Positioning reference signal transmission / reception method and related device

Abstract

The present application provides a positioning reference signal transmission / reception method and related apparatus. The method includes a first terminal acquiring resources for a PRS. The first terminal transmits sidelink control information SCI, where the SCI includes first indication information indicating resources for the PRS. The first terminal transmits a PRS on the resources for the PRS. In response, a second terminal receives the SCI. The second terminal receives a PRS on the resources for the PRS indicated by the SCI. According to the aforementioned PRS transmission / reception method, positioning between terminals can be enabled without the involvement of a network device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210467595.6, entitled “POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL SENDING AND RECEIVING METHODS AND RELATED APPARATUS,” filed with the China National Intellectual Property Office on April 29, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a positioning reference signal transmitting and receiving method and related device. [Background technology]

[0003] In communication technology, high-precision positioning is gradually being determined as an important research project in the 5th generation mobile communication system (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP (registered trademark)) of 3GPP (5th Generation Mobile Network or a 5th Generation Wireless System, 5G). Positioning technology is a technology that uses a certain method to determine the geographical location of a node in a communication network, especially a user equipment (UE). The so-called positioning service is a service that uses some positioning methods to position the geographical location of a UE. Internet of vehicles is an important application scenario of 5G, and the service of Internet of vehicles is related to vehicle platooning, advanced driving, extended sensors, remote driving, etc. Therefore, how to implement precise positioning of terminals is particularly important.

[0004] Currently, the positioning service of the terminal can only be completed with the involvement of a network device. Specifically, in various positioning technologies that rely on the involvement of a network device, uplink positioning is that the network device detects a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmitted by the terminal, downlink positioning is that the terminal detects a positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted by the network device, and uplink and downlink positioning require both the terminal and the network device to perform detection to determine the position of the terminal based on the detection result.

[0005] However, for terminals that cannot be positioned via a network device, no technology currently exists to enable end-to-end positioning. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present application provides a positioning reference signal transmission and reception method and related apparatus to enable terminal-to-terminal positioning without the involvement of network devices.

[0007] According to a first aspect, a PRS transmission method is provided. The method includes: a first terminal acquiring resources for a positioning reference signal (PRS). The first terminal transmits sidelink control information (SCI), the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating resources for the PRS. The first terminal transmits the PRS on the resources.

[0008] In this application, a first terminal includes first indication information indicating a resource for a PRS in an SCI on a sidelink (SL), and transmits a PRS to another terminal (including a second terminal) on the resource indicated by the SCI, thereby enabling a positioning service of the first terminal. In addition, the first indication information is used, so that the probability of using the same resource for a PRS between different terminals is effectively reduced, and the positioning error caused by resource collision occurring when multiple terminals use a PRS simultaneously to complete positioning of multiple terminals is resolved due to sharing the same resource for transmitting and receiving a PRS.

[0009] For example, the SCI is a message indicating information such as resources occupied by a terminal and modulation and coding in the sidelink, to help the terminal flexibly select resources and modulation and coding information. The SCI can be classified into a first stage SCI and a second stage SCI. The first stage SCI is carried on a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and is used to transmit information that needs to be obtained during detection, such as resource occupancy indication information, priority information, and information required for demodulation of the second stage SCI. The second stage SCI indicates additional information required for physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) demodulation.

[0010] It can be understood that the first indication information of the resource for the PRS in this application may be included in the first-stage SCI or the second-stage SCI, which is not limited in this application.

[0011] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the SCI includes a first type of SCI and a second type of SCI, resources for the first type of SCI are predefined, the first type of SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to resources for the second type of SCI, and the second type of SCI includes the first instruction information.

[0012] In the present application, the second indication information is added to the SCI to indicate a specific resource, and the first indication information indicating the resource for the PRS is transmitted on the indicated specific resource. In this manner, the reserved bit in the existing SCI can be effectively used, and the resource for the PRS can be indirectly indicated in multiple ways.

[0013] It can be understood that the first type of SCI may be a first stage SCI or a second stage SCI, which is not limited in this application.

[0014] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second instruction information relating to resources for the second type of SCI includes the second instruction information indicating resources for the second type of SCI.

[0015] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource for the second type of SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second instruction information relating to the resource for the second type of SCI includes the second instruction information indicating whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

[0016] It may be understood that the second indication information may be indicated using a reserved bit in the SCI.

[0017] The second indication information is represented using reserved bits in the existing SCI, so that the indication of the second type of SCI can be completed without changing the SCI function of the existing standard, which implements backward compatibility of the standard.

[0018] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH or a physical sidelink shared channel PSSCH, whether the resources are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

[0019] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, the instruction indicated by the first instruction information for location information of resources for the PRS includes at least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of resources for the PRS, or a number or index of resources for the PRS, which is determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between at least one resource and at least one number or index.

[0020] For example, the frequency domain indication may include one or more of the following: quantity of occupied subchannels, whether the entire sidelink bandwidth part (BWP) is occupied, comb configuration, or resource element (RE) offset.

[0021] For example, the time domain indication may include one or more of the following: an offset symbol based on a start SL symbol in each slot in the resource pool or a quantity of occupied symbols whether to occupy the entire slot.

[0022] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, the first terminal acquiring resources for the PRS includes the first terminal receiving information regarding resources for the PRS configured by the network device, and the first terminal acquiring resources for the PRS from a predefined resource pool, or the first terminal determining predefined resources as resources for the PRS.

[0023] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, a first terminal receives a measurement result from a second terminal, the measurement result being obtained by the second terminal based on a measurement of a PRS transmitted by the first terminal, and the first terminal performs positioning based on the measurement result.

[0024] In this application, a terminal requests another terminal to perform positioning by transmitting a PRS. The other terminal receives the PRS, measures the PRS, and transmits the obtained measurement result to a first terminal. The first terminal performs positioning based on the measurement result to implement positioning between terminals.

[0025] According to a second aspect, there is provided a PRS reception method, the PRS reception method including: a second terminal receiving sidelink control information SCI, the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating resources for the PRS. The second terminal receives the PRS on the resources for the PRS.

[0026] In this application, a first terminal includes first indication information indicating a resource for a PRS in an SCI on a sidelink (SL), and transmits a PRS to another terminal (including a second terminal) on the resource indicated by the SCI, thereby enabling a positioning service of the first terminal. In addition, the first indication information is used, so that the probability of using the same resource for a PRS between different terminals is effectively reduced, and the positioning error caused by resource collision occurring when multiple terminals use a PRS simultaneously to complete positioning of multiple terminals is resolved due to sharing the same resource for transmitting and receiving a PRS.

[0027] In relation to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the SCI includes a first type of SCI and a second type of SCI, resources for the first type of SCI are predefined, the first type of SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to resources for the second type of SCI, and the second type of SCI includes the first instruction information.

[0028] In relation to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second instruction information relating to resources for the second type of SCI includes the second instruction information indicating resources for the second type of SCI.

[0029] In relation to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource for the second type of SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second instruction information relating to the resource for the second type of SCI includes the second instruction information indicating whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

[0030] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementation forms of the second aspect, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH or a physical sidelink shared channel PSSCH, whether the resources for the PRS are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

[0031] In relation to the second aspect, in some implementation forms of the second aspect, the instruction indicated by the first instruction information for location information of resources for the PRS includes at least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of resources for the PRS, or a number or index of resources for the PRS, which is determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between at least one resource and at least one number.

[0032] In relation to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes the second terminal performing measurement based on the PRS transmitted by the first terminal to obtain a measurement result. The second terminal transmits the measurement result.

[0033] In relation to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes the second terminal performing measurement based on the PRS transmitted by the first terminal to obtain a measurement result. The second terminal performs positioning based on the measurement result.

[0034] According to a third aspect, there is provided a PRS transmission device configured to perform the method according to any one of the possible implementation forms of the first aspect. Specifically, the device includes a module configured to perform the method according to any one of the possible implementation forms of any one of the preceding aspects.

[0035] In one design, the apparatus may include modules that correspond one-to-one to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. The modules may be implemented by hardware circuitry, software, or a combination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0036] In another design, the apparatus is a communications chip, which may include an input circuit or interface configured to transmit information or data and an output circuit or interface configured to receive information or data.

[0037] In another design, the apparatus is a communications device. A communications device may include a transmitter configured to transmit information or data and a receiver configured to receive information or data.

[0038] In another design, an apparatus is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect. The apparatus may be configured in a terminal or be the first terminal described above.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a PRS receiving device configured to perform the method according to any one of the possible implementation forms of the second aspect. Specifically, the device includes a module configured to perform the method according to any one of the possible implementation forms of the second aspect.

[0040] In one design, the apparatus may include modules that correspond one-to-one to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect. The modules may be implemented by hardware circuitry, software, or a combination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0041] In another design, the apparatus is a communications chip, which may include an input circuit or interface configured to transmit information or data and an output circuit or interface configured to receive information or data.

[0042] In another design, the apparatus is a communications device. A communications device may include a transmitter configured to transmit information or data and a receiver configured to receive information or data.

[0043] In another design, an apparatus is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect. The apparatus may be configured in a terminal or be the second terminal as described above.

[0044] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a processor including an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit configured to receive a signal using the input circuit and transmit a signal using the output circuit such that the processor performs the method of any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0045] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0046] Optionally, the memory and the processor may be integrated, or the memory and the processor may be located separately.

[0047] Optionally, the device includes a transmitter and a receiver, which may be located separately or may be integrated to obtain a transceiver.

[0048] In a particular implementation, the memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read only memory (ROM). The memory and the processor may be integrated on the same chip or may be located separately on separate chips. The type of memory and the manner in which the memory and the processor are located are not limited by this application.

[0049] The processor of the fifth aspect may be a chip, and the processor may be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit or an integrated circuit, or the like, or when implemented by software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, and is implemented by reading software code stored in memory. The memory may be integrated into the processor, or may be located outside the processor and exist separately.

[0050] According to a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program (sometimes called code or instructions). When the computer program runs, the computer is enabled to execute the method in any one of the possible implementations of any one of the above aspects.

[0051] According to a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program (also called code or instruction). When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method in any one of the possible implementations of any one of the above aspects.

[0052] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a chip system, the chip system including a processor configured to perform the method in the first aspect or in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, or configured to perform the method in any one of the possible implementations of any one of the preceding aspects.

[0053] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store the program instructions. The chip system may include the chip, or may include the chip and other discrete components. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0054] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic flowchart of a PRS transmission and reception method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method in scenario 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method in scenario 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a PRS transceiver device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another PRS transceiver device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0055] The technical solutions of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] The technical solutions of the present application may be applied to various communication systems, such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a new radio (NR) system, or other evolved communication systems and next generation mobile communication systems such as a 5G communication system.

[0057] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0058] 1 is a diagram of an architecture of a communication system 100 according to the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a network device 110, a terminal device 120, and a terminal 130. Optionally, the network device 110 may communicate with the terminal 120, the network device 110 may communicate with the terminal 130, and the terminal 120 may communicate with the terminal 130.

[0059] The specific forms of the network device 110, the terminal 120, and the terminal 130 shown in FIG. 1 are not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0060] The terminals in embodiments of the present application may alternatively be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment.

[0061] A terminal is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, for example a handheld or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. Currently, some examples of terminals are a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palmtop computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal for industrial control, a wireless terminal for self driving, a wireless terminal for remote surgery, a wireless terminal for smart grid, a wireless terminal for transportation safety, a wireless terminal for smart city, a wireless terminal for smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device or a computing device with wireless communication capabilities or another processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolved public land mobile communication network. network (PLMN), etc. This is not a limitation of this application.

[0062] By way of example and not limitation, in this application, the terminal may be a terminal in an internet of things (IoT) system. The internet of things is an important part of the future information technology development. The main technical feature of the internet of things is to connect objects and networks through communication technology to implement an intelligent network of interconnection between people and machines and between things. For example, the terminal in the embodiment of this application may be a wearable device. A wearable device may also be called a wearable intelligent device, which is a collective term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed for daily wear using wearable technology, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into a user's clothing or accessories. A wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also can implement powerful functions through software support, data exchange, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable intelligent devices include full-featured large devices, such as smart watches or smart glasses, that can implement full or partial functionality without relying on a smartphone, and devices that are specialized for only one type of application function and need to be used together with other devices, such as a smartphone, such as various smart bands or smart jewelry used to monitor physical symptoms.

[0063] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal may alternatively be a machine type communication (MTC) terminal. In addition, the terminal may alternatively be an on-board module, on-board assembly, on-board component, on-board chip, on-board unit, etc. that is disposed in the vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle may implement the methods provided in the present application via an on-board module, on-board assembly, on-board component, on-board chip, on-board unit, etc. Thus, the embodiments of the present application may also be applied to Internet of Vehicles, e.g., Vehicle to Everything (V2X), long term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V), or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technologies.

[0064] The network device in this application may be a device that communicates with a terminal. Alternatively, the network device may be called an access network device or a radio access network device. The network device may be a transmission reception point (TRP), or may be an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or may be a home NodeB (e.g., home evolved NodeB or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Alternatively, the network device may be a relay station, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a network device of a 5G network, or a network device of a future evolved PLMN network, etc., or may be an access point (AP) of a WLAN, or may be a gNB in ​​an NR system. Alternatively, the network device may be an urban base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, etc. This is not limited in this application.

[0065] In a network structure, the network devices may include a central unit (CU) node, a distributed unit (DU) node, a radio access network (RAN) device including a CU node and a DU node, or a RAN device including a control plane CU node (CU-CP node), a user plane CU node (CU-UP node), and a DU node.

[0066] The network device provides service to the cell, and the terminal communicates with the cell via a transmission resource (e.g., a frequency domain resource or a spectrum resource) allocated by the network device. The cell may belong to a macro base station (e.g., a macro eNB or a macro gNB), or may belong to a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell in this specification may include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are applicable to providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0067] It may be appreciated that for ease of understanding, Fig. 1 is merely a simplified diagram, and the communication system 100 may further include other devices not shown in Fig. 1.

[0068] 1 may be within the coverage of network device 110, or none of the terminals may be within the coverage of network device 101, or some terminals may be within the coverage of network device 110 and some terminals may not be within the coverage of network device 110. This is not a limitation of the present application.

[0069] In the communication system shown in FIG. 1, there is a first communication interface between network device 110 and terminal 120, there is a second communication interface between network device 110 and terminal 130, and there is a second communication interface between terminal 120 and terminal 130.

[0070] For example, the first communication interface may be a user to network interface universal (Uu) and the second communication interface may be a proximity service communication 5 (PC5) interface.

[0071] The first communication scenario includes communication between a terminal and a network device, e.g., communication between the terminal 120 and the network device 110. Specifically, the communication between the terminal 120 and the network device 110 is referred to as uplink and downlink communication. For example, the terminal 120 may transmit information to the network device 110 via the uplink, and the network device 110 may transmit information to the terminal 120 via the downlink.

[0072] The second communication scenario includes communication between terminals, for example, communication between terminal 120 and terminal 130. In general, a link for communication between terminal 120 and terminal 130 is called a sidelink, and terminal 120 and terminal 130 may perform data transmission on the sidelink (SL).

[0073] It should be noted that in this specification, the specific communication scenario between terminals is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, in a possible scenario, both the terminal 120 and the terminal 130 in Fig. 1 may be in-vehicle devices (or vehicles or vehicle Internet terminals). In another possible scenario, the terminal 120 in Fig. 1 may be an in-vehicle device (or vehicles or vehicle Internet terminals), and the terminal 130 may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0074] Currently, in the communication system shown in FIG. 1, the positioning of the terminal requires the involvement of a network device, in other words, the positioning technique needs to be implemented through the Uu interface, and may include uplink positioning, downlink positioning, and uplink and downlink positioning. For example, uplink positioning may be that the network device measures the SRS transmitted by the terminal. Downlink positioning may be that the terminal measures the PRS transmitted by the network device. Uplink and downlink positioning requires that the terminal measures the PRS transmitted by the network device and that the network device measures the SRS transmitted by the terminal. The network device and / or the terminal determine / determine the location of the terminal based on the measurement result to implement the positioning service of the terminal.

[0075] For example, the downlink positioning techniques include the downlink-time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) positioning method and the downlink-angle of arrival (DL-AOD) positioning method, the uplink and downlink positioning techniques include the multiple cell-round trip time (Multi-RTT) positioning method, and the uplink positioning techniques include the uplink-time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning method and the uplink-angle of departure (UL-AOA) positioning method.

[0076] Furthermore, in the DL-TDOA positioning technology, at least three network devices are required. The terminal separately measures the PRS transmitted by the three network devices to obtain the arrival times of the three signals, selects one of the network devices as a reference network device, and subtracts the arrival times corresponding to the other network devices from the arrival times of the reference network device to obtain two TDOAs. Based on each time difference, a corresponding distance difference is calculated. Each distance difference may form a hyperbola using the two corresponding network devices as foci, and the position of the terminal may be estimated by using the intersection of the two hyperbolae.

[0077] In the DL-AOD positioning technology, at least two network devices are required. The terminal measures the PRS transmitted by the two network devices separately, and each network device obtains a group of beam level reference signal received power (RSRP) values ​​through the measurement, and the beam level reference signal received power values ​​are called measurement values. After the terminal reports the measurement values ​​to a location management function (LMF), the LMF may obtain the AOD corresponding to the network device by calculation referring to the transmission beam directivity pattern of each network device. The transmission beam directivity pattern of the network device is sent to the LMF by the network device (or the transmission beam directivity pattern is stored in the LMF). Alternatively, the LMF transmits the beam level RSRP value corresponding to the network device to the network device, and the network device obtains the AOD by calculation, and then reports the AOD to the LMF. Thus, the LMF can form a ray whose starting point is the position of the network device and whose deflection angle is the AOD based on the position and AOD of each network device, and the intersection point of the ray generated by the two network devices is the position of the terminal.

[0078] In the Multi-RTT positioning technique, at least two network devices are required. The network device measures the signal transmitted by the terminal, and the terminal also needs to measure the signal transmitted by the network device. The time when the network device transmits the signal is denoted as T1, the time when the terminal receives the signal is denoted as T2, the time when the terminal transmits the signal is denoted as T3, and the time when the network device receives the signal is denoted as T4. The network device reports the measured signal reception-transmission time difference (TB=T4-T1) to the LMF, and the terminal also reports the measured signal reception-transmission time difference (TUE=T2-T3) to the LMF. The LMF determines the round trip time of signal propagation based on the two reception time differences TB and TUE, in this case RTT=TB+TUE. During the positioning calculation, the LMF uses the distance corresponding to the measured RTT value as the radius and draws a circle using each network device as the center of the circle, and determines the intersection of the obtained circle as the position of the terminal.

[0079] The only difference between the UL-TDOA positioning technology and the DL-TDOA positioning technology is that the measurement entity is different. The measurement entity of the DL-TDOA positioning technology is a terminal, and the measurement entity of the UL-TDOA positioning technology is a network device. Similarly, the only difference between the DL-AOD positioning technology and the UL-AOA positioning technology is that the measurement entity is different. The measurement entity of the DL-AOD positioning technology is a terminal, and the measurement entity of the UL-AOA positioning technology is a network device.

[0080] In conclusion, the positioning service of the terminal can only be implemented with the participation of the network device. For some terminals that are not within the coverage of the network device (for example, in the field of Internet of Vehicles, autonomous technology, etc.), the positioning service cannot be completed between terminals. Therefore, a sidelink-based terminal positioning technology needs to be urgently provided to implement the positioning of the terminal without the participation of the network device.

[0081] In view of this, the present application provides a PRS transmission and reception method and apparatus. A terminal may obtain resources for a PRS and indicate resources for the PRS in an SCI, and then the terminal may transmit the PRS on a sidelink. According to this method, positioning between terminals may be possible without the involvement of a network device.

[0082] Before the PRS transmission and reception method provided in this application is described, the following description is first provided.

[0083] First, in the embodiments shown herein, the terms and abbreviations, such as SCI, PRS or SL, are examples provided for ease of explanation and should not be construed as any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms that may implement the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0084] Secondly, the terms "first", "second" and various numbers in the following embodiments are merely used to distinguish for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, different SCIs are distinguished. Please note that ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not intended to limit the order, chronology, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0085] Thirdly, the "protocol" involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, may include LTE protocol, NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems, which is not limited in the present application.

[0086] Fourth, "multiple" means two or more than two; and / or describes the association relationship between related objects, and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent the cases where A exists alone, where both A and B exist, and where B exists alone, and A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " usually indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions indicates any combination of these items, including any combination of one item or multiple items. For example, at least one item (piece) of a, b, or c may indicate a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, and a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0087] It should be noted that in the description of this application, "predefined" may refer to being defined in a communication protocol and configured in the communicating access network devices and terminal devices, or may refer to being determined and configured by the access network devices for the terminal devices, and that the configuration may be performed explicitly using signaling or implicitly using other information.

[0088] In the description of this application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, or may include explicit indication and implicit indication. Information indicated by one piece of information (such as the first indication information or the second indication information described below) is called information to be indicated. In a specific implementation form, there are multiple ways to indicate information to be indicated. For example, information to be indicated may be directly indicated, information to be indicated, or an index of information to be indicated, etc. is indicated. As another example, information to be indicated may be indirectly indicated by indicating other information. There is an association relationship between the other information and information to be indicated. In another example, only a part of information to be indicated may be indicated, and other parts of information to be indicated may be known, pre-agreed, or estimated. In addition, specific information may be indicated by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-specified) arrangement sequence of various information to reduce indication overhead to some extent.

[0089] In the following, with reference to Fig. 2, a PRS transmission / reception method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail. The method 200 may be applied to the communication scenario 100 shown in Fig. 1. However, this embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. It should be understood that the first terminal in this embodiment of the present application may be the terminal 120 or the terminal 130 in Fig. 1, and the second terminal may be the terminal 120 or the terminal 130 in Fig. 1. If the first terminal is the terminal 120, the second terminal may be the terminal 130 or another terminal. If the first terminal is the terminal 130, the second terminal may be the terminal 120 or another terminal. This is not limited in the present application.

[0090] 2 is a schematic flowchart of a PRS transmitting and receiving method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, the method 200 may include steps S201 to S203. The following describes the steps in the method 200 in detail.

[0091] S201: A first terminal obtains resources for a PRS.

[0092] For example, a manner in which the first terminal obtains resources for the PRS includes: the first terminal receives information about resources for the PRS configured by the network device; and the first terminal determines resources for the PRS from a predefined resource pool; or the first terminal determines predefined resources as resources for the PRS. Note that the resources for the PRS are resources used by the first terminal to transmit the PRS, and the resources may be time domain resources, frequency domain resources, or time-frequency resources. It should be understood that "predefined" may refer to being defined in a communication protocol and configured in the access network device and terminal device in communication, or may refer to being determined and configured by the network device for the terminal device, and the configuration may be performed explicitly using signaling or implicitly using other information.

[0093] It can be understood that before acquiring resources for the PRS, the first terminal may use a detection mechanism to acquire a resource occupancy status, and then determine available resources for the PRS from a predefined resource pool. The resource pool is a set of multiple resources.

[0094] The PRS in this embodiment of the present application is a reference signal for enabling terminal-to-terminal positioning. It should be understood that the reference signal for positioning may alternatively have another name, which is not limited in the present application.

[0095] S202: A first terminal transmits an SCI, where the SCI includes first indication information indicating a resource for a PRS. In response, a second terminal receives the SCI.

[0096] It should be noted that the SCI may be transmitted in a broadcast or multicast manner, which is not a limitation of this application.

[0097] The SCI in this embodiment of the present application may be classified into a first-stage SCI and a second-stage SCI. The first-stage SCI is carried on the PSCCH and is used to transmit information that needs to be obtained when another terminal (e.g., a second terminal) performs detection, such as resource occupancy indication information, priority information, and information required for demodulation of the second-stage SCI. The second-stage SCI indicates additional information required for PSSCH demodulation.

[0098] S203: The first terminal transmits a PRS on a resource for the PRS, and in response, the second terminal receives the PRS on the resource for the PRS.

[0099] It can be understood that after acquiring resources for the PRS, the first terminal performs resource indication by transmitting an SCI including the first indication information, and transmits the PRS on the indicated resources for the PRS. In other words, after acquiring resources for the PRS, the first terminal transmits an SCI including the first indication information, so that another terminal (including the second terminal) receiving the SCI can determine that the resource indicated by the first indication information should be occupied, and the other terminal (including the second terminal) does not transmit the PRS on the resource. Alternatively, after acquiring resources for the PRS, the first terminal transmits the PRS to another terminal, and includes the first indication information indicating the resource occupied by the PRS in the SCI transmitted to the other terminal (including the second terminal), so that the other terminal (including the second terminal) receiving the SCI obtains the first indication information through detection, determines that the resource is occupied, and does not transmit the PRS on the resource.

[0100] In this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal includes first indication information indicating a resource for the PRS in the SCI on the sidelink, and transmits the PRS to another terminal (including the second terminal) on the resource indicated by the SCI, thereby enabling the positioning service of the first terminal. In addition, the first indication information is used, so that the probability of using the same resource for the PRS between different terminals is effectively reduced, and the positioning error caused by resource collision occurring when multiple terminals use the PRS simultaneously to complete the positioning of multiple terminals is resolved due to sharing the same resource for transmitting and receiving the PRS.

[0101] It can be understood that the first instruction information in the embodiment of the present application may be included in the first stage SCI or the second stage SCI, which is not limited in the present application.

[0102] The first instruction information may be included directly in the SCI or may be included indirectly in the SCI by means of the second instruction information.

[0103] In a possible implementation form, the first indication information is directly included in the SCI. In this case, a bit may be reserved in the existing SCI to represent the first indication information. The first indication information may be in the form of a number, a bitmap, a character string, etc. The form of the first indication information is not particularly limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0104] The first indication information may include one or more of the following:

[0105] 1. A resource index (or number) indicating a number or index of resources for a PRS, where the resources for the PRS include at least one of an occupied time domain resource and a frequency domain resource. In general, a set of resources for a PRS corresponds to one number or index, and the correspondence between resources and numbers or indexes may be preset, default, or set in another manner.

[0106] It can be understood that when a resource number or index is present, it indicates that the first terminal occupies a resource for the PRS. When a resource number or index is not present, it indicates that the first terminal does not occupy a resource for the PRS.

[0107] 2. A positioning signal transmission instruction that indicates whether to transmit PRS. It may be understood that if a positioning signal transmission indication exists but a resource number or index does not exist, it indicates that the first terminal transmits a PRS on a preset resource.

[0108] The resource for the PRS transmitted by the first terminal may be the resource for the PRS acquired in S201. For example, 3 to 5 bits reserved for the SCI described in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard document TS 38.214 specification release v 16.7.0 may indicate the first indication information. For example, the first indication information may be indicated using two bits. For example, 01 indicates that a resource number or index does not exist and a positioning reference signal transmission indication exists, 10 indicates that a resource number or index exists and a positioning reference signal transmission indication does not exist, and 11 indicates that a resource number or index and a positioning reference signal transmission indication exist. The above manner of indicating the first indication information using two bits is merely an example. The specific indication manner of the first indication information is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0109] In this embodiment of the present application, the first indication information is indicated by using a reserved bit of the existing SCI, so that the indication of the PRS can be completed without changing the SCI function of the existing standard, which implements backward compatibility of the standard.

[0110] In another possible implementation, the first indication information is indirectly included in the SCI using the second indication information (i.e., a dedicated SCI can be added to the SCI to indicate resources for the PRS). In this case, the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI. The resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes the second indication information, the second indication information is related to the resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first indication information. It can be understood that the second type SCI is a dedicated SCI added to the SCI in the prior art.

[0111] It can be understood that the first type of SCI may be a first stage SCI or a second stage SCI, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The first type of SCI and the second type of SCI are information used by the first terminal to indicate information such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, or time-frequency resources, modulation and coding (including indicating resources for PRS) occupied by the first terminal in sidelink communication, so as to help another terminal (e.g., the second terminal) flexibly select resources and modulation and coding information.

[0112] The second indication information relating to resources for a second type of SCI may include the following two cases:

[0113] Case 1: The second indication information indicates a resource of a second type of SCI.

[0114] For example, in the present application, in order to reduce transmission overhead, the second indication information may be a number or index corresponding to the resource of the second type SCI, and the number or index indicated by the second indication information may indicate the resource occupancy status of the second type SCI. Alternatively, the second indication information directly indicates at least one of the time domain resource and the frequency domain resource occupied by the second type SCI.

[0115] The aforementioned second type SCI can be carried by PSSCH or PSCCH. That is, the second type SCI can be a first stage SCI or a second stage SCI. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0116] Case 2, the resource for the second type SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second instruction information relating to the resource for the second type SCI includes: the second instruction information instructing whether to transmit the second type SCI on the first resource.

[0117] It may be understood that the second indication information may be indicated using a reserved bit in the SCI.

[0118] For example, the second instruction information may use a bit value of one bit to indicate whether to transmit a second type SCI on a first resource. When the bit value is 1, it indicates to transmit the second type SCI on the first resource, and when the bit value is 0, it indicates not to transmit the second type SCI on the first resource. Alternatively, when the bit value is 0, it indicates to transmit the second type SCI on the first resource, and when the bit value is 1, it indicates not to transmit the second type SCI on the first resource. In other words, the second instruction information may use a bit value of the reserved one bit to indicate whether to transmit a second type SCI.

[0119] In this implementation, the second indication information is added to the SCI to indicate a specific resource, and the first indication information indicating the resource for the PRS is transmitted on the indicated specific resource. According to this method, the reserved bit in the existing SCI can be effectively used, and the resource for the PRS can be indirectly indicated in multiple ways.

[0120] For example, the above-mentioned multiple schemes may be that the resources occupied by the PRS are indicated using a resource number or index for the PRS on the resources indicated by the second indication information, or that the resources occupied by the PRS are indicated on the indicated resource block using a bitmap, for example, where the symbol level indication bitmap is 00110000000000 and the resources for the PRS occupy two symbols and are located at the third and fourth symbols in one slot.

[0121] When a dedicated SCI is added to the SCI to indicate resources for a PRS, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a PSCCH or a PSSCH, whether the resources are PRS dedicated resources, or resources for the PRS.

[0122] It should be appreciated that dedicated resources indicate that the resources are solely for transmitting the PRS.

[0123] In one optional embodiment, the instruction indicated by the first instruction information regarding the resource for the PRS includes at least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of the resource for the PRS, or a number or index of the resource for the PRS, which is determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between the at least one resource and the at least one number or index.

[0124] For example, the frequency domain indication may include one or more of the following: quantity of occupied subchannels, whether the entire sidelink bandwidth part (BWP) is occupied, comb configuration, or RE offset.

[0125] If the frequency domain indication does not include the quantity of occupied subchannels, it can be understood that it indicates that the entire resource pool or the entire BWP is occupied, or that the starting point and the occupied quantity are default. If the frequency domain indication does not include a comb configuration, it indicates a default value, for example, comb1, comb4, etc. If the frequency domain indication does not include an RE offset, it indicates a default value, for example, the RE offset is 0, 1, or 2.

[0126] For example, the time domain indication may include one or more of the following: an offset symbol based on the sidelink starting symbol in each slot in the resource pool or a quantity of occupied symbols whether to occupy the entire slot.

[0127] It can be understood that if the time domain indication does not include the quantity of offset symbols, it indicates a default value, for example, offset symbols 0. If the time domain indication does not include the quantity of occupied symbols, it indicates a default value, for example, 1 symbol.

[0128] In an optional embodiment, the method 200 further includes the second terminal performing measurements based on the PRS to obtain measurement results, and sending the measurement results to the first terminal. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the measurement results and performs positioning based on the measurement results.

[0129] In this embodiment of the present application, a terminal requests another terminal to perform positioning by transmitting a PRS. The other terminal receives the PRS, measures the PRS, and transmits the obtained measurement result to a first terminal. The first terminal performs positioning based on the measurement result to implement positioning between terminals.

[0130] In an optional embodiment, the method 200 further includes the second terminal performing measurements based on the PRS to obtain measurement results, and performing positioning based on the measurement results.

[0131] In this embodiment of the present application, the terminal measures the received PRS and performs positioning based on the measurement result to implement terminal-to-terminal positioning.

[0132] It can be understood that the above process of performing positioning based on measurement results refers to the uplink positioning technology and the downlink positioning technology shown above. The difference with the above positioning technology is that all the embodiments of this application are performed by the terminal.

[0133] In the following, two scenarios are used as examples to describe in detail the PRS transmitting and receiving method provided in the embodiment of the present application with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

[0134] Scenario 1: A terminal to be positioned (a terminal requiring location services) transmits a PRS and requests another terminal to assist in the measurement and complete the positioning.

[0135] 3 shows a positioning method 300 in scenario 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal to be positioned is a first terminal, and the other terminal is a second terminal. The method 300 may include S301 to S306. The following describes the steps of the method 300 in detail.

[0136] S301: A first terminal obtains resources for a PRS.

[0137] For the above process of obtaining resources for the PRS, please refer to the relevant description of S201 of the above method 200, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0138] It can be seen that after acquiring the resource for the PRS, the first terminal detects whether there is related information indicating the PRS in the SCI transmitted by another terminal, and determines whether the resource is occupied. If the resource for the PRS is occupied, the first terminal reacquires the unoccupied resource for the PRS. Alternatively, the first terminal uses a detection mechanism to determine the resource occupancy state, and then acquires the resource for the PRS from the unoccupied resource pool.

[0139] S302: The first terminal transmits an SCI. In response, the second terminal receives the SCI.

[0140] The SCI includes indication information that indicates resources for the PRS.

[0141] For the instruction information, please refer to the relevant description of the first instruction information, and details will not be repeated here.

[0142] S303: The first terminal sends a measurement request message and a PRS, and in response, the second terminal receives the measurement request message and the PRS.

[0143] The measurement request message includes one or more of the required measurement quantities, for example the requested time of arrival, angle of arrival, and angle of departure.

[0144] It should be noted that the above measurement request can be transmitted in a unicast, multicast or broadcast manner, and the PRS can be transmitted in a broadcast or multicast manner, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0145] S304: The second terminal performs measurements based on the PRS.

[0146] For example, the second terminal may measure the PRS based on the measurement quantity included in the received measurement request message to obtain the measurement result.

[0147] S305: The second terminal transmits the measurement result to the first terminal, and in response, the first terminal receives the measurement result.

[0148] S306: The first terminal performs a position calculation based on the measurement results.

[0149] In this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal transmits a PRS and a positioning request on the sidelink, and the first terminal transmits information in a broadcast manner, including indication information indicating resources for the PRS in the SCI, so that a terminal that can receive and decode the SCI can determine the occupancy status of the resource for the PRS to avoid the case where another terminal (including the second terminal) uses the same resource again to transmit the PRS. In addition, the first terminal determines the location of the first terminal by receiving the transmitted measurement result. According to the method 300, the positioning service between terminals is implemented without the involvement of a network device. In addition, since the first indication information is used, the measurement error caused by the collision of resources for the PRS is effectively reduced, and the accuracy of the positioning measurement is improved.

[0150] Scenario 2: A terminal to be positioned (a terminal requiring location services) requests nearby terminals to transmit PRS, and performs measurements based on the received PRS to complete positioning.

[0151] Figure 4 shows a positioning method 400 in scenario 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the terminal to be positioned is a first terminal, and the nearby terminal is a second terminal. The method 400 may include S401 to S406. The following describes the steps of the method 400 in detail.

[0152] S401: A first terminal transmits a positioning request, and a second terminal receives the positioning request in response.

[0153] The positioning request is used to request another terminal to transmit a PRS.

[0154] It can be understood that the positioning request can be transmitted in a broadcast, unicast, or multicast manner, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0155] S402: A second terminal obtains resources for a PRS.

[0156] For the above process of obtaining resources for the PRS, please refer to the relevant description of S201 of the above method 200, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0157] It can be seen that after acquiring the resource for the PRS, the second terminal detects whether there is related information indicating the PRS in the SCI transmitted by another terminal, and determines whether the resource is occupied. If the resource for the PRS is occupied, the second terminal reacquires the unoccupied resource for the PRS. Alternatively, the second terminal uses a detection mechanism to determine the resource occupancy state, and then acquires the resource for the PRS from the unoccupied resource pool.

[0158] S403: The second terminal transmits an SCI, and in response, the first terminal receives the SCI.

[0159] The SCI includes indication information that indicates resources for the PRS.

[0160] For the instruction information, please refer to the relevant description of the first instruction information, and details will not be repeated here.

[0161] S404: The second terminal transmits a PRS, and in response, the first terminal receives the PRS.

[0162] S405: The first terminal performs measurement based on the PRS to obtain a measurement result.

[0163] For example, the second terminal may perform measurements based on the received PRS and may obtain information such as time of arrival, angle of arrival, and angle of departure through the measurements.

[0164] S406: The first terminal performs a position calculation based on the measurement results.

[0165] In this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal transmits a positioning request to request another terminal (including the second terminal) to transmit the PRS via a sidelink, and further performs measurement based on the received PRS to determine the position of the first terminal. This implements a terminal-to-terminal positioning technique. In addition, the other terminal (including the second terminal) includes indication information indicating the resource for the PRS in the SCI and transmits the information in a broadcast manner, so that the terminal receiving the SCI can determine the occupancy status of the resource for the PRS to avoid the case of using the same resource to transmit the PRS. According to the method 400, the terminal-to-terminal positioning service is implemented without the involvement of a network device, and the measurement error caused by the collision of the resource for the PRS is effectively reduced, and the accuracy of the positioning measurement is improved.

[0166] It should be understood that the numbers of the above processes do not refer to the order of execution. The order of execution of the processes needs to be determined based on the functions and internal logic of the processes, and should not be construed as any restriction on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0167] The above describes in detail the PRS transmitting and receiving method in the embodiment of the present application with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Below, the PRS transmitting and receiving device in the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6.

[0168] 5 shows a PRS transceiver device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the device 500 includes a processing module 510 and a transceiver module 520.

[0169] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 500 is a first terminal or a chip within the first terminal.

[0170] The processing module 510 is configured to obtain resources for a positioning reference signal PRS. The transceiver module 620 is configured to transmit sidelink control information SCI, the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating resources for the PRS, and to transmit the PRS on the resources for the PRS.

[0171] Optionally, the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI, resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to the resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first instruction information.

[0172] Optionally, the second instruction information relating to resources for the second type of SCI comprises the second instruction information indicating resources for the second type of SCI.

[0173] Optionally, the resource for the second type of SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second instruction information relating to the resource for the second type of SCI includes the second instruction information indicating whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

[0174] Optionally, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH or a physical sidelink shared channel PSSCH, whether the resources are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

[0175] Optionally, the instructions indicated by the first instruction information regarding resources for the PRS include at least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of resources for the PRS, or a number or index of resources for the PRS, where the number of resources for the PRS is determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between at least one resource and at least one number or index.

[0176] Optionally, the transceiver module 520 is further configured to receive information regarding resources for the PRS configured by the network device, and the processing module 510 is further configured to obtain resources for the PRS from a predefined resource pool or determine, by the first terminal, predefined resources as resources for the PRS.

[0177] Optionally, the transceiver module 520 receives a measurement result from a second terminal, the measurement result being obtained by the second terminal based on a measurement of the PRS transmitted by the first terminal, and the processing module 510 is further configured to perform positioning based on the measurement result.

[0178] In one optional example, those skilled in the art may understand that the device 500 may specifically be the first terminal in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the device 500 may be configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to the first terminal in the method 200, the method 300 and the method 400. In order to avoid repetition, details will not be described again here.

[0179] In another possible implementation, the apparatus 500 is a second terminal or a chip within the second terminal.

[0180] The transceiver module 520 is configured to receive sidelink control information SCI, the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating a resource for a positioning reference signal PRS, and to receive the PRS on the resource for the PRS.

[0181] Optionally, the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI, resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to the resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first instruction information.

[0182] Optionally, the second instruction information relating to resources for the second type of SCI comprises the second instruction information indicating resources for the second type of SCI.

[0183] Optionally, the resource for the second type of SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second instruction information relating to the resource for the second type of SCI includes the second instruction information indicating whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

[0184] Optionally, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a PSCCH or a physical sidelink shared channel PSSCH, whether the resources for the PRS are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

[0185] Optionally, the instruction indicated by the first instruction information regarding the location information of the resource for the PRS includes at least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of the resource for the PRS, or a number or index of the resource for the PRS, which is determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between the at least one resource and at least one number or index.

[0186] Optionally, the processing module 510 is configured to perform measurements based on the PRS transmitted by the first terminal to obtain measurement results, and the transceiver module 520 is further configured to transmit the measurement results.

[0187] Optionally, the processing module 510 is configured to perform measurements based on the PRS transmitted by the first terminal to obtain measurement results, and perform positioning based on the measurement results.

[0188] In one optional example, those skilled in the art may understand that the device 500 may specifically be the second terminal in the above-mentioned embodiments, and the device 500 may be configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to the second terminal in the method 200, the method 300 and the method 400. In order to avoid repetition, details will not be described again here.

[0189] It should be understood that the device 500 in this specification is represented in the form of a functional module. The term "module" in this specification may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor) configured to execute one or more software or firmware programs, a memory, a combinable logic circuit, and / or another suitable component supporting the described functions. The device 500 may be configured to execute procedures and / or steps corresponding to the first terminal or the second terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, details will not be described again here.

[0190] The apparatus 500 has functions to implement the corresponding steps performed by the first terminal or the second terminal in the method 200, the method 300, and the method 400. The aforementioned functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware by executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions.

[0191] In an embodiment of the present application, the device 500 in Fig. 5 may alternatively be a chip or a chip system, for example, a system on chip (SoC), which is not limited in the present application.

[0192] 6 shows another PRS transmitting / receiving device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The device 600 includes a processor 610, a memory 620, and a transceiver 630. The processor 610, the memory 620, and the transceiver 630 are connected using an internal connection path, the memory 620 is configured to store instructions, and the processor 610 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 620, so that the device 600 can perform the PRS transmitting / receiving method 200, the method 300, and the method 400 provided in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0193] It should be understood that the functions of the device 500 in the aforementioned embodiments may be integrated into the device 600. The device 600 may be configured to perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the first terminal in the aforementioned method embodiments, or the device 600 may further be configured to perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the second terminal in the aforementioned method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 620 may include read-only memory and random access memory to provide instructions and data to the processor. A part of the memory may further include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may further store device type information. The processor 610 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory. When the processor executes the instructions, the processor 610 may perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the first terminal in the aforementioned method embodiments, or the processor 610 may perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the second terminal in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0194] It should be understood that the processor 610 described in the embodiments in this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor 610 may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The processor 610 may be a microprocessor, or the processor 610 may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0195] In the implementation process, the steps in the method 200, the method 300 and the method 400 may be completed by using integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or by using instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed with reference to the embodiments of the present application may be directly executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor. The software modules may be located in a mature storage medium in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable writable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the instructions in the memory and completes the steps of the aforementioned method in cooperation with the hardware of the processor. In order to avoid repetition, the details will not be described again here.

[0196] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and a logic circuit, the interface circuit configured to communicate with a module external to the communication device, and the logic circuit configured to execute a computer program such that the communication device performs the functions of any one of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0197] The present application further provides a computer readable medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, performs the functions of any one of the above method embodiments.

[0198] The present application further provides a computer program product, which when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0199] Those skilled in the art may recognize that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the units and algorithm steps may be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether a function is performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but the implementation form should not be considered to go beyond the scope of this application.

[0200] For the sake of convenience, it will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the detailed operation processes of the aforementioned systems, devices and units may be referred to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0201] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device, and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiment is merely an example. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of functions, and may be divided differently in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or parts may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0202] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, and may be located in one place or distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0203] In addition, the functional units of the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each of the units may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0204] When functions are realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, those functions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may essentially, or a part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes some instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk drive, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0205] The above description is merely a specific implementation form of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any variations or replacements that are easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application shall be within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0206] 100 Communication Systems 110 Network Devices 120 terminals 130 terminals 200 PRS transmission and reception method 300 Positioning method in scenario 1 400 Positioning method in scenario 2 500 PRS Transmitter / Receiver 510 Processing Module 520 Transceiver Module 600 PRS Transmitter / Receiver 610 Processor 620 Memory 630 Transceiver

Claims

1. A positioning reference signal transmission method, comprising: obtaining, by a first terminal, a resource for a positioning reference signal (PRS); transmitting, by the first terminal, sidelink control information (SCI), the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating the resources for the PRS; transmitting, by the first terminal, the PRS on the resources for the PRS; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI, resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first instruction information.

3. The second indication information relates to a resource for the second type of SCI, 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second instruction information includes indicating the resources for the second type of SCI.

4. The resource for the second type SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second indication information is related to the resource for the second type SCI.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second instruction information includes an instruction as to whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

5. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a Physical Sidelink Control Channel PSCCH or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel PSSCH, whether the resources for the PRS are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

6. The indication indicated by the first indication information regarding the location information of the resource for the PRS is: At least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of the resources for the PRS; or 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: determining a resource number or index for the PRS, the resource number or index being determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between the at least one resource and the at least one number or index.

7. The step of acquiring resources for a PRS by the first terminal includes: receiving, by the first terminal, information regarding the resources for the PRS configured by a network device; determining, by the first terminal, the resources for the PRS in a predefined resource pool; or determining, by the first terminal, a predefined resource as the resource for the PRS; 7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:

8. The method comprises: receiving, by the first terminal, a measurement result from a second terminal, the measurement result being obtained by the second terminal based on a measurement of the PRS transmitted by the first terminal; performing, by the first terminal, positioning based on the measurement results; 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

9. A positioning reference signal receiving method, comprising the steps of: receiving, by a second terminal, sidelink control information (SCI), the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating resources for a positioning reference signal (PRS); receiving, by the second terminal, the PRS on the resources for the PRS; A method comprising:

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI, resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first instruction information.

11. The second indication information relates to a resource for the second type of SCI, 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second instruction information indicates the resources for the second type of SCI.

12. The resource for the second type SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second indication information is related to the resource for the second type SCI.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second instruction information includes an instruction as to whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

13. 13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a Physical Sidelink Control Channel PSCCH or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel PSSCH, whether the resources for the PRS are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

14. The indication indicated by the first indication information regarding the location information of the resource for the PRS is: At least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of the resources for the PRS; or 14. The method of claim 13, comprising: a number or index of the resource for the PRS, the number or index of the resource for the PRS being determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between the at least one resource and the at least one number or index.

15. The method comprises: performing, by the second terminal, measurements based on the PRS transmitted by the first terminal to obtain measurement results; transmitting the measurement results by the second terminal; 15. The method of any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising:

16. The method comprises: performing, by the second terminal, a measurement based on the PRS transmitted by the first terminal to obtain a measurement result; performing positioning based on the measurement results by the second terminal; 15. The method of any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising:

17. A positioning reference signal transmitting device, a processing module configured to obtain resources for a positioning reference signal (PRS); a transceiver module configured to transmit sidelink control information (SCI), the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating the resources for the PRS, and to transmit the PRS on the resources for the PRS; A positioning reference signal transmitting device comprising:

18. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI, resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first instruction information.

19. The second indication information relates to a resource for the second type of SCI, 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second instruction information indicates the resources for the second type of SCI.

20. The resource for the second type SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second indication information is related to the resource for the second type SCI.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second instruction information includes indicating whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

21. 21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a Physical Sidelink Control Channel PSCCH or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel PSSCH, whether the resources for the PRS are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

22. The indication indicated by the first indication information regarding the location information of the resource for the PRS is: At least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of the resources for the PRS; or 22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: a number or index of the resource for the PRS, the number or index of the resource for the PRS being determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between the at least one resource and the at least one number or index.

23. The transceiver module includes: and further configured to receive information regarding the resources for the PRS configured by a network device; 23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing module is further configured to determine the resources for the PRS in a predefined resource pool or to determine predefined resources as the resources for the PRS.

24. The transceiver module includes: and further configured to receive a measurement result from a second terminal, the measurement result being obtained by the second terminal based on a measurement of the PRS transmitted by the device; 24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing module is further configured to perform positioning based on the measurements.

25. A positioning reference signal receiving device, comprising: a transceiver module configured to receive sidelink control information (SCI), the SCI including first indication information, the first indication information indicating resources for a positioning reference signal (PRS); the transceiver module is further configured to receive the PRS on the resources for the PRS. Positioning reference signal receiving device.

26. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the SCI includes a first type SCI and a second type SCI, resources of the first type SCI are predefined, the first type SCI includes second instruction information, the second instruction information is related to resources of the second type SCI, and the second type SCI includes the first instruction information.

27. The second indication information relates to a resource for the second type of SCI, 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second instruction information includes indicating the resources for the second type of SCI.

28. The resource for the second type SCI is a predefined first resource, and the second indication information is related to the resource for the second type SCI.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second instruction information includes indicating whether to transmit the second type of SCI on the first resource.

29. 29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: whether the resources for the PRS occupy a Physical Sidelink Control Channel PSCCH or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel PSSCH, whether the resources for the PRS are PRS dedicated resources, and location information of the resources for the PRS.

30. The indication indicated by the first indication information regarding the location information of the resource for the PRS is: At least one of a time domain location and a frequency domain location of the resources for the PRS; or 30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising: a number or index of the resource for the PRS, the number or index of the resource for the PRS being determined based on a predefined mapping relationship between the at least one resource and the at least one number or index.

31. The apparatus comprises: A processing module configured to perform measurements based on the PRS transmitted by a first terminal to obtain measurement results; 31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to transmit the measurement results.

32. The apparatus comprises: A processing module, which performs measurements based on the PRS transmitted by a first terminal to obtain measurement results; 31. The apparatus of any one of claims 25 to 30, further comprising a processing module configured to perform positioning based on said measurements.

33. A communications device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor coupled to the memory, the memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, enable the device to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or to perform a method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

34. A communication device comprising an interface circuit and a logic circuit, the interface circuit is configured to communicate with a module external to the communication device; A communications device, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to execute a computer program to enable the communications device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, or to enable the communications device to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 16.

35. 17. A computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions which, when executed, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8 or enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 16.

36. 17. A computer program product comprising computer program code, the computer program product enabling the computer to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or to carry out a method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, when the computer program code is run on a computer.

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