value of the Doppler frequency shift in time unit T1 is... The Doppler frequency shift range of time unit T1 determined by the above method is as follows: Therefore, the rate of change of the Doppler frequency shift from time unit T0 to T1 is... t∈[T0,T1]. The rate of change of Doppler frequency shift ambiguity from time unit T0 to T1 is... The Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of time unit t is in Therefore, the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit is f4. 0 The time variation of the Doppler frequency shift in the first time unit can be determined by... This indicates that the effective time unit for the Doppler frequency shift time variation is [T0, T1], or it can be represented by the time interval corresponding to T1-T0. Alternatively, the effective time unit for the Doppler frequency shift time variation can be determined by T1, indicating that it is valid before time unit T1; the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit is... The time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity in the first time unit can be determined by... This indicates that the effective time unit for the time change of Doppler frequency shift ambiguity is [T0, T1], or it can be represented by the time period corresponding to T1-T0. Alternatively, the effective time unit for the time change of Doppler frequency shift can be determined by T1, indicating that it is effective before the time unit T1.

[0181] Optionally, the method further includes step S304. In step S304, the satellite transmits a second reference signal, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment and the first device receive the second reference signal.

[0182] The second reference signal transmitted by the satellite is the PRS (Presentation Reference Signal). The terminal device can determine the second location information based on the received second reference signal and the third information. The terminal device determines the search range of the second reference signal beam based on the first reference signal index; the terminal device determines the frequency search range of the second reference signal based on the Doppler frequency shift measurement, Doppler frequency shift ambiguity, satellite number, or cell identifier. The terminal device performs Doppler double-difference calculation by combining the Doppler frequency shift measurement with its own PRS measurement to obtain the terminal device's location information. The first device can determine the fourth information based on the second reference signal. The fourth information includes the satellite number, cell identifier, second time unit, second reference signal index, fifth location information, or the Doppler frequency shift measurement.

[0183] For example, the terminal device searches for the beam corresponding to or adjacent to the first reference signal index based on the first reference signal index, thereby reducing the beam search range; the terminal device searches for the reference signal within the corresponding frequency range based on the aforementioned Doppler frequency shift ambiguity, for example, [f5,f6] or The terminal device can also perform a second difference on the Doppler frequency shift according to the methods in formulas (1) and (3), and then combine the formula Y = AX + W and formula (4) to obtain the terminal device's location information. It can be understood that the terminal device can also combine pseudorange or carrier phase with Doppler information to determine the location information.

[0184] Optionally, the method further includes step S305. In step S305, the terminal device sends second location information, and correspondingly, the second device receives the second location information.

[0185] Optionally, the method further includes step S306 before step S302. In step S306, the satellite transmits a first reference signal, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first reference signal.

[0186] Optionally, the method further includes S307 before S305. In S307, the first device sends fourth information, and correspondingly, the second device receives the fourth information.

[0187] Optionally, the method further includes S308 before S305. In S308, the second device sends the ninth information, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the ninth information.

[0188] The ninth piece of information includes the satellite number, cell identifier, second time unit, second reference signal index, fifth location information, Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0189] It is understandable that, through S307 and S308, the second device can provide the terminal device with the latest positioning assistance information, which is beneficial to improving positioning performance.

[0190] The above embodiments illustrate a method for information exchange between the terminal device, PRU, LMF, and satellite in a downlink positioning PRU-assisted scheme. Based on the second information received from the PRU, the LMF sends third information (positioning assistance information) to the terminal device, enabling the terminal device to perform positioning based on the assistance information and improving positioning performance. The following describes in detail the method for information exchange between the terminal device, PRU, LMF, and satellite in an uplink positioning scheme.

[0191] Figure 10This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In the uplink positioning scheme, the first device is a satellite, and the second device is an LMF (Light Filtering Unit). Unless otherwise specified, the term "device" in this application can refer to the device itself, a module within the device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. For ease of description, the first and second devices will be used as examples below.

[0192] S401, the second device sends the fifth message, and correspondingly, the PRU receives the fifth message.

[0193] The fifth piece of information includes a request for third location information. The request for third location information can be understood as the second device requesting the PRU's third location information, which is the PRU's location, such as the PRU's spatial coordinates, longitude, latitude, altitude, or a point in a Cartesian coordinate system.

[0194] S402, PRU sends the sixth message, and correspondingly, the second device receives the sixth message.

[0195] The sixth piece of information is a response to the fifth piece of information, and it includes the third location information.

[0196] It is understandable that, through the above method, the second device can obtain the location information of the PRU, which can be used as auxiliary information for satellite positioning to improve positioning performance.

[0197] S403, the second device sends the seventh and eighth information, and correspondingly, the first device receives the seventh and eighth information.

[0198] The seventh information includes at least one of the following: first identification information, third location information, or first SRS configuration information, and the seventh information is used to determine the fourth location information; the eighth information includes at least one of the following: second identification information, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information, or second SRS configuration information, and the eighth information is used to determine the fourth location information.

[0199] In this application, the seventh information can be understood as information related to the PRU, wherein the first identification information is the identification information of the PRU, and the first SRS configuration information includes the SRS time-frequency resource configuration information and SRS sequence information of the PRU, etc.; the seventh information used to determine the fourth location information can be understood as the first device determining the fourth location information based on the seventh information, wherein the fourth location information is the location of the terminal device, such as the spatial coordinates of the terminal device; the eighth information can be understood as information related to the terminal device, wherein the second identification information is the identification information of the terminal device, and the second SRS configuration information includes the SRS time-frequency resource configuration information and SRS sequence information of the terminal device, etc.; the association between the first identification information and the second identification information can be understood as the association being used to indicate the relationship between the PRU corresponding to the first identification information and the user equipment corresponding to the second identification information, or in other words, the information of the PRU can be used to assist in locating the user equipment; the eighth information used to determine the fourth location information can be understood as the first device determining the fourth location information based on the eighth information. For example, the first device can reduce the beam search range, reduce satellite time-frequency domain search power consumption, and improve positioning performance based on the association between the PRU and the terminal device and the SRS time-frequency resource configuration information.

[0200] It is understandable that, through the above method, the first device can combine the seventh and eighth information for positioning, determine the location of the terminal device (fourth location information), and use the seventh information from the PRU to assist the eighth information of the terminal device, thereby improving positioning performance. The method for reducing the reference signal frequency search range and beam search range based on the seventh and eighth information can be found in the description in S303, and will not be repeated here.

[0201] Optionally, the first identification information and the second identification information belong to the first identification set.

[0202] In this application, the first set of identifiers can be understood as identifiers in the set having an association relationship, or in other words, the devices or apparatuses corresponding to the identifiers in the set can be used for auxiliary positioning. For example, the association relationship can be that the devices or apparatuses corresponding to the identifiers in the set are located close to each other.

[0203] It is understandable that the above method can identify the relevant PRU and terminal device through the identifier set, which is beneficial for achieving assisted positioning.

[0204] For example, the first set of identifiers is {ID1,ID2,ID3}, where ID1 is the identifier of PRU1, ID2 is the identifier of terminal device 1, and ID3 is the identifier of terminal device 2. PRU1 is associated with terminal device 1 and terminal device 2, and PRU1 can assist terminal device 1 or terminal device 2 in positioning.

[0205] Optionally, the first identification information belongs to the second identification set, the second identification information belongs to the third identification set, and the second identification set is associated with the third identification set.

[0206] In this application, the association between the second set of identifiers and the third set of identifiers can be understood as the identifiers in the two sets having an association relationship, or in other words, the device or apparatus corresponding to the identifier in the second set of identifiers can assist in the location of the device or apparatus corresponding to the identifier in the third set of identifiers. For example, the association relationship can be that the devices or apparatuses corresponding to the identifiers in the sets are located close to each other.

[0207] It is understandable that the above method can determine the association between the PRU and the terminal device through two sets of identifiers, which is beneficial for achieving assisted positioning.

[0208] For example, the second set of identifiers is {ID1, ID2}, and the third set of identifiers is {ID3, ID4, ID5}, where ID1 is the identifier of PRU1, ID2 is the identifier of PRU2, ID3 is the identifier of terminal device 1, ID4 is the identifier of terminal device 2, and ID5 is the identifier of terminal device 3. PRU1 and PRU2 are associated with terminal device 1, terminal device 2, and terminal device 3, and PRU1 and PRU2 can assist terminal device 1, terminal device 2, or terminal device 3 in positioning.

[0209] Optionally, the method further includes S404. In S404, the terminal device sends a first SRS, and the first device receives the first SRS.

[0210] Optionally, the method further includes S405. In S405, the PRU sends a second SRS, and correspondingly, the first device receives the second SRS. It can be understood that the first device measures the first SRS and the second SRS respectively, and improves the positioning performance by using a differential positioning method based on the association between the PRU and the terminal device. The method for determining the location of the terminal device based on the seventh and eighth information can refer to the methods in S303 and formulas (1)-(4), which will not be repeated here.

[0211] The above embodiments illustrate a method for information exchange between the terminal device, PRU, LMF, and satellite in an uplink positioning PRU-assisted scheme. Based on the sixth information received from the PRU, the LMF sends seventh information (positioning assistance information) and eighth information to the first device, enabling the first device to perform positioning based on the assistance information. The following describes in detail a method for information exchange between the terminal device, PRU, LMF, and satellite in a side-path positioning scheme.

[0212] Figure 11This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In the side-step positioning scheme, the first device is a PRU, and the second device is a terminal device. Unless otherwise specified, the device in this application can refer to the device itself, a module within the device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. For ease of description, the first device and the second device will be used as examples below.

[0213] S501, LMF sends the first information, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first information.

[0214] The first information is used to request location information, and includes at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request. The first device measures a first reference signal based on the first information, and the first reference signal is used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, which is used to determine the second location information.

[0215] In this embodiment, the description and beneficial effects of the first information are the same as in S301, and will not be repeated here.

[0216] S502, the first device sends the second information according to the first information, and the LMF receives the second information accordingly.

[0217] The second information is a response to the first information, and the second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement value.

[0218] In this embodiment, the description and beneficial effects of the second information are the same as in S302, and will not be repeated here.

[0219] S503, the first device sends the third information, and correspondingly, the second device receives the third information.

[0220] The third information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

[0221] In this embodiment, the explanation and beneficial effects of the third information are the same as in S303, and will not be repeated here.

[0222] Optionally, the method further includes step S504. In step S504, the satellite transmits a second reference signal, and correspondingly, the second device and the first device receive the second reference signal.

[0223] The second reference signal transmitted by the satellite is a PRS. The second device can determine the second position information based on the received second reference signal and the third information. In this embodiment, the description and beneficial effects of the second device determining the second position information are the same as in S303, and will not be repeated here. The first device can determine the tenth information based on the second reference signal. The tenth information includes the satellite number, cell identifier, third time unit, third reference signal index, sixth position information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement value.

[0224] Optionally, the method further includes S505 before S502. In S505, the satellite transmits a first reference signal, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first reference signal.

[0225] Optionally, the method further includes S506 before S503. In S506, the second device sends an assistance information request, and correspondingly, the first device receives the assistance information request.

[0226] The auxiliary information request is used by the second device to request positioning auxiliary information from the first device, and the first device sends third information to the second device according to the auxiliary information request.

[0227] Optionally, the method further includes step S507. In step S507, the first device sends tenth information, and correspondingly, the second device receives the tenth information. It can be understood that the second device can determine the second location information based on the tenth information.

[0228] Optionally, the method further includes step S508. In step S508, the second device sends second location information, and correspondingly, the LMF receives the second location information.

[0229] The following describes the apparatus embodiments corresponding to the method embodiments of this application. Only a brief description of the apparatus is provided below; for specific implementation steps and details, please refer to the preceding method embodiments.

[0230] To achieve the functions of the methods provided in this application, the communication device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the aforementioned functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0231] The following combination Figures 12-15 This document describes in detail the communication apparatus used to perform the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0232] Figure 12This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and a communication interface 1020. Optionally, the processor 1010 and the communication interface 1020 can be interconnected via a bus. The communication device 1000 can be a first device or a second device.

[0233] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1040. The memory 1040 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), cache, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), hard disk drive (HDD), registers, solid-state drive (SSD), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). The memory 1040 is used to store related instructions and / or data. The memory 1040 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or disposed separately.

[0234] Processor 1010 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. Processor 1010 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), application processors, modem processors, graphics processors, image signal processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), video codec processors, controllers, or neural network processors. When processor 1010 is a CPU, the CPU can be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU. Processor 1010 can be a signal processor, a chip, or other integrated circuit capable of implementing the methods of this application, or a portion of the circuitry within the aforementioned processor, chip, or integrated circuit for processing functions. The processor in the embodiments of this application can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0235] The communication interface 1020 can be an input / output interface or an antenna. The input / output interface is used for inputting or outputting signals or data, or it can be an input / output circuit.

[0236] For example, the communication device 1000 is a first device, and the communication device 1000 is used to perform the following operations: sending a first DCI, the first DCI being used to schedule M PDSCHs, where M is an integer greater than 1, the M PDSCHs carrying M paging messages, the paging messages including a set of paging records of terminal devices; and sending the M PDSCHs.

[0237] For example, the communication device 1000 is a second device, and the communication device 1000 is used to perform the following operations: receiving a first DCI, the first DCI being used to schedule M PDSCHs, where M is an integer greater than 1, the M PDSCHs carrying M paging messages, the paging messages including a set of paging records of terminal devices; and receiving one or more PDSCHs from the M PDSCHs according to the first DCI.

[0238] The above description is for illustrative purposes only. The communication device 1000 is responsible for executing the methods or steps related to the first or second device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0239] In one possible implementation, the communication interface 1020 can be a transceiver. The transceiver may include a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter performing a transmission operation and the receiver performing a reception operation. For example, the processor 1010 is used to control the transceiver to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0240] In one possible implementation, the communication interface 1020 can also be a communication circuit, pins, input / output interfaces, bus, etc.

[0241] Communication device 1000 may include a transmitter but not a receiver. Alternatively, communication device 1000 may include a receiver but not a transmitter. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by communication device 1000 includes both transmitting and receiving actions.

[0242] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a possible terminal chip provided in this application. The terminal device in the above embodiments may include... Figure 13 The terminal chip shown. One possible design, Figure 13 The terminal chip 2000 shown includes a baseband subsystem and a radio frequency (RF) subsystem connected to the baseband subsystem. Optionally, the terminal chip 2000 may also include peripherals connected to the baseband subsystem, and / or a power management subsystem connected to both the baseband subsystem and the RF subsystem.

[0243] The baseband subsystem can handle application layer processing, external interfaces, and other functions. It can also handle layer 3 (L3), layer 2 (L2), and L1 communication protocol processing.

[0244] The radio frequency (RF) subsystem is responsible for the RF front-end and antenna to convert spatial electromagnetic waves into electrical signals, as well as the necessary amplification and filtering functions to achieve excellent coverage. Connected to the baseband subsystem, the RF subsystem can perform frequency conversion and nonlinear distortion correction of analog signals.

[0245] Peripherals include external interfaces or memory, etc.

[0246] The power management subsystem can provide power management functions for the baseband subsystem and the radio frequency subsystem.

[0247] Optionally, the baseband subsystem and the radio frequency subsystem can implement all or part of the functions of the first terminal mentioned above.

[0248] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of another possible terminal chip provided in this application. The terminal device in the above embodiments may include... Figure 14 The terminal chip shown. One possible design, Figure 14The terminal chip 2100 shown includes a high-layer protocol processor, a physical layer protocol processor, and a baseband hardware processor.

[0249] The high-level protocol processor can implement high-level (such as L2 / L3) protocol processing. For example, it supports encoding and decoding functions such as Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) and supports standard air interface encryption and decryption, integrity protection algorithms, etc.

[0250] The physical layer protocol processor can perform physical layer processing, such as downlink network search, time-frequency tracking, measurement, channel estimation, demodulation and decoding, and uplink coding, modulation and time-frequency offset adjustment.

[0251] The baseband hardware processor can perform secure booting and startup of the baseband system, as well as protocol layer processing (L1 / L2 / L3), etc.

[0252] Optionally, the higher-layer protocol processor and the physical layer protocol processor can implement all or part of the functions of the first terminal described above.

[0253] The above description is merely exemplary. For details, please refer to the content shown in the above method embodiments. Figure 12 The implementation of each operation can also be found by referring to... Figure 9 , Figure 10 or Figure 11 The corresponding description of the method embodiments shown. For example, the communication device 1000 can be used to perform... Figure 9 The proposed solution is shown.

[0254] For example, the communication device 1000 is a first device, and the processor 1010 is used to measure a first reference signal according to first information. The first reference signal is used to determine a Doppler frequency shift measurement value, and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value is used to determine second location information. The communication interface 1020 is used to receive the first information, which is used to request location information. The first information includes at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request. The communication interface 1020 can also be used to send second information according to the first information. The second information is a response to the first information, and the second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement value.

[0255] For example, the communication device 1000 is a second device, and the communication interface 1020 can be used to send first information, which is used to request location information. The first information includes at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request. The communication interface 1020 can also be used to receive second information, which is a response to the first information. The second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value. The processor 1010 is used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, which is used to determine the second location information.

[0256] For details on other implementation methods, please refer to the foregoing. Figure 9 , Figure 10 or Figure 11 The detailed description of the embodiments shown will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the specific processes by which each component performs the corresponding processes described above have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0257] Figure 15 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 can be the first device or the second device, or it can be a chip or module within the first or second device, used to implement... Figure 9 , Figure 10 or Figure 11 The methods involved in the embodiments shown are described in detail in the above-described method embodiments.

[0258] The communication device 1100 includes a transceiver unit 1110. The transceiver unit 1110 will be described exemplarily below.

[0259] The transceiver unit 1110 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is used to perform the sending action of the communication device, and the receiving unit is used to perform the receiving action of the communication device. For ease of description, the sending unit and the receiving unit are combined into one transceiver unit in this embodiment. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated later. The transceiver unit 1110 can implement the corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1110 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0260] The communication device 1100 may include a transmitting unit but not a receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 may include a receiving unit but not a transmitting unit. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 1100 includes both transmitting and receiving actions.

[0261] For example, the transceiver unit 1110 is used to send or receive first information, etc.

[0262] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a processing unit 1120, which is used to perform the processing, coordination and other steps involved in the communication device 1100.

[0263] The above description is for illustrative purposes only. The communication device 1100 will be responsible for executing the relevant methods or steps in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0264] Optionally, the communication device 1100 further includes a storage unit 1130 for storing programs or code for executing the aforementioned methods. Alternatively, the storage unit 1130 can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 1120 can read the instructions and / or data from the storage unit 1130 to enable the communication device 1100 to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0265] For details on the implementation method, please refer to the aforementioned document. Figure 9 , Figure 10 or Figure 11 A detailed description of the illustrated embodiments is provided. For example, the communication device 1100 can be used to perform... Figure 9 The proposed solution is shown.

[0266] For example, the communication device 1100 is a first device. The processing unit 1120 is used to measure a first reference signal based on first information. The first reference signal is used to determine a Doppler frequency shift measurement value, and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value is used to determine second location information. The transceiver unit 1110 is used to receive the first information, which is used to request location information. The first information includes at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request. The transceiver unit 1110 is also used to send second information based on the first information. The second information is a response to the first information and includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, and first reference signal index.

[0267] First location information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement.

[0268] For example, the communication device 1100 is a second device, and the transceiver unit 1110 can be used to send first information, which is used to request location information. The first information includes at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request. The transceiver unit 1110 can also be used to receive second information, which is a response to the first information. The second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value. The processing unit 1120 is used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, which is used to determine the second location information.

[0269] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each component to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0270] when Figure 12 When the communication device 1000 is a chip, the communication interface 1020 can be a transceiver, input / output circuit, or communication interface of the chip. The processor 1010 can be a processor integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. In the above method embodiments, the transmitting operation of the first or second device can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the first or second device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0271] when Figure 15 When the communication device 1100 is a chip, the transceiver unit 1110 can be a transceiver, input / output circuit, or communication interface of the chip. The processing unit 1120 can be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. In the above method embodiments, the transmitting operation of the first or second device can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the first or second device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0272] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, causing a communication device on which the chip is mounted to perform the methods in the examples above.

[0273] This application also provides another chip, including: an input interface, an output interface, and a processor, wherein the input interface, the output interface, and the processor are connected via an internal connection path, and the processor is used to execute code in a memory. When the code is executed, the processor is used to perform the methods in the examples described above. Optionally, the chip further includes a memory for storing computer programs or code.

[0274] This application also provides a processor for coupling with a memory, for performing the methods and functions related to the communication device in any of the above embodiments, or for performing the methods and functions related to the first or second device in any of the above embodiments.

[0275] In another embodiment of this application, a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions is provided, which, when run, enables the implementation of the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0276] This application also provides a computer program that, when run, enables the implementation of the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0277] In another embodiment of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program that, when run, implements the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0278] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first device and a second device. The first device and the second device are respectively used to perform the methods performed by the first device and the second device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0279] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0280] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0281] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0282] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0283] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0284] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essential contributing part of the technical solution of this application, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information, the first information being used to request location information, the first information including at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request; The second information is sent according to the first information, and the second information is a response to the first information. The second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement value; A first reference signal is measured based on the first information. The first reference signal is used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value is used to determine the second position information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, which includes at least one of the following: the satellite number, the cell identifier, the first time unit, the first reference signal index, the first location information, the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a first message, the first message being used to request location information, the first message including at least one of the following: a first location information request, or a Doppler frequency shift measurement value request; Receive second information, which is a response to the first information, and the second information includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, or Doppler frequency shift measurement value; The first information is used to determine the Doppler frequency shift measurement value and the first position information, and the Doppler frequency shift measurement value and the first position information are used to determine the second position information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, which includes at least one of the following: the satellite number, the cell identifier, the first time unit, the first reference signal index, the first location information, the Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the second location information.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive third information, which includes at least one of the following: satellite number, cell identifier, first time unit, first reference signal index, first location information, Doppler frequency shift measurement value, or Doppler frequency shift ambiguity; The second location information is determined based on the third information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The Doppler frequency shift ambiguity includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift ambiguity.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The Doppler frequency shift measurement includes at least one of the following: the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift of the first time unit, or the effective time unit of the time variation of the Doppler frequency shift.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the second location information.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a fifth message, which includes a third location information request; Receive a sixth message, which is a response to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes third location information; Send a seventh message, which includes at least one of the following: first identification information, the third location information, or, first detection reference signal (SRS) configuration information; Send an eighth message, which includes at least one of the following: second identification information, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information, or second SRS configuration information; The seventh and eighth pieces of information are used to determine the fourth location information.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: The first identification information and the second identification information belong to the first identification set.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: The first identification information belongs to the second identification set, the second identification information belongs to the third identification set, and the second identification set is associated with the third identification set.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive seventh information, the seventh information including at least one of the following: first identification information, third location information, or first detection reference signal (SRS) configuration information; Receive the eighth information, which includes at least one of the following: second identification information, the association between the first identification information and the second identification information, or second SRS configuration information; Receive the first SRS and the second SRS; The first SRS, the second SRS, the seventh information, and the eighth information are used to determine the fourth location information.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: The first identification information and the second identification information belong to the first identification set.

19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The association between the first identification information and the second identification information includes: The first identification information belongs to the second identification set, the second identification information belongs to the third identification set, and the second identification set is associated with the third identification set.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, Including processors, When the processor executes the program instructions, it causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be executed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 19 to be executed.

22. The communication device according to claim 21, characterized in that, The communication device includes network equipment, terminal equipment, or a chip.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 to be implemented, or cause the method of any one of claims 14 to 19 to be implemented.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes computer instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be implemented, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 19 to be implemented.

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